The Think BIG Think Tank aims to be a justice, liberty, and equity-centered brain trust, bringing together a diverse group of grassroots advocates and experts to discern the most pressing funding and policy issues facing nonprofits and devise a path that leads to sustainability within the nonprofit sector.

This report explains the possibilities that could exist in a justice and equity-centered funding environment as a starting point for generating policies and practices that fulfill these priorities. Read the report online, or if you prefer to download the PDF, click here.

Maryland Nonprofits launched the Quality of Life Initiative to empower social sector organizations to play a larger leadership role, working with business and government, to define and drive toward a better future for Maryland. Our Quality of Life interactive data dashboard tracks 12 indicators of quality of life in Maryland, including Arts and culture, Clean air, Education, Recreation, and Transportation.

The COVID-19 and Racial Equity Survey aimed to uncover issues of racial equity within the nonprofit sector. The findings in our study show two nonprofit sectors: one that is far more challenging and inequitably structured for Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous People leading nonprofit organizations, compared to the nonprofit sector experienced by white leaders.

By sharing this data, we hope Maryland governments and philanthropists will be motivated to re-design funding programs, making programs accessible and intentionally directing funding to community-based and people-of-color-led organizations.

A joint product of Maryland Nonprofits and the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies.

The 2021 Maryland Nonprofits by the Numbers survey investigates the size, scope, structure, and impact of nonprofits in the state, and demonstrates this vital set of organizations as essential drivers of community and economic development in Maryland. Maryland’s nonprofits employ nearly 13% of all non-governmental workers in Maryland and paid over $15,000,000,000 in wages in 2017. An accompanying data dashboard provides similar data on regional and county levels.

Access to the report is an member-exclusive benefit. Members, login to the member portal to view and download the report. Not-yet-members, join today.

Presented by: Worchester County Economic Development, The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Greater Salisbury Committee, The United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore, The Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, and The Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.

In partnership with Maryland Nonprofits and BEACON at Salisbury University.

KEY FINDINGS:

• Nonprofits on the Lower Eastern Shore have a total economic impact of over $695 million annually.
• The nonprofit sector supports over 9,200 jobs on the Lower Eastern Shore, making up 14% of the region’s total wages and 13% of total private employment.

Commissioned by the Charles County Charitable Trust

KEY FINDINGS:

• The nonprofit sector in Charles County provides over 2,300 jobs and directly adds more than $23 million annually to the county’s economy.
• Rising demand for services: Nonprofits reported being less able to meet the demand for their services in 2017 than in the preceding year.

A joint report with the Center for Nonprofit Advancement.

KEY FINDINGS:

• Nonprofits employ 1 out of every 10 workers in the region. That’s almost 650,000 workers in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia!
• Nonprofits in the region contribute over $112.3 billion dollars per year to the economy through wages paid, retail and wholesale purchases, and professional service contracts, contributing 12.4 percent of the region’s gross domestic product.

Maryland Nonprofit Sector Data by County.