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Community:  Charitable Organizations Indicator

There are more than 800 charitable organizations and 150 foundations in DuPage County.

ABOUT THE INDICATOR

The three graphs for this indicator provide information about the number and types of charitable organizations located in DuPage County. The data pictured are:

  1. The number and type of reporting public charities within DuPage County
  2. The number of charitable foundations within the six-county region of Northeastern Illinois
  3. Total foundation grants given to charitable organizations within the six-county region

A nonprofit charitable organization is defined as an IRS-recognized tax-exempt corporation or trust established for literary, benevolent, charitable, scientific, or temperance purposes. Charitable organizations are important because they provide education, health and human services, arts, culture, and spiritual development to the community.

A foundation is an entity with funds provided by a single source, established to provide financial assistance to educational, social, charitable, religious or other causes. Foundations are important because they represent one source of charitable giving in a community.

OBSERVATIONS

There were more than 800 public charitable organizations in DuPage County in 1999. The top five types of organizations include:

  1. Educational -- representing 19.9 percent of total
  2. Human services or multi-purpose -- representing 12.2 percent of total
  3. Arts, culture, humanities -- representing 9.9 percent of total
  4. Religion-related/spiritual development -- representing 9.1 percent of total
  5. Health (general and rehabilitative) -- representing 8.7 percent of total

In addition, DuPage was home to 150 charitable foundations providing grants in excess of $21 million in 1999.

TAPESTRY

The number of charitable organizations in DuPage County continues to grow. Charitable organizations provide community members with opportunities to get involved and make a difference. Charitable organizations also aid a community’s economy by supplying additional job opportunities. In fact, 8 percent of all paid workers in Illinois are employed by non-profit organizations.

Foundation giving as reflected in this section represents but a small portion of charitable giving in a community. Charitable organizations typically rely heavily on individual and corporate donations for support. Indeed, more than 85 percent of all gifts come from individuals. Therefore, the ability of the charitable organizations in DuPage County to serve the community effectively will depend on the willingness of county residents to contribute to charitable causes.

COMMENTARY

By Jennifer Jones Wilk, Manager - Giving DuPage

“We are fortunate to have more than 800 nonprofit organizations providing a vast array of services to the residents of DuPage County. This vital sector provides jobs for our residents and stimulates our economy. Even more importantly, it provides needed services for residents. We all benefit from the many arts, educational, health, human services, recreational, and religious organizations serving DuPage.

Giving time and money to help others is a time-honored and rich tradition in American society. Philanthropy and volunteerism are nearly twice as common among Americans as among citizens of other countries. Indeed, helping those less fortunate is viewed as our civic duty."

HOW TO GET INVOLVED OR LEARN MORE

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