Introducing Philanthropy Insights: A New Lens for Understanding the Nonprofit Ecosystem

As part of the data and analysis team at the Johnson Center, one question crosses my desk more than almost any other: “What does the nonprofit and philanthropic landscape actually look like in our backyard?”

Community leaders, grantmakers, and nonprofit executives are constantly seeking clear answers to essential questions:

• How many 501(c)(3) public charities operate in our region, and what is their combined revenue?
• How do foundation assets and grantmaking dollars in our area compare to neighboring communities?
• Where does philanthropic capacity align with — or lag — actual community need?

In most cases, the data we produce at the Johnson Center isn’t just for curiosity’s sake — it’s built to be shared directly with boards, community partners, and policymakers to drive strategic decision-making.

Yet, answering these questions consistently across regions has always faced a major hurdle: the geography dilemma.

The Challenge: Apples-to-Oranges Geographies

Finding reliable data that simultaneously captures nonprofit capacity, foundation resources, and community need in a single, comparable view is notoriously difficult.

Most public data is organized by county. But counties vary widely in population, from dense urban centers with over a million residents to rural counties with fewer than 25,000 residents. When you compare raw numbers across counties, are the differences driven by structural philanthropic realities or simply by population size? Furthermore, neither community need nor philanthropic grantmaking neatly stops at county borders.

The Solution: Standardizing by Congressional District

To solve this, we looked at regional data through an underutilized lens: U.S. Congressional Districts.

Organizing philanthropic data at the congressional district level provides three immediate advantages:

1. Standardized Population Baselines: By constitutional design, congressional districts represent roughly equal populations in most states (approximately 700,000 to 775,000 residents today), allowing for true apples-to-apples regional comparisons.
2. True Regional Footprints: Congressional districts capture broader economic and commuting ecosystems, reflecting how nonprofits deliver services and how regional funders operate. It is common for funders and nonprofits alike to serve multiple counties as part of regular operations.
3. Policy-Ready Alignment: With major legislative and gubernatorial transitions ahead, including Michigan’s 2026 election cycle, these districts align directly with representation and policy advocacy.

Announcing Philanthropy Insights

Today, we are excited to launch Philanthropy Insights, an open-access, fact-sheet-style tool designed to bring clarity to local philanthropic ecosystems.

Each district profile brings together core metrics across three vital pillars:

1. Charitable Nonprofits: Active 501(c)(3) counts, aggregate annual revenues, and total grant dollars received.
2. Private Foundations: The number of private foundations (whether independent, corporate, or family) and total grantmaking.
3. Community Demographics & Need: Basic demographics along with selected socioeconomic indicators that provide essential context to philanthropic capacity.

Crucially, every metric is benchmarked against the state average, instantly indicating whether a district is above or below the comparative baseline.

Michigan as a Launchpad: Building a National Platform

In 2026, Michigan will be electing a new governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, due to term limits. In addition, our full state house and state senate are up for election (or re-election) at the same time. Therefore, we decided to launch Philanthropy Insights as a pilot in our home state of Michigan. We gathered a basic set of core data for each of Michigan’s 13 congressional districts — but our vision is national.

As we test this model, we want to hear from changemakers across the country:

• For Michigan Practitioners: How are you using this tool in your boardrooms, grant applications, and legislative education sessions? What additional context or narrative would be helpful alongside this data?
• For National Colleagues: Would a standardized district profile like this be valuable in your state? What regional nuances should we account for as we look toward nationwide expansion?

Whether you are preparing a briefing for newly elected legislators, engaging with your grantees and nonprofits, or writing your next major grant proposal, we hope Philanthropy Insights equips you with the data you need to drive meaningful community impact.

Explore the Philanthropy Insights dashboard and let us know what you think!

Contact Us