A non-governmental group (NGO) is a non-profit, citizen-based group that capabilities independently of presidency. NGOs are organized on native, nationwide, and worldwide ranges to serve financial, social welfare, and civic functions. Regardless of their independence from the federal government, many NGOs obtain vital funding from authorities entities.
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Key Takeaways
- A non-governmental group (NGO) is a non-profit, citizen-based group that capabilities independently of presidency.
- NGOs are organized on native, nationwide, and worldwide ranges to serve financial, social welfare, and civic functions.
- Regardless of their independence from the federal government, many NGOs obtain funding from native, state, and federal governments via grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements.
Watch Now: What Is an NGO?
Understanding NGOs and Authorities Funding
NGOs are non-public organizations, managed by non-public people and operated independently of presidency.
As of 2021, there are about 1.5 million NGOs in operation in the USA, representing all kinds of causes. Some NGOs concentrate on developmental initiatives, resembling clear water whereas others promote consciousness of particular causes, resembling gender equality.
Many NGOs obtain funding from native, state, and federal authorities entities via grants. A grant is a monetary award given to a corporation with a particular function. Grants assist present funding for medical analysis, financial improvement, instructional advances, and varied initiatives that present public providers. Grants are basically presents that don’t should be repaid.
Different types of funding for NGOs embrace:
- Annual membership dues or charges
- Donations from people
- Donations from charitable foundations, that are funded both by public donations or non-public donors, resembling a company, a person, or household
- Income or earnings from the sale of products and providers
- Contracts and cooperative agreements with governments
Particular Concerns
Authorities funding of NGOs might provoke controversy when public officers and/or constituents differ concerning the NGO’s objectives or the needs of the funding. Some NGOs favor to not be recognized or related to the federal government and eschew funding from any authorities or nationwide or worldwide governmental group.
For instance, the environmental NGO Greenpeace doesn’t take any funding from the federal government or companies. Greenpeace is prohibited from being concerned in politics, by advantage of being registered as a charity.
Examples of NGOs and Authorities Funding
Examples of NGOs that at the moment obtain authorities funding, or which have acquired authorities funding prior to now, embrace:
Docs With out Borders
Docs With out Borders is an NGO that gives medical help and entry to medicines to these in want all through the globe, which incorporates combating malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and plenty of different medical points.
The overwhelming majority of the income is raised via donations from people, companies, and foundations. The group receives some authorities funding internationally however limits that funding to lower than 20% of the entire quantity of funds raised. Docs With out Borders has not acquired any funding from the U.S. authorities since 2002.
American Affiliation of Retired Individuals (AARP)
The American Affiliation of Retired Individuals (AARP) is a company that helps individuals age fifty and older by offering schooling and data. A few of the points that AARP focuses on embrace monetary schooling, caregiving for seniors, and fraud safety.
AARP receives some grant funding from the federal authorities via the AARP Basis, which helps to battle poverty for senior residents. In any other case, the group receives the overwhelming majority of its funding via membership dues, donations, and promoting income from its publications. AARP additionally earns royalty earnings by permitting third-party companies, resembling monetary establishments to make use of the AARP model identify.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
The World Wildlife Fund’s mission is to preserve nature and promote the variety of life on Earth. The problems being addressed embrace creating renewable vitality, creating sustainable meals techniques for individuals, conservation of forests, and guaranteeing that there is an sufficient quantity of freshwater. In 2021, 28% of the WWF’s funding got here from people, 29% from foundations, 3% from companies, whereas solely 9% got here from authorities grants.