More than a year into the pandemic, Washington nonprofits have shown resiliency in serving their communities and staying afloat, a study from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the 天美影视传媒 shows.

The new study explores not only how the pandemic economy impacted donations to, and the operations of, charitable organizations, but also how nonprofits responded to the simultaneous call for racial justice.

鈥淭he dual pandemic created challenges and opportunities for funding, service delivery and operations,鈥� said , a doctoral candidate in public policy and one of the report鈥檚 authors. 鈥淐hanges made by nonprofits and funders will bring long-term benefits in terms of access to services and a greater focus on addressing racial inequities.ut the short-term sacrifices 鈥� especially for smaller, BIPOC-led and -serving organizations 鈥� were significant. And those sacrifices are ongoing.鈥�

The marks the second phase of research into the effects of the pandemic on Washington鈥檚 nonprofit sector. The first phase, published in fall 2020, surveyed more than 200 organizations and showed how donations were down, community needs were up, and called on governments and other institutions to step up their support.

A year later, new findings from a subset of 37 organizations have revealed how public and private relief funds came to the rescue for many organizations but can鈥檛 be counted on over the long term. The new phase of research also concentrated on how organizations responded to communities of color and incorporated diversity, equity and inclusion into their decision-making and administration.

The more than three dozen organizations sampled for this second phase were based around the state and included those in health and human services, education, the environment and the arts. Researchers interviewed nonprofit leaders during spring and summer 2021.

Among the findings:

• Nonprofits have been stretched thin in an effort to continue providing services. Some shut down programs that were running at a deficit and others had to close their doors altogether
• Emergency relief funds and generous donations helped stave off even more dramatic losses than were expected after the first several months of the pandemic, when last year鈥檚 study found that funding was down 30%. Some nonprofits noted that a switch to online services helped reduce costs, so they could make the donations go even further
• Rapidly-mobilized federal assistance programs, especially the Paycheck Protection Program, were critical in keeping many nonprofits solvent at the peak of the COVID-19 crisis
• Some large foundations and government agencies prioritized nonprofits serving communities of color by increasing funding or loosening certain application and reporting requirements

• More nonprofits were able to engage in advocacy and participate in the legislative process as a result of their ability to provide online as it eliminated time and resource barriers
• Many nonprofits instituted or strengthened existing efforts to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in their organizations. Researchers say it remains to be seen whether this results in stronger efforts to combat underlying structural racism.

鈥淲e鈥檝e known that there are deep racial disparities in the nonprofit sector,鈥� says report co-author and . 鈥淪eeing that their values, including their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and access, were out of alignment with their mission, many nonprofits started shifting program priorities and engaging in advocacy efforts. There鈥檚 a lot more work to be done, but this trend is promising.鈥�

In light of the findings, researchers recommend governments and large foundations take further steps to help nonprofits continue to provide essential services: allocating funding over longer periods of time (beyond just emergency relief), and imposing fewer restrictions on funds, thus allowing nonprofits to take actions they deem necessary both to survive and to serve their communities. 鈥淣onprofits are closer to the communities they serve and understand the dynamic nature of the challenges those communities face. Trust them,鈥� the authors wrote.

The study was funded by the Nancy Bell Evans Endowment for Excellence at the UW.

For more information, contact Associate Teaching Professor Erica Mills Barnhart at enm@uw.edu.

The holiday season is typically the time of year when nonprofit organizations and charities see the biggest boost in donations 鈥� helped, in recent years, by the growing movement of 聽the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, that encourages people to contribute to the causes that inspire them.

But like everything else this year, Giving Tuesday falls in the middle of a global pandemic, and nonprofits throughout Washington and the rest of the country are struggling to continue to deliver the necessary services while facing a loss of volunteers and of revenue.

A new from the at the 天美影视传媒, drawn from a survey of more than 200 nonprofits around the state, finds many nonprofits are struggling. Results of the survey, prompted by the researchers’ concern over how nonprofits are faring during the pandemic, are posted on the center’s .

鈥淥verall, nonprofits report that funding is down 30%, and demand for services is up more than 10%,鈥� said the center鈥檚 faculty director, , a professor in the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. 鈥淗ealth and human service organizations that are typically engaged in direct service report that demand for services is up 28%.鈥�

That nonprofit organizations are having a difficult time may come as no surprise during the COVID-19 economy. Unemployment has remained high for most of 2020, businesses report plummeting revenue and many, amid quarantine restrictions that have been in place to varying degrees since March, have shut their doors permanently.

But the center鈥檚 study shows that the need for the services that nonprofits provide 鈥� from food banks to youth services to senior care to the arts 鈥� hasn鈥檛 gone away, and in many communities, has only increased.

鈥淲hile many nonprofits have tried to rapidly adapt to new ways of delivering services, a lack of sustained, unrestricted funding jeopardizes their viability over the long term,鈥� said co-author , a doctoral candidate in the Evans School.

The center鈥檚 study found that:

• Over the next year, nonprofits expect revenue is likely to continue to decline on average by 4.2% for health and human service organizations, and by 25.6% for other organizations.
• Volunteer ranks have dropped 30% to 50%, limiting organizations鈥� ability to operate at full capacity.
• Nearly two-thirds of organizations in the sample have had to put one or more programs on hold, while 14% have had to end at least one program.
• CARES Act funding is helping: More than half of nonprofits have received Paycheck Protection Program loans, but organizations say the uncertainties involved in the program underscore its temporary nature.
• Over 68% of nonprofits report actively prioritizing the communities at greatest risk for COVID-19 infection and its economic ramifications 鈥� including people with low incomes, people experiencing homelessness, and Black, Indigenous and people of color communities.

So how to plan for the future?

With vaccines not expected to be widely available for months, and warnings by public health officials that many of life鈥檚 routines won鈥檛 return to normal until well into 2021, the economy isn鈥檛 likely to take a dramatic upward turn right away. Foundations and corporations may be positioned to help, and many are already taking steps to loosen restrictions on existing grants. Still, 60.8% of nonprofits reported that increased funding from foundations will be key to weathering this period, researchers said.

Individual giving also plays an important role.

鈥淚ndividual donors can support nonprofits and take advantage of the CARES Act鈥檚 $300 charitable deduction, which is only available in 2020,鈥� Gugerty said.

The report also contains recommendations for governments and institutional funders, including increasing clarity and ease for nonprofits to apply for and pay back loans 鈥� or have them forgiven — and for more money to be directed toward organizations led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

The study was funded by the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits & Philanthropy. Also contributing to the report were associate teaching professor and doctoral candidate , both of the Evans School.

For more information, contact Barnhart at enm@uw.edu聽or Gugerty at 驳耻驳别谤迟测蔼耻飞.别诲耻.听

The will bring UW researchers from many fields together with public officials, corporate practitioners and others to discuss how the rise in exponential technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data and Blockchain help build a healthy and ethical society.

The event will be from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Global Innovation Exchange (GIX), in the Steve Ballmer Building, 12280 NE District Way in Bellevue.

The event is co-hosted by the and GIX. Several Evans School聽 faculty will attend and discuss their research, including , , and . of the Information School, co-creator of the iSchool’s popular “Calling BS” class and website, also will speak.

Giving an opening keynote will be , professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the , as well as co-executive director of GIX. , also of the Allen School, the eScience Institute and director of the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology, will speak as well.

Badshah of the Evans School, who is organizing the event, said the summit is already over capacity with 280 expected attendees. He said while other universities have convened such conversations among academics, companies or policyholders, this is the first such dialogue across multiple sectors.

The summit will feature sessions on social justice and equity, exponential technology and entrepreneurship and financial services, data mapping, health and societal transformation and more.

Also attending will be U.S. Rep. Susan DelBene, D-Wash., State Senator Manka Dhingra and members of the Bellevue City Council.

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For more information or for press access, contact Badshah at akhtarb@uw.edu.

Recent notable books by 天美影视传媒 faculty members study politics and culture in post-World War II Japan, explore regime change, nonprofit management, documents from the ancient world and more.

‘Japan in the American Century” explores postwar relations, current geopolitical changes

After the United States ended World War II by dropping atomic weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it then conducted “the most intrusive international reconstruction of another nation in modern history,” according to a new book by , professor emeritus at the UW’s . Only now, amid geopolitical changes of the 21^st century, is Japan pulling free from American dominance and constraints placed on it after the war.

“,” published this month by Harvard University Press, examines how Japan, with its conservative heritage, responded to the imposition of a new liberal order. The book offers a thoughtful history of the now-changing relationship between the two nations.

“The price Japan paid to end the occupation was a Cold War alliance with the United States that ensured America鈥檚 dominance in the region,” Pyle writes. “Still traumatized by its wartime experience, Japan developed a grand strategy of dependence on U.S. security guarantees so that the nation could concentrate on economic growth.” Meanwhile, he adds, Japan “reworked the American reforms” to fit its own cultural and economic circumstances and social institutions.

Today that postwar world is in retreat, Pyle argues, and Japan is changing its foreign policy, “returning to an activist, independent role in global politics not seen since 1945” 鈥� and that has repercussion for its continuing relations with the U.S. and its role in Asian geopolitics.

The book distills a lifetime of work on Japan and the U.S. by Pyle, a former director of the Jackson School, who joined the UW in 1964. “The American Century,” referring to global political, economic and cultural dominance by the United States, is a term famously coined by , publisher of , Time and Fortune magazines, in a Life editorial in 1941.

To learn more, contact kbp@uw.edu.

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When authoritarianism becomes democracy: New boss, same as the old boss?

When authoritarian governments transition to democracy, sometimes those running the old system are the ones creating the new system 鈥� and design it to their own advantage. So argues UW political scientist , co-author of the book “,” published this summer by Cambridge University Press. He wrote the book with of the University of Chicago.

“We examine 鈥� how does this process occur and what are the consequences?” Menaldo, associate professor of political science, said in an posted on the Political Science Department website. “Since World War 2, the outgoing authoritarian regime has drafted the new democratic constitution in over two-thirds of the countries that have made this transition.” Menaldo and Albertus studied such transitions globally across two centuries.

“There are many ways [for outgoing regimes] to do this,” Menaldo said. “One is to require a supermajority for future amendments to the constitution they have written. Others include barriers to voting, malapportionment, and giving veto power to unelected political bodies in which elites from the old guard are over-represented.”

Some of this may have a familiar ring to those interested in American history. Though the book is not about the United States, Menaldo said, the findings are consistent with a longstanding argument about the U.S. Constitution and its authors 鈥� that they were a small elite group who in writing the document partly protected their own interests.

“The United States continues to hold indirect elections for the presidency, and its federal system long protected subnational enclaves in which a majority of citizens in some states were deprived of basic rights,” Menaldo said.

To learn more, contact Menaldo at vmenaldo@uw.edu.

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Principles, practices of American Indian business

American Indian business is booming overall in recent years, but not thriving as much on reservations, notes a new book co-edited by , associate professor in the UW Bothell School of Business titled “.”

Despite healthy growth in American Indian and Alaska Native-owned businesses, they are largely absent from reservations “and Native Americans own private businesses at the lowest rate per capita for any ethnic or racial group in the United States,” say notes from the publisher, 天美影视传媒 Press.

“Many Indigenous entrepreneurs face unique cultural and practical challenges in starting, locating, and operating a business, from a perceived lack of a culture of entrepreneurship and a suspicion of capitalism to the difficulty of borrowing startup funds when real estate is held in trust and cannot be used as collateral.”

The book discusses the history and state of such businesses as well as business practices and education. It ranges “from early trading posts to today’s casino boom.”

A review in praised the book as “so well done that it can be used by higher education institutions to acquaint students on how to better understand doing business in Indian Country.”

Kennedy, a member of the Cherokee Nation, edited the book with Charles F. Harrington of the University of South Carolina-Upstate, Amy Klemm Verbos of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Daniel Stewart of Gonzaga University, Joseph Scott-Gladstone of the University of New Haven and Gavin Clarkson of New Mexico State University.

To learn more, contact Kennedy at 425-352-5321 or deannak@uw.edu.

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Evans School’s Mary Kay Gugerty honored for book on nonprofits management, ‘The Goldilocks Challenge’

,聽 professor in the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, has been announced the recipient of the from the for her book, “ The book, which Gugerty wrote with of Northwestern University, was published this year by Oxford University Press.

The award “highlights the very best thinking in management, governance and capacity-building, and helps expose practitioners to new knowledge and approaches in the field,” according to the group’s website. Gugerty is the Nancy Bell Evans Professor of Nonprofit Management in the Evans School, and faculty director of the .

The book is about “measuring impact,” a statement from the reviewing committee says. “We all want to do it, know we have to do it 鈥� and are all too often frustrated by one-size-fits-all expectations of how to do it. ‘The Goldilocks Challenge’ offers a solution: an impact measurement framework that helps organizations decide what elements they should monitor and measure.” That framework is based on having data that is at once credible, actionable, responsible and transportable.

To learn more, contact Gugerty at 206-221-4599 or gugerty@uw.edu.

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Rethinking post-World War II art, politics in Japan

In a new cultural history of post-World War II Japan, , UW associate professor of Asian languages and literature, explores art and politics 鈥� and consolidations of political and cultural life 鈥� in the years leading to the Cold War. His new book “,” was published in September by Cornell University Press.

Jesty focuses on social realists on the radical left who, “hoped to wed their art with anti-capitalist and anti-war activism, a liberal art education movement whose focus on the child inspired innovation in documentary film, and a regional avant-garde group split between ambition and local loyalty.”

The book, Jesty writes, has the two main goals, the first being to reframe that history and its relevance to the present. The second is to show a way of studying the relationship between art and politics that views art as a mode of intervention “but insists artistic intervention move beyond the idea that the artwork of artist unilaterally authors political significance, to trace how creations and expressive acts may (or may not) actually engage the terms of shared meaning and value.”

To learn more, contact Jesty at jestyj@uw.edu or visit his .

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Exploring India’s ‘political economy of electricity’

Electricity is critical to India’s continued growth and economic health, but despite decades of reform the country remains unable to provide high-quality and affordable energy for all. A new book co-edited by , an associate professor in the Jackson School, explores these issues. “” was published earlier this year by Oxford University Press.

The book tracks power sectors in 15 states in India, giving an analysis of their political economy of electricity. A historically grounded study of the country’s political economy, the book suggests, helps better understand the past and inform new reforms to “improve sectoral outcomes and generate political rewards.”

Kale’s co-editors were Navroz K. Dubash of India’s Centre for Policy Research and Ranjit Bharvirkar of the Regulatory Assistance Project, a multinational nonprofit organization. Kale is also director of the Jackson School’s South Asia Center and chair of its South Asia Studies Program.

To learn more, contact Kale at 206-221-4852 or kale@uw.edu

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Book chapter by Rajesh Rao offers new view of ancient Indus script

, UW professor in the , has written an article about the that will appear in the book “.” The Indus script, also known as the Harappan script, is one of the last major undeciphered scripts of the ancient world. The article can be downloaded .

The book celebrates the contributions to South Asian archaeology of , professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin. Rao’s article, focusing on a set of miniature tablets discovered by Kenoyer in 1997, sets forth the “potentially provocative” conclusion that such stamps may have been used as a sort of currency in a barter-based economy.

“Walking with the Unicorn” will be published Oct. 30 by . Rao’s earlier work on the Indus script was described in UW News articles in and of 2009. Rao is the of computer science and engineering and electrical engineering.

To learn more, contact Rao at rao@cs.washington.edu.