About Our Partners


There is no one model for a NNIP Partner - they vary significantly in institutional structure, number of staff, geographic focus, and funding sources, but they are all committed to the mission and principles of NNIP.

Institutions: NNIP partner organizations are a diverse mix of institutional structures (percent of partner organizations in parentheses).:

  • Nonprofit Organizations (40%)
  • University/Research Centers (35%)
  • Community/Local Foundations (14%)
  • Regional/Local Government Agency (12%)

 

 

Eight partners are made up of formal partnerships between organizations, but all partners collaborate informally with other local organizations.  For a list of each partner's year of entry and institutional arrangements, see our Institutional Inventory.

Staffing: Staff at NNIP local organizations fill a mix of roles requiring management, technical, research, and community organizing skills. From a Fall 2009 partners' survey, we learned that the number of full-time equivalent paid staff ranged from 0.5 to 15 people.  Over half have one to three full-time equivalent staff, another one-third have 3.5 to 7 staff, and the remainder have 8 or more.  To assist other partners in recruiting new staff, we have collected sample position descriptions over the years.

Geographic Area: The Fall 2009 partners' survey indicated a variety of service areas for NNIP Partners:

  • City or County (33%)
  • Part of Metropolitan Area (13%)
  • Metropolitan Area (25%)
  • More than the Metropolitan Area (29%)



Funding: Our partners are locally self-sustaining and operate at a wide range of funding levels. 

Range of revenue Percent of surveyed partners
General Support Special Projects
Less than $100,000 50% 48%
$100,000 - $200,000 12% 17%
$200,000 - $300,000 12% 17%
$300,000 - $400,000 12% 9%
$400,000 - $500,000 4% 13%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0% 4%
Greater than $1,000,000 8% 4%
None 4% 4%
Source: NNIP Business Survey 2009 (n=25)

 

 Just as they have a variety of audiences, having a several sources of funding ensures the financial stability of the organization. 

Sources of revenue Percent of surveyed partners
State/Local Government 68%
Local Foundations 64%
National Foundations 48%
Other Nonprofits 48%
Universities 44%
United Way 36%
Federal Government 32%
Commercial/Private Business 24%
Source: NNIP Business Survey 2009 (n=25)