Number of Nonprofits Grew by Two-Thirds Between 1993 and 2003
In an item lifted from the PHILANTHROPY NEWS DIGEST (a service of the Foundation Center)--an email news clipper I subscribe to--is the following interesting piece about the size and strength of the US nonprofit sector. This sector is often referred to as the "Third Sector" of the economy and has been growing for a number of years.
(2/23/06) The number of nonprofit organizations in the United States grew by 68 percent between 1993 and 2003, a new report from the Washington, D.C.-based National Council of Nonprofit Associations ( http://www.ncna.org/ ) finds. Based on the most current statistics available on America's nonprofit sector, the United States Nonprofit Sector found that, excluding foundations and religious congregations, there were 837,027 nonprofits in the United States in 2003, and that they had combined assets of $1.76 trillion. According to the World Factbook, that asset base makes the U.S. nonprofit economy the sixth largest in the world -- surpassing those of Brazil, Russia, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea. The report also found that expenditures of all nonprofits in 2003 totaled $945 billion; that human services organi- zations, at 34 percent, made up the largest subsector of the nonprofit sector; and that California and New York were home to the largest number of charitable organizations. "The economic size of the nonprofit sector, when matched with the social impact of its work, is evidence that America relies on nonprofits and cannot successfully tackle the problems it faces without the work and presence of this vital force," said NCNA executive director Audrey R. Alvarado. "I can only imagine the possibilities if the nonprofit sector united from its position of strength." To read or download the complete report (9 pages, PDF), visit: http://www.ncna.org/_uploads/documents/live/us_sector_report_2003.pdf "U.S. Nonprofit Sector Is Sixth Largest Economy in the World." National Council of Nonprofit Associations Press Release 2/21/06. http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10001142/story
