Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Research Note: The Accuracy Of The Core Files For Studying Nonprofit Location: How Many Nonprofits Are There?, Lindsey Mcdougle

Lindsey McDougle

Studies show that the distribution of nonprofits varies considerably across communities. Affluent communities tend to have ample nonprofit resources and highly diverse nonprofit landscapes, while low-income communities often lack the variety of nonprofits found within wealthier areas. As a result of these differences, scholars have suggested that geographic unevenness in the presence of nonprofits may lead to extreme inequities and inefficiencies in how nonprofit services are accessed and administered. Although these concerns certainly warrant serious attention, several limitations have been acknowledged with the National Center for Charitable Statistic’s (NCCS) Core Financial Files—which have been the primary data source used to …