> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • Philanthropy 50
  • Nonprofits and the Trump Agenda
  • Impact Stories Hub
Sign In
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
Sign In
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
  • Latest
  • Commons
  • Advice
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Online Events
  • Data
  • Grants
  • Magazine
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
    • Featured Products
    • Data
    • Reports
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Webinars
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Advice
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
New figures show a continued slowing in the number of charities created
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Number of Charities and Foundations Rose Slightly in 2012

By  Sarah Frostenson
April 4, 2013
A total of 1,721 new groups attained nonprofit status in 2012. <a href="/article/Sizing-Up-the-Nonprofit-World/138347/" style="font-size:1em; cursor:pointer;">See an infographic on the growth of the nonprofit sector since 1991.</a>
A total of 1,721 new groups attained nonprofit status in 2012. See an infographic on the growth of the nonprofit sector since 1991.

The number of charities and foundations registered with the Internal Revenue Service increased by just 1,761 organizations in 2012, reaching a total of nearly 1.1 million.

The tiny increase comes one year after the number of charities dropped by more than 200,000. mostly because more than 272,000 organizations lost their tax-exempt status after failing to file their informational tax returns. The IRS was required to purge those groups under a 2006 federal law whose effects were first felt in 2011. As a result, the number of charities remains below the nearly 1.3 million organizations that had tax-exempt status in 2010.

We're sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.

Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 571-540-8070 or cophelp@philanthropy.com

The number of charities and foundations registered with the Internal Revenue Service increased by just 1,761 organizations in 2012, reaching a total of nearly 1.1 million.

The tiny increase comes one year after the number of charities dropped by more than 200,000. mostly because more than 272,000 organizations lost their tax-exempt status after failing to file their informational tax returns. The IRS was required to purge those groups under a 2006 federal law whose effects were first felt in 2011. As a result, the number of charities remains below the nearly 1.3 million organizations that had tax-exempt status in 2010.

The latest figures also show a continued slowing in the number of charities created in the United States.

In 2012, 51,748 groups applied to the IRS for charity status, down 6.4 percent from 2011 and nearly 40 percent from 2007, when 85,771 groups applied.

The slowdown follows nearly two decades of rapid growth. Even after the IRS eliminated inactive charities in 2011, the number of groups classified under Section 501(c)(3) has more than doubled since 1991, when the IRS counted a total of 516,554 groups.

ADVERTISEMENT

Of the organizations that sought charity status in 2012, 87 percent, or 45,029, were approved and fewer than 1 percent, 123, were denied. The remaining 6,596 applications were taken out of consideration because they were incomplete or withdrawn by the organizations, the IRS said. The IRS also reported a rise in the number of returns filed electronically by tax-exempt organizations. More than 683,000 groups filed their returns electronically in 2012, a 12.4 percent increase from the 607,738 such returns filed in 2011.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Government and Regulation
Sarah Frostenson
Sarah Frostenson was the lead analyst for four annual projects at The Chronicle of Higher Education, including: Corporate Giving, Foundations, Endowments and Donor-Advised Funds.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
  • Explore
    • Latest Articles
    • Get Newsletters
    • Advice
    • Webinars
    • Data & Research
    • Podcasts
    • Magazine
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    • Impact Stories
    Explore
    • Latest Articles
    • Get Newsletters
    • Advice
    • Webinars
    • Data & Research
    • Podcasts
    • Magazine
    • Chronicle Store
    • Find a Job
    • Impact Stories
  • The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Our Mission and Values
    • Work at the Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Gift-Acceptance Policy
    • Gifts and Grants Received
    • Site Map
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Chronicle Fellowships
    • Pressroom
    The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Our Mission and Values
    • Work at the Chronicle
    • User Agreement
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Gift-Acceptance Policy
    • Gifts and Grants Received
    • Site Map
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Chronicle Fellowships
    • Pressroom
  • Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
    Customer Assistance
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    • Advertising Terms and Conditions
  • Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Site License Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
    Subscribe
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Site License Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Manage Your Account
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Philanthropy
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin