Research Resources

The following programs and organizations promote research to support the advancement of nonprofit and public management:

• Academy of Management Online -- a professional society fostering the general advancement of research, learning, teaching, and practice in the management field.
• The Aspen Institute -- a global forum that convenes leaders from diverse disciplines to address critical issues that confront societies, organizations, and individuals.
• Association of Public Data Users -- a national network that links users, producers and disseminators of government statistical data.
• Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) -- an international interdisciplinary membership organization composed of scholars and nonprofit leaders fostering the creation, application and dissemination of research on voluntary action, nonprofit organizations, philanthropy and civil society.
• Council on Foundations -- a nonprofit membership association of grantmaking foundations and organizations promoting knowledge, growth and action in philanthropy.
• Council of Michigan Foundations -- a membership association dedicated to increasing philanthropy in Michigan by assisting Michigan grantmakers in their work.
• The Foundation Center -- fosters public understanding of the foundation field by collecting, organizing, analyzing, and disseminating information on foundations, corporate giving, and related subjects. Faculty, staff, and students affiliated with the University of Michigan may access the Center's Foundation Directory Online, which profiles more than 70,000 U.S.-based foundations, describing programs, areas of funding, types of support, geographic emphasis, application process, and lists of recent grants made. (After clicking on the link, scroll down the alphabetical list of resources and click on "Foundation Directory Online (FC Search)."
• Guidestar -- contains data for over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S., including revenue tables, expense tables, balance sheets, organization overview, and much more. A helpful handout on using Guidestar can be found here.
• Independent Sector Research Program -- a membership organization enhancing philanthropy and nonprofit initiative for the more than one million charitable, educational, religious, health, and social welfare organizations in America.
• Institute for Global Ethics -- a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, global research and educational membership organization working to promote public discourse and practical action around significant ethical issues.
• International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR) -- an international association promoting research and education in the fields of philanthropy, civil society and the nonprofit sector.
• National Center for Charitable Statistics -- a project of the Center on Nonprofits & Philanthropy at The Urban Institute.
• National Public Employer Labor Relations Association (NPELRA) Foundation -- an organization promoting excellence in labor and employee relations in support of public management; provides scholarships to promote interest in public sector human resource management and labor relations.
• Nonprofit Enterprise and Self-sustainability Team (NESsT) -- an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization committed to strengthening the financial sustainability of civil society organizations through self-financing.
• OneSource -- (For the Ross Business School community only.) Information, articles and news stories on over 23,000 nonprofit organizations in the United States.