Research, Data and Reports
CAN is constantly on the lookout for compelling and relevant research about the trends and developments that impact California's nonprofit sector. Check out recent reports as well as ongoing research on the nonprofit sector from some of California's premier academic institutions.
Click here to submit your report (please include a one-sentence description and a link to the report or ordering information online).
Report on the Nonprofit Investment Capital Roundtable summarizes a discussion conducted by the Nonprofit Listening Post Project that explored the challenges that nonprofits currently face in accessing investment, hard, and soft capital for the growth of their organizations. Posted on August 31, 2007.
A Call to Action: Organizing to Increase the Effectiveness and Impact of Foundation Grantmaking details the difficulties nonprofits face as a result of limited core operating support. Published in 2007 by the National Center for Responsive Philanthropy. Posted on August 7, 2007.
What Does It Take for a Family to Afford to Pay for Health Care? examines the financial implications of family-funded health care. Published in 2007 by the California Budget Project and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Posted on August 3, 2007.
Rural Philanthropy: Building Dialogue from Within looks at the obstacles faced by rural nonprofits in securing funding. Published in 2007 by the National Center for Responsive Philanthropy. Posted on August 3, 2007.
Paying for Overhead looks at the impact of foundations' overhead funding policies on educational and human service organizations. Published by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and funded by the Aspen Institute. Posted on May 14, 2007.
Building Solid Foundations: New Approaches to Substantive Philanthropic Accountability. At a time when the public has become increasingly skeptical of philanthropy's effectiveness in meeting its objectives, this report, written by Rick Cohen (National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy) and funded by the Ford Foundation, introduces guidelines to regain trust in and restrengthen the philanthropic sector. Posted on November 29, 2006.
Left Behind: Workers and their Families in a Changing Los Angeles (PDF). A report from the California Budget Project examines workforce and economic trends in Los Angeles and finds that low-wage jobs have replaced many of the jobs that once provided a decent standard of living for workers and their families. Posted on November 29, 2006.
New Census Data Show Few Gains for California (PDF). Five years into an economic recovery, US Census Bureau data show minimal gains for low- and middle-income Californians. A report from the California Budget Project. Posted on November 29, 2006.
California’s Enterprise Zones Miss the Mark (PDF). A recent report from the California Budget Project finds that the enterprise zone program is too large and fails to target the areas most in need of assistance. Posted on November 29, 2006.
IRS Political Activities Compliance Initiative Report. OMB Watch has released a report about this initiative, which targets nonprofit political activities. Posted on July 19, 2006.
Meeting Funder Compliance. The RAND Corporation has published this study providing recommendations about decreasing the resources spent by social service organizations on funder compliance requirements. Posted on July 19, 2006.
State of Philanthropy 2006: Creating Dialogue for Tomorrow's Movements. The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy has released this collection of articles by sector experts on topics such as regulation of philanthropy and the effects of government budgets on nonprofits. Posted on July 19, 2006.
Holes in the Safety-net. The California Association of Nonprofits published a study on the impacts of the state budget crisis and economic recession on safety-net nonprofits in California. A summary of the study is available here.
The Changing Landscape of Philanthropy. The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California examines the motivations and strategies for philanthropic behavior; new forms of philanthropic activity and structures; and the impact of trends on the capacity of philanthropy, nonprofits and the community. Posted on November 29, 2006.
California Nonprofits, California Foundations, Philanthropy and Charitable Giving. The Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management at the University of San Francisco conducts applied research on the nonprofit sector in areas including regional and industry reports on the state of the sector in California; foundation practices and policies; and philanthropy and charitable giving, especially with regard to social justice grantmaking and the giving practices of minorities and women. Posted on November 29, 2006.
