To find a nonprofit’s articles of incorporation, start with the state business filing office where the organization was originally formed. Every state keeps these records, and most make them searchable online at no cost or a small fee. If the state route doesn’t produce the document, the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search often has a copy attached to the nonprofit’s exemption application, and federal law gives you the right to request the articles directly from the organization itself.
What to Have Ready Before You Search
A search goes faster when you have the right details in front of you. The most important is the nonprofit’s exact legal name, which often differs from the name on its website or marketing. A group might operate as “Sunrise Animal Rescue” but be incorporated as “Sunrise Animal Rescue Foundation, Inc.” Punctuation, abbreviations, and suffixes like “Inc.” or “Corp.” matter in databases that expect an exact match.
You also need the state where the nonprofit filed its incorporation paperwork. That isn’t always the state where it operates. Some nonprofits incorporate in one state and register as a foreign entity elsewhere. Check the organization’s website footer, its IRS Form 990 (which lists the state of legal domicile), or its printed materials.
If you have the nine-digit Employer Identification Number, use it. The EIN cuts through name confusion. You can usually find it on a Form 990, a donation receipt, or by asking the organization.
Searching the State Business Filing Office
Every state keeps a record of every corporation formed under its laws, including nonprofits. In most states this is the Secretary of State, though a few use a different agency: Virginia routes filings through its State Corporation Commission, Hawaii uses its Business Registration Division, and Alaska handles them through its Division of Corporations. The process is essentially the same everywhere.
Look for a link on the filing office’s website labeled “business entity search,” “corporate search,” or something similar. Enter the nonprofit’s legal name or state-issued entity number. Most portals let you filter by entity type or status, which helps when a common name returns many matches. Selecting the correct organization typically brings up a summary page showing formation date, registered agent, and current status.
From the summary page, look for a tab labeled “filing history,” “document images,” or “view documents.” The original articles are usually the earliest filing listed. Many states let you view or download a PDF at no charge. Others charge a small fee, and certified copies with an official stamp cost more, commonly anywhere from around $5 to $50 depending on the state. Payment is by credit card before the system releases the document.
Using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search
The IRS runs a searchable database called the Tax Exempt Organization Search, or TEOS, that lists organizations that have applied for federal tax-exempt status. You can view determination letters, Form 990 returns, and in many cases the full exemption application package.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search
This matters because the full-length exemption application, Form 1023, requires the applicant to attach its organizing documents. When a nonprofit filed the standard Form 1023 and that filing is available on TEOS, the articles of incorporation appear as an attachment in the application package.2Internal Revenue Service. Exempt Organizations Public Disclosure – Obtaining Copies of Documents From IRS This route is especially useful when you don’t know the state of incorporation, because TEOS is searchable nationally by name or EIN.
When the IRS Route Won’t Have the Articles
Several categories of nonprofit fall outside what TEOS holds. Smaller organizations with annual gross receipts under $50,000 and total assets below $250,000 may qualify to file the streamlined Form 1023-EZ instead of the full application.3Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1023-EZ The 1023-EZ is an online attestation form, not a document package, so it doesn’t include a scanned copy of the articles.
Churches and religious organizations are another gap. They are automatically considered tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) and are not required to apply for IRS recognition.4Internal Revenue Service. Churches, Integrated Auxiliaries and Conventions or Associations of Churches Many apply voluntarily, but if a particular congregation never filed, TEOS won’t have an application or articles.
Older exemptions have limits too. TEOS carries determination letters issued from 2014 onward and Form 1023 applications filed electronically. For organizations that received exemption decades ago, you may need to submit IRS Form 4506-B to request a copy of the original application from IRS archives.2Internal Revenue Service. Exempt Organizations Public Disclosure – Obtaining Copies of Documents From IRS
Requesting the Documents From the Nonprofit
Federal law gives you a right to ask the organization directly. Under 26 U.S.C. ยง 6104(d), every tax-exempt organization must make its “exempt status application materials” available for public inspection. The statute defines that term broadly to include the exemption application, all papers submitted in support of it, and any IRS correspondence about it.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6104 – Publicity of Information Required From Certain Exempt Organizations and Certain Trusts Because articles of incorporation are a required supporting document in that application, they fall within what the nonprofit must disclose.
If you visit the nonprofit’s principal office in person during regular business hours, it must provide the documents immediately. If you submit a written request, the organization has 30 days to respond with copies.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6104 – Publicity of Information Required From Certain Exempt Organizations and Certain Trusts The nonprofit can charge a reasonable reproduction fee, which the IRS pegs at $0.20 per page plus actual postage.6Internal Revenue Service. Public Disclosure and Availability of Exempt Organizations Returns and Applications – Costs for Providing Copies of Documents
One shortcut: if the nonprofit already posts its application materials on its website, that satisfies the copy requirement and it doesn’t have to mail anything, though it still must allow in-person inspection.7Internal Revenue Service. Public Disclosure and Availability of Exempt Organization Returns and Applications – Public Disclosure Overview Check the website first.
Organizations that ignore a proper request face a penalty of $20 per day for failure to provide exemption application materials, with no stated cap.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6652 – Failure to File Certain Information Returns, Registration Statements, Etc. Most nonprofits cooperate once they understand the obligation exists. Citing Section 6104(d) in your written request tends to speed things up.
Third-Party Databases for Locating the Organization
If you don’t know where the nonprofit is incorporated, a couple of free aggregators help you narrow it down before going to the state or IRS. ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer compiles Form 990 data and full returns for organizations that file Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF, as PDFs and, for electronically filed documents, as machine-readable data with officer names and financial detail. Very small nonprofits that file only the Form 990-N e-Postcard are not included.
GuideStar, now part of Candid, offers nonprofit profiles built from IRS data and self-reported information, including mission, financials, and governance drawn from Form 990 filings. Neither service usually has the articles of incorporation themselves. They are useful for confirming the exact legal name, the EIN, and the state of incorporation so you can go get the articles from the state office or TEOS.
Checking for Amendments and Restated Articles
Finding the original articles is only half the job if the nonprofit has since changed its name, purpose, or structure. Amendments are filed with the same state office, and most state databases show the full filing history in chronological order. Look for documents labeled “articles of amendment,” “certificate of amendment,” or “restated articles of incorporation” filed after the original.
Restated articles consolidate all previous amendments into a single clean document that supersedes what came before. If you see a restated filing, that is the one you want. Where restated articles aren’t available, read the original alongside each amendment to reconstruct the current governing terms.
What the Articles Won’t Cover
The articles are a bare formation document. They typically list the legal name, the stated purpose, the initial directors, the registered agent, and how assets will be distributed on dissolution. The detailed rules about board operations, officer elections, committees, and member votes live in the bylaws, which are separate.
That distinction matters for access. Articles of incorporation are filed with the state and are public records. Bylaws generally are not filed with any government office and are not public records in the same way. Your right to inspect under Section 6104(d) covers the exemption application materials and annual returns, not the bylaws on their own. If the nonprofit attached its bylaws to its Form 1023 application, you may find them bundled with the articles on TEOS. Otherwise, you’ll need to ask the organization directly, and it has no legal duty to share bylaws with the general public beyond what the tax code requires.