Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy

15th Anniversary Year
View CNP's anniversary celebration listings

The Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy (CNP) conducts and disseminates research on the role and impact of nonprofit organizations and philanthropy.

Our Mission

To promote understanding of civil society and improve nonprofit sector performance through rigorous research, clear analysis and informed policy. Read more about the role of the center in this interview with the director Elizabeth T. Boris. 

Major Initiatives

• National Center for Charitable Statistics
• Tax Policy and Charities
• Outcomes and Effective Practices Portal
• NCCS Community Platform
• National Study of Nonprofit-Government Contracting

A full description of our projects is offered HERE.

Latest Reports

Tough Times, Creative Measures: What Will it Take to Help the Social Sector Embrace an Outcomes Culture?
by Urban Institute, Venture Philanthropy Partners

Late Fall 2011 Nonprofit Fundraising Study
by Urban Institute and Additional Authors

The Nonprofit Sector in Brief: Public Charities, Giving and Volunteering, 2011
by Katie L. Roeger, Amy Blackwood, Sarah L. Pettijohn

The Nonprofit Research Collaborative, Summer/Early Fall 2011
by the National Center for Charitable Statistics, et al.

• Books
• Reports and policy briefs
• Audio and Video Recordings

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National Center for Charitable Statistics

The National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), a program of the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, is the national clearinghouse of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States.

For the latest data on the nonprofit sector, see The Nonprofit Sector in Brief: Public Charities, Giving and Volunteering, 2011

For data and quick answers about the U.S. nonprofit sector, visit our Statistics and Profiles pages.

• The Nonprofit Sector in Brief: Public Charities, Giving and Volunteering, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008
• Washington-Area Nonprofit Operating Reserves
• The Nonprofit Almanac, 2008
• The Broader Movement: Nonprofit Environmental and Conservation Organzations, 1989-2005

Read five Questions for Thomas H. Pollak on local nonprofits' financial health.

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File Forms 990 and State Registration Forms Electronically

Developed by NCCS, 990 Online© is a web-based application that allows nonprofit organizations and nonprofit accountants to electronically prepare and submit IRS Forms 990, 990-EZ and 8868 (Extension Request). Organizations can electronically file their tax returns for fiscal years ending 2005 to 2008. The service is free for small organizations. State Registration Forms are currently available for Pennsylvania, Michigan and Hawaii. New York and Mississippi are slated to join our offerings soon. Read more.

Form 990-N (ePostcard)

Small tax-exempt organizations whose annual gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less may be required to electronically submit Form 990-N, also known as the e-Postcard.  Organizations can file this form using our IRS-approved web product.  Click here to get started.

NCCS Publications on Smaller Public Charities

• Revoked: A Snapshot of Organizations that Lost their Tax-Exempt Status
• Small Nonprofit Organizations: A Profile of Form 990-N Filers
• Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: A Look at Organizations that May Have Their Tax-Exempt Status Revoked
• Grassroots Civil Society: The Scope and Dimensions of Small Public Charities

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Books

• Nonprofits and Business
• The Nonprofit Almanac, 2008
• Nonprofits and Government: Collaboration and Conflict (2nd ed.)
• Property-Tax Exemption for Charities
• Who Speaks for America's Children

Audio and Video Recordings

• The Future of the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy - December 7, 2011 (video)
• Doing More with Less: Leveraging Community Capital - November 2, 2011 (video)
• Nonprofit Outlook: Where's the Light at the End of the Tunnel? - October 4, 2011 (video)
• The $100 Billion Connection: Government Contracts and Human Service Nonprofits - October 7, 2010 (audio)
• Life Spans of Charitable Foundations:  Arguments for and Against an Assumption of Perpetuity – March 26, 2009 (audio)
• The Election and the Economy: What's Ahead for Civil Society? – November 4, 2008 (audio)
• Rebuilding a Devastated Arts and Culture Community: How Can New Orleans Recover? – February 6, 2007 (audio)