Posted on October 25, 2008

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Nonprofits Look to New Administration for More Favorable Treatment, Report Finds

With a slowing economy and major financial crisis squeezing American families and communities, the nation's nonprofits are looking to a new presidential administration for help in responding, a new report from the Johns Hopkins University Nonprofit Listening Post Project finds.

Based on 448 responses to a survey of more than one thousand nonprofit executives, the report, Nonprofit Policy Priorities for the New Administration (17 pages, PDF), found that respondents' top four priorities with regard to the sector were the restoration and/or growth of funds for their field in the federal budget; the reinstatement and expansion of tax incentives for charitable giving and volunteering, including those embodied in the estate tax; federal grant support for nonprofit training and capacity building; and reforming reimbursements under Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs to ensure they cover the real cost of services.

Other policy measures identified by respondents as somewhat or extremely useful included college loan forgiveness for students who take jobs in nonprofit organizations (85 percent of respondents) and the expansion of AmeriCorps and other national service programs that work with nonprofits (74 percent). Many respondents also endorsed broader shifts in national policy, including greater attention to issues of poverty (86 percent), universal health insurance (80 percent), and a community service obligation for students receiving college student aid (75 percent).

"At a time of severe economic strain, our country needs a strong nonprofit sector more than ever," said Lester M. Salamon, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies. "However, nine out of ten respondents to our survey reported little improvement in government policy toward their organizations over the recent past as well as a considerable need for support to meet the challenges the country is now facing."

“Nonprofits Look to New President for Improved Policies.” Johns Hopkins University Press Release 10/22/08.

Primary Subject: Public Affairs

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