The expanding nonprofit sector contributes more to the U.S. economy now than a decade ago. Between 1998 and 2005, the number of nonprofits surged from 1.1 million to 1.4 million. In 2006, nonprofits contributed $666 billion to the economy and accounted for 5 percent of GDP, 8 percent of the economy's wages, and nearly 10 percent of jobs. But nonprofits face devastating recession-driven revenue shortages that could reverse this trend as donors cut back and foundation endowments shrink.
Urban Institute researchers study the role and impact of nonprofits, performance measurement, nonprofit governance, and charitable giving and volunteering trends. Read more.
This policy brief summarizes the findings of a larger report on racial-ethnic diversity in California's nonprofit sector (see www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411977). It documents the extent to which California's nonprofit boards, staff, and executive leadership are racially and ethnically diverse, and analyzes diversity by an organization's size, type, funding patterns, and geographic location within the state. The brief examines how California nonprofits with diverse leadership have been affected by the current economic downturn, and presents three models for measuring diversity using different definitions of organizational diversity.
Decisionmakers in California and across the country are facing critical challenges related to diversity. But until now, there has not been a comprehensive picture of how California's nonprofit sector has responded to this demographic transition. This report, based on a representative sample of California's 501(c)(3) organizations, documents the extent to which California's nonprofit boards, staff, and executive leadership are racially and ethnically diverse. It analyzes diversity by an organization's size, type, funding patterns, and geographic location within the state, and examines how California nonprofits with diverse leadership have been affected by the current economic downturn. The report also presents three models for measuring diversity using different definitions of organizational diversity.
Latinos, California's largest minority population, are the most underrepresented group of color in the state's nonprofit sector, according to the first systematic study of racial and ethnic diversity in California's nonprofits.
Eugene Steuerle, one of the nation's most respected public policy experts, whose portfolio ranges from taxes and federal spending on children to entitlements and the vitality of nonprofits, has rejoined the Urban Institute as an Institute fellow and the Richard B. Fisher
The World Bank's East of the River Initiative provided two years of technical assistance to help four District nonprofits develop the capacity to evaluate outcomes. A new Urban Institute report, Evaluation Matters: Lessons from Youth-Serving Organizations, examines the agencies' progress and highlights the conditions and factors promoting and frustrating effective evaluation strategies.
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The expanding nonprofit sector contributes more to the U.S. economy now than a decade ago. Between 1998 and 2005, the number of nonprofits surged from 1.1 million to 1.4 million. In 2006, nonprofits contributed $666 billion to the economy and accounted for 5 percent of GDP, 8 percent of the economy's wages, and nearly 10 percent of jobs. But nonprofits face devastating recession-driven revenue shortages that could reverse this trend as donors cut back and foundation endowments shrink.