Candid insights
The big picture of the social sector, backed by data and expertise
The story behind National Philanthropy Day
Most fundraisers and many other staff and volunteers in the nonprofit sector know about National Philanthropy Day (NPD) and enthusiastically embrace it. More than 130 Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) chapters celebrate the observance all across the United States and…
November 9, 2021
We will never know philanthropy’s full response to the COVID-19 crisis
In 2020, the COVID-19 crisis upended philanthropy. Confronted by a crisis that affected every sector, every place, and every community, funders recognized they could not go about business as usual. At Candid, we’ve been tracking philanthropy’s response. Based on the…
November 3, 2021
Quick tips for nonprofits seeking grants
One of the most common questions Candid’s team of expert librarians get on our Ask Us page is “how do I get a grant?” To help answer this question, we’ve created a short (two-minute) video with some quick tips for…
November 2, 2021
Partners in risk
Conversations about risk between funders and grantees are often difficult because few grant partners are on the same page about risk management, mitigation, and appetite. According to Pam Foster of Co-Impact, the most important thing funders and grantees can do…
October 28, 2021
Opening up on funder strategy: what to say, how, and when
Is there a more dreaded phrase for grantee ears than “funder strategy refresh?" In the best case, a funder strategy review will likely mean a limbo period in active grantmaking; worst case it can lead to a funder deciding to…
October 27, 2021
As COVID persists, New York’s youth need nonprofits now more than ever
This was not the "return-to-normal" back-to-school season many of us had hoped for. Remote learning and isolation for more than a year have left many students, especially the most vulnerable, behind. On average, K-12 students are now an estimated five…
October 22, 2021
Stretching gift amounts
In countless prospect identification meetings with professional and volunteer nonprofit leaders, invariably the subject of wealth and financial capacity is the immediate and dominant trigger of names. To be sure, financial capacity is a huge factor, but I would argue…
October 21, 2021
Introducing Candid’s U.S. Social Sector Dashboard, Chapter 1
What’s the story of the social sector? And perhaps more fundamentally, what is the social sector? In the United States, the social sector employs over 12 million people (roughly the combined populations of New York City and Los Angeles) and generates more than $3.7 trillion in aggregate annual revenue (a sum greater than President Biden’s $3.5…
October 20, 2021
The myth of risk
How to make good on the promise of “big bets” in philanthropy There are no bad grants. Period. My hope is not just that funders remember that, but that they believe it – and then act accordingly. There’s an interesting…
October 20, 2021
Funders’ hidden contribution to the sector: their data
Every year, hundreds of funders from the U.S. and other countries around the world share data about their grantmaking with Candid. For Candid, or more accurately, the social sector, this is a boon for several reasons. For one, the data tends to be of better quality…
October 19, 2021
Breaking into the nonprofit space as an organization of color
So, you want to break into the nonprofit space as an organization of color? Great, you are in the right place! Word of caution: There is no magical formula. You have to put the pieces together and realize that the…
October 14, 2021
Building better futures for young refugees through education
The emergency evacuation that recently unfolded in Afghanistan once again placed a spotlight on the plight of the world's refugees. It is a recurring crisis. In fact, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees estimates that of the 82.4 million…
October 14, 2021