Released in May by the Center for Effective Philanthropy, the State of Nonprofits 2026 report – the fourth annual survey of its kind highlighted the impact of this moment and quantified what many in the sector have already been feeling in their bodies.
Staffing has been nonprofits’ biggest operational challenge for three straight years.
CEO burnout has surged from just under 30% to 46% in a single year. Organizations are freezing hiring, delaying raises, drawing on reserves, and reducing programs just to stay afloat. Employees are facing homelessness and a kind of precarity they never imagined possible. Against that backdrop, philanthropy’s challenge isn’t simply that demand for funding has increased – it’s whether philanthropic institutions are prepared to be true partners in the sector, and act with the urgency this moment requires.
