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date: 09 February 2025

Philanthropic Funding for Human Serviceslocked

Philanthropic Funding for Human Serviceslocked

  • Kirsten A. GrønbjergKirsten A. GrønbjergIndiana University Bloomington

Summary

Of the 1.75 million tax-exempt organizations registered with the Internal Revenue Service in April 2020, about one-third are human service nonprofits, including about 267,000 charities with about $371 billion in total combined revenues. In 2019, human service public charities (excluding private foundations) received an estimated $56 billion in charitable contributions. This represents 12% of all charitable contributions, and is about 21% of the combined revenues reported by the almost 270,000 registered human service public charities reporting financial information. While government funding is a major driving force for human service charities, philanthropic funding clearly is important as well. Securing such funding requires solid understanding of the fundraising process and dedicated time and effort. However, competition for donations (and fundraising expertise) appears to be growing across the board, with donations from individuals, United Way, and corporate contributions most at risk for human service charities. These trends in philanthropic funding reflect growing income inequality, which also impacts the scope and types of human services needed and is complicated even further by persistent racial disparities.

Subjects

  • Administration and Management
  • Macro Practice
  • Policy and Advocacy
  • Poverty
  • Social Work Profession

Updated in this version

Content and references updated for the Encyclopedia of Macro Social Work.

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