Does the Federal Government Fund any NGOs? Which ones?

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 important funding from authorities entities.

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 US, representing all kinds of causes. Some NGOs give attention to developmental tasks, equivalent to clear water whereas others promote consciousness of particular causes, equivalent to gender equality.

Many NGOs obtain funding from native, state, and federal authorities entities by way of grants. A grant is a monetary award given to a company with a selected goal. Grants assist present funding for medical analysis, financial growth, academic advances, and varied tasks that present public companies. Grants are primarily items that don’t should be repaid.

Different types of funding for NGOs embody:

• Annual membership dues or charges
• Donations from people
• Donations from charitable foundations, that are funded both by public donations or non-public donors, equivalent to an organization, a person, or household
• Income or earnings from the sale of products and companies
• Contracts and cooperative agreements with governments 

Particular Issues

Authorities funding of NGOs might provoke controversy when public officers and/or constituents differ in regards to the NGO’s objectives or the needs of the funding. Some NGOs choose 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 presently obtain authorities funding, or which have acquired authorities funding prior to now, embody:

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 lots of different medical points.

The overwhelming majority of the income is raised by way of donations from people, companies, and foundations. The group receives some authorities funding internationally however limits that funding to lower than 20% of the overall 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 corporation that helps individuals age fifty and older by offering schooling and data. A number of the points that AARP focuses on embody monetary schooling, caregiving for seniors, and fraud safety.

AARP receives some grant funding from the federal authorities by way of the AARP Basis, which helps to battle poverty for senior residents. In any other case, the group receives the overwhelming majority of its funding by way of membership dues, donations, and promoting income from its publications. AARP additionally earns royalty earnings by permitting third-party corporations, equivalent to 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 range of life on Earth. The problems being addressed embody creating renewable power, creating sustainable meals methods for individuals, conservation of forests, and guaranteeing that there is an ample 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.