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Some highlights of the report include:

• The nonprofit workforce, including paid and volunteer workers, makes up 7.4 percent of the total workforce on average in the 13 countries for which full data are available. This places it ahead of several major industries, such as transportation and finance. (In the U.S., the figure is 10.2 percent.)

• With the value of volunteer work included, nonprofit organizations account for 4.5 percent of gross domestic product in the 15 countries for which data are available. This is roughly equivalent to the share of GDP accounted for by the construction industry in these countries. (In the U.S., this figure is 6.6 percent.)

• Nonprofits spend the most on labor as opposed to other goods. On average, the report found, nonprofits devote the majority of their expenditures to labor costs, as opposed to so-called intermediate consumption—the purchase of goods and services from other industries for use in producing output. According to the study’s authors, this likely reflects the fact that nonprofits are most heavily engaged in the production of services. As such, they do not need to purchase as many goods and services from other industries to be fashioned into products as do industries such as manufacturing.

• Fees are the biggest source of revenue. Nonprofits derive their revenue from several different sources, which the report groups into three broad categories: fees charged for the provision of goods and services, the government, and private philanthropic giving and donations. The results indicate that nonprofits on average derive 43 percent of their revenue from fees they charged for their services, 32 percent from government sources and 23 percent from private philanthropic giving. Due to the difficulty of identifying certain types of government funding, the researchers said, it is likely these estimates understate the government share of funding and overstate the philanthropic share.

• The sector is a growing economic presence in countries throughout the world. According to the report, the GDP contribution of nonprofit organizations in the eight countries for which longitudinal data are available outpaced the growth of the economy overall. On average, the nonprofit sector’s contribution to GDP grew at an average rate of 5.8 percent per year over the period from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s compared to 5.2 percent for the economies as a whole in these countries.

In fact, if you removed the one country that reported a decrease—the Czech Republic—the average annual growth of the nonprofit sector would stand at 7.3 percent vs. 5.2 percent for the full economies of these countries.

Taken together, these and other findings in the report indicate that the nonprofit sector is a considerable economic force in countries throughout the world, and will likely remain so—a conclusion that justifies expending resources to advocate on behalf of the sector just as other major industries do.

Pioneers in Justice will go beyond awarding grants, the company said, by drawing upon all the leadership tools at Levi Strauss’ disposal—acting as a convener, relationship broker, constituency builder, knowledge disseminator and grantmaker—to help social justice leaders test new ideas that will benefit them, their organizations, the communities they serve and the issues they represent. 

• Workers’ Rights Initiatives. In this area, the Levi Strauss Foundation supports the company’s commitment to responsible sourcing by providing grants to innovative local, national and global nonprofit organizations that advance the human rights and well-being of apparel workers in communities where Levi’s products are made, including communities in China, Cambodia, Lesotho and Mexico. Through this grantmaking, the foundation aims to build the capacity of local organizations and governments to improve living and working conditions in their communities. Priorities include:

• Educating workers and factory management on labor rights and responsibilities.
• Improving the health of workers (including hygiene, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS).
• Providing asset-building opportunities for workers.
• Supporting factory-level dispute resolution mechanisms, legal aid and arbitration channels to enhance oversight of labor laws.

Because of these programs and others, the NCRP said, the Levi Strauss Foundation is one of just a handful of foundations to exceed all of the benchmarks of good grantmaking suggested in the NCRP’s Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best. For those unfamiliar, the NCRP’s benchmarks include:

• Contributing to a strong, participatory democracy that engages all communities by providing at least 50 percent of its grant dollars to benefit lower-income communities, communities of color and other marginalized groups, and providing at least 25 percent of its grant dollars for advocacy, organizing and civic engagement to promote equity, opportunity and justice in society.
• Investing in the health, growth and effectiveness of its nonprofit partners by providing at least 50 percent of its grant dollars for general operating support and multiyear awards.
• Demonstrating accountability and transparency to the public, its grantees and constituents by maintaining an engaged board with a diversity of perspectives that maintains policies and practices that support ethical behavior and discloses information freely.
• Engaging a substantial portion of its financial assets in pursuit of its mission by ensuring it pays out at least 6 percent of its assets annually in grants and invests at least 25 percent of its assets in ways that support its mission.

“These awardees have inspired me and so many of you in their effectiveness, courage, and leadership in helping solve the tough problems our world faces,” said NCRP Executive Director Aaron Dorfman. “They prioritize and empower the vulnerable, supporting policy and community engagement to come up with long-term solutions. And they work in true partnership with grantees to help build strong nonprofit organizations.”

• New York Life. To commemorate ICPD, New York Life announced a partnership with Respond and Rebuild, a new nonprofit organization launched in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, that will focus on cleaning and repairing the homes damaged by the storm in the Rockaways area of New York City—one of the hardest-hit areas in the New York area. As part of the partnership, New York Life’s employee volunteers have removed wallboard, flooring and other debris, and helped scrub and remove the mold that has grown as a result of the flooding, among other activities.

• Symantec. Symantec celebrated ICPD by announcing over $1 million in grants for literacy and science, technology, engineering and math education around the globe. Grantees include:

• Teach for America. Symantec’s support for Teach for America is aimed at helping the organization place more math and science teachers in underserved school districts across the United States.
• Science Buddies. Since 2007, Symantec has provided educational grants to Science Buddies, with funding primarily going to core programming support with a focus on computer science. The newly awarded grant will be used to continue that work and expand it with the development of a prototype for a hands-on computer science project kit with hardware components to complement online educational information for students, teachers and parents.
• The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Symantec’s relationship with this group began in January 2012, when Symantec partnered with WAGGGS in the development and delivery of Surf Smart, an online safety education resource that provides skills and tools for young people to identify online risks and safeguards. The program was rolled out with the support of Symantec employees in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and the new grant will be used to expand the curriculum into Africa.