Nearly 33,000 human service nonprofits had government contracts and grants in 2009, which provided the largest single source of revenue for 62 percent of them. The nearly 200,000 federal, state, and local contracts totaled about $100 billion. But a study from the Urban Institute's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy reveals that with many contracts come major problems. Fifty-seven percent of the nonprofits, for instance, are bedeviled by contract changes, including cancellation, reduced payments, and postponement. Forty-one percent say government agencies made late payments.
The $100 Billion Connection: Government Contracts and Human Service Nonprofits
On October 7, 2010, at The Urban Institute, a panel of experts discussed the impact of the recession, the interaction of contracting problems, the cutbacks organizations have made to keep their programs operating, policy implications, and the future of nonprofit-government relations.
Listen to the Audio Replay from the release event of the nonprofit-government contracting study.
Panelists
- Elizabeth Boris, director, Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Urban Institute
- Tim Delaney, president and CEO, National Council of Nonprofits
- Elliot Pagliaccio, assistant comptroller, Division of Strategic Planning, Office of the N.Y. State Comptroller
- Steven Smith, Waldemar A. Nielsen Chair in Philanthropy, Georgetown Public Policy Institute
- Eugene Steuerle, Institute fellow, Urban Institute (moderator)
Publications
National Study of Nonprofit-Government Contracting: State Profiles
This compilation of state profiles from the 2010 National Survey of Nonprofit-Government Contracting and Grants, provides national and state-by-state snapshots of human service organizations that have contracts and grants with local, state and federal governments. The individual state profiles are designed to document the extent of nonprofit-government contracting, processes and problems. They also examine the impact of the recession on these organizations and the cutbacks they have made to keep their programs operating. States are also ranked according to number of grants, types of issues, and actions taken by human service nonprofits to address the challenges they face.
This report explores the results of the 2010 National Survey of Nonprofit-Government Contracting and Grants, a study of human service organizations designed to document the extent of nonprofit-government contracting, processes and problems. It also examines the impact of the recession on these organizations and the cutbacks they have made to keep their programs operating. While contracting problems are not new, many are exacerbated by the deep recession that has reduced government budgets and private contributions. Nearly 33,000 human service nonprofits have government contracts and grants, and 9,000 organizations with expenditures over 100,000 were surveyed for this study.
Contracts and Grants between Human Service Nonprofits and Government
This brief summarizes results of the 2010 National Survey of Nonprofit-Government Contracting and Grants, a study of human service organizations designed to document the extent of nonprofit-government contracting, processes and problems. It also examines the impact of the recession on these organizations and the cutbacks they have made to keep their programs operating. While contracting problems are not new, many are exacerbated by the deep recession that has reduced government budgets and private contributions. Nearly 33,000 human service nonprofits have government contracts and grants, and 9,000 organizations with expenditures over 100,000 were surveyed for this study.
Nonprofit-Government Contracting in the Nation's Capital: Challenges and Opportunities
Findings from the National Survey of Nonprofit-Government Contracting and Grants show that a majority of human service organizations in Washington, D.C. are struggling due in part to challenges posed by working with the government in providing programs and services to District residents.