Your Top Five Stories of 2024
December 18, 2024
Civic and Community Infrastructure
In 2020, Independent Sector and KABOOM! formed a coalition known as the Nonprofit Infrastructure Coalition (NIC) to identify, and advocate for, the essential federal investments needed to rebuild the nation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, and ongoing racial injustice.
About the Nonprofit Infrastructure Coalition
The Nonprofit Infrastructure Coalition (NIC) includes about 50 national, regional, and local nonprofits and foundations.
The Nonprofit Infrastructure Coalition (NIC), is an advocacy coalition of nearly 50 member organizations, coming from all parts of our sector and nation. The NIC, co-led by Independent Sector and KABOOM!, was created in 2020 to ensure that public policies – in the continuing wake of the pandemic, economic disruption, and social unrest — are supporting a healthy and equitable sector.
Coalition members are committed to investing in an infrastructure of healthy and equitable nonprofits as an essential foundation to building a just nation where all people thrive.
The NIC's Three Core Focus Areas
Representation and Voice – Advance public policies that ensure that the nonprofit sector has growing and permanent representation and voice across the federal government
Healthy and Equitable Organizations – Build capacity (financial, workforce/volunteer, advocacy) of nonprofits to advance their missions and model equitable practices
A Conducive Enabling Environment – Enable a healthy environment in which nonprofits operate to support their missions and their work.
Interested in Joining the NIC?
Any nonprofit organization committed to mobilizing in support of policies that build a healthier, more equitable nonprofit sector is welcome to explore and join the NIC. There are no fees or Independent Sector membership requirements needed to join. The coalition meets virtually once a month and keeps it a “light lift” for members.
If you’re interested in learning more, please complete this interest form, then Jeff Moore and Ronda Jackson will schedule an informational call.
We will always be stronger with you than without you.
We hope you’ll consider joining the Nonprofit Infrastructure Coalition.
Priority Investments
We have organized our priority policy requests into three categories:
- Representation and Voice
- Healthy and Equitable Nonprofit Sector
- Conducive, Enabling Environment
As a coalition, we will seek to advance these funding priorities by attaching them to appropriate legislative vehicles as they become available. We are designing the work of the NIC so it provides a policy and investment roadmap that helps to shape the infrastructure conversation well into the future.
April 2023: Our most recent policy priorities are listed below and a full detailed list can be found here:
Representation and Voice
This lack of representation and voice has consequences — especially when federal policies are created that impact nonprofits and the communities we serve. When the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was created in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no one “at the table” to caution that administering PPP through the Small Business Administration with an application form well-suited for business, but not nonprofits, could problematic. Despite the overall success of PPP, many nonprofits were left out of line.
Our priority policy requests in representation and voice are:
- Call upon both the Biden Administration and the Congress to create an Office on the Nonprofit Sector within the Executive Branch
- Ensure that nonprofits – and the communities we serve – are healthy, equitable, and have a “seat at the table” in the policy process.
- Refine rules for nonprofits to engage in advocacy, lobbying, and nonpartisan civic activities
Healthy and Equitable Nonprofit Sector
Nonprofit organizations are more effective than anyone in getting people to the polls to vote. They do this through nonpartisan voter engagement and education – and it is our superpower as a sector. One critical measure of the health of civil society and of American democracy is the degree to which all people are voting, especially in communities of color that have encountered historical obstacles to exercising this most basic American right.
Our priority policy requests for a conducive, enabling environment are:
- Encourage our legislators to reintroduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the 118th Congress and ensure an open vigorous debate and a vote on this critical piece of legislation
- Oppose efforts to end the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program
- Urge Congress to pass the bipartisan Outdoors for All Act to continue growing healthy children and communities
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Members of the Coalition
Interested in becoming a member? Get in touch with us.
ACCESS
American Heart Association
Americans for the Arts
The Aspen Institute
City Parks Alliance
Communities In Schools
Community Resource Center
Council of Michigan Foundations
Do Good Institute
Fund the People
George Mason University
Giving Tuesday
Goodwill Industries International Inc.
Habitat for Humanity
Independent Sector
The Jewish Federations of North America
KABOOM!
Leadership Roundtable
League of American Orchestras
League of United Latin American Citizens
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Living Cities
Maryland Philanthropy Network
MENTOR
Morgan Stanley
National Digital Inclusion Alliance
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
National Community Action Partnership
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
National Indian Child Welfare Association
National League of Cities
National Recreation and Parks Association
National Urban Indian Family Coalition
Native Ways Federation
Nature Conservancy
OneStar Foundation
Orthodox Union Advocacy Center
Philanthropy West Virginia
PolicyLink
Raising A Village Foundation
Reinvigorating the Conversation
Service Year Alliance
Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society
StriveTogether
Technology Association of Grantmakers
TechSoup
The Henry Ford
United Philanthropy Forum
United Way Worldwide
Urban League
Volunteer Match
YWCA USA
