Institute for Nonprofits Closes; Critical Programs Continue

To enhance support for students interested in nonprofit studies, social innovation and entrepreneurship, NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences announces the following changes, effective August 13:

• The college’s Institute for Nonprofits will be disestablished.
• The nonprofit minor program will continue and will be located within the college.
• The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE) Program will move to the college’s Office of Research and Engagement.

“We are making these strategic pivots to best serve students,” says Dean Jeff Braden. “Undergraduates from across the university see the value of our interdisciplinary nonprofit minor. Graduate students can earn a certificate in nonprofit management. And students who participate as social innovation fellows have life-changing experiences as they partner with community leaders and nonprofits to take on global challenges. These programs will continue to be touch points in creating leaders for the nonprofit sector.”

Braden says the college will continue to invest in faculty who are conducting research and contributing to scholarship around nonprofit management, governance and impacts. “These stellar scholars will continue to thrive and to work not only across disciplines but also in local communities, across the state and around the country,” he says.  

Braden appointed a committee to conduct a comprehensive review of all the Institute’s programs, including the finances and resources available to those programs. The COVID-19 pandemic, the unsuccessful national search for a new Institute director, and significant budget reductions were all factors in their recommendations. The committee concluded that the nonprofit minor and the SIE programs are strong and viable, but that the Institute’s administrative overhead was not economically sustainable. 

Braden acknowledged regrets in disestablishing the Institute, which was seeded in 2003 with a grant from the Fletcher Foundation. “The Institute created a number of successful programs and projects,” Braden says. “It fostered leadership skills for nonprofit boards and administrators, helped small nonprofits gain their footing, and contributed research and scholarship to the public sector. Two of those programs–the SIE Program and the nonprofit minor–will continue to serve our students. We regret that we were unable to sustain all the goals we set for the Institute. 

“We are grateful for all those who contributed their leadership, scholarship and support to the Institute for Nonprofits,” Braden says. “We’re confident that the changes we’re making will improve and increase our involvement with nonprofit studies, scholarship and engagement, and we look forward to continuing to engage our stakeholders in ensuring long-term sustainability for  the SIE and nonprofit minor programs.”