Philanthropy News Digest
February 2, 2011
Between 2005 and 2009, thirteen nonprofits secured more than $3.1 billion in benefits for people living in poverty, people with disabilities, and other underserved populations in Pennsylvania, a new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy finds.
The report, Strengthening Democracy, Increasing Opportunities: Impacts of Advocacy, Organizing, and Community Engagement in Pennsylvania (64 pages, PDF), examined the policy engagement efforts of thirteen Pennsylvania nonprofits and found quantifiable benefits such as $1 billion in additional wages for low-wage workers, $827 million in new state funding for public schools, and more than $57 million to help create and maintain affordable housing in Philadelphia. Pennsylvanians also benefitted from non-monetized impacts, including protection for clean water in rural communities and increased educational opportunities for students with cognitive disabilities. Foundations, both within and beyond Pennsylvania, contributed the bulk of the $26.1 million spent by the nonprofits in the study.
