NJNonprofitCom – NJ Center for Nonprofits

New Jersey's Charitable Nonprofit Community

44,000

501(c)(3) organizations

340,000

Employees – nearly 10% of the private workforce in the state

$56 billion

Annual expenditures – much of it within the Garden State

1.9 million

volunteers providing over 163 million hours of service annually valued at over $3.9 billion

New Jersey Nonprofits Get it Done

New Jersey’s nonprofit community is broad and diverse, with tens of thousands of organizations working in every part of the state. From essential services to arts, advocacy, and community building, nonprofits are at the center of efforts to strengthen New Jersey for the long term.

The New Jersey Center for Nonprofits exists to champion and support these vital organizations through advocacy, education, research, and connection, to improve life for all people of our state.

As part of our New Jersey Nonprofits Get It Done campaign, we’re highlighting a small, rotating sample of organizations that reflect the range of nonprofit work in New Jersey. The visuals below represent just a few of the many nonprofits making a difference every day, and are just a few examples within our 400+ members and the thousands of organizations in our broader network.

Some facts about nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations exist to serve the public good. New Jersey nonprofits are an important and powerful force for saving and improving lives, from infancy through senior years.
New Jersey’s 44,000 charitable nonprofits are safe ports for critical services, care and comfort; education and learning; job training and placement; environmental protection and safety; life-saving research; physical, mental and spiritual well-being; spaces for dialogue and community; and forces for collective action and social change.
Nonprofits are strong partners with the government in providing solutions to critical issues. They are also an important part of the economy, employing nearly 10% of the private work force. They patronize and partner with local businesses and merchants, and often factor heavily into business and personal location decisions.
Nonprofits are funded from a variety of sources including individual donations, government grants and contracts, foundation and corporate philanthropy, fees for service, and other sources. Individual organizations vary greatly in terms of the proportion of their funds that come from these sources.
“Nonprofit” doesn’t mean “no profit.” Like any business, a nonprofit CAN – and, indeed, should – retain year-end surpluses and cash reserves in order to remain financially healthy. The surpluses must be devoted to its exempt purpose.
And like any successful business, charities must invest in their own infrastructure (technology, planning, research, professional development) in order to be sustainable. Charities that skimp on these items are LESS effective, starving themselves of strategic resources necessary to do their work. Overhead or administrative expenses such as audits, insurance, facility maintenance, etc., are important to ensuring organizational safety, compliance and accountability.

Data Sources: IRS Business Master File of Exempt Organizations; DataLake LLC Nonprofit Research; Corporation for National & Community Service; Bureau of Labor Statistics; Independent Sector

New Jersey Nonprofit Trends and Outlook

Despite the social and economic importance of a strong, vibrant nonprofit community, key challenges persist. Nonprofits are experiencing heightened concerns stemming from a turbulent federal policy and funding landscape.
Demands for services and rising expenses are still outpacing funding – a longstanding problem with deep ramifications for delivery of programs and services in our communities. While 73% of survey respondents reported that demand for their services had grown in 2025, only 43% said their funding had increased. Equally troubling, three-quarters anticipated that demand and expenses would rise in 2026, but only 39% anticipated growth in funding.
Nonprofits are still struggling with significant workforce shortages that threaten their ability to meet community needs. Nearly 50% of respondents with employees reported that they had staff shortages, with an average vacancy rate of 18%. Identified obstacles to filling vacancies included difficulty offering competitive compensation due to budget constraints or insufficient funding; competition for employment; worker shortages in specific professions or industries; or difficulty finding qualified workers for certain positions.
These longstanding problems are being exacerbated by a federal funding and policy environment that is wreaking havoc on nonprofit missions, budgets, and programs serving New Jerseyans.
Collective action among nonprofits, philanthropy, government, for-profit business and residents to fortify organizations and systems throughout communities for all people in our state.

Top issues affecting individual organization viability (aside from funding):