Nearly half (48%) of all registered nonprofits in the greater Evansville area are charitable nonprofits.
In the five-county survey region of Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, IN and Henderson, KY there are a total of 1,124 organizations that have a nonprofit IRS classification of 501(c)(3)1. Not unlike other communities, the largest portion of all nonprofits (48%) are considered charitable nonprofits.
‘Charitable nonprofits’ are organizations most commonly associated with the term “nonprofit”. These nonprofits provide social benefits; typically have a governing board of directors; and are funded by sources like private donations, grants and fundraising events. Organizations like hospitals, churches and foundations are not typically included. These charitable nonprofits are referred to as ‘nonprofits’ throughout the remainder of the report.
1IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File data for Indiana and Kentucky was 1124 extracted from the public IRS website. See Methods section.
The 48% of all nonprofits who are considered charitable nonprofits hold over $1 billion in assets and generate over half a billion dollars in revenue each year.
2The IRS defines revenue as the amount listed on Form 990, Part 1, Line 12. This figure includes but is not limited to revenues from investment income, contributions, and fundraising events.
3The IRS defines asset as the amount listed on Form 990, Part X, Line 16, Column B (i.e., the Book Value Total Assets End of Year). This figure includes but is not limited to the value of land, buildings/facilities, and investments.
Q: In what county is your organization located?
Evansville is the nonprofit hub of the region.
Roughly two-thirds (64%) of all charitable nonprofits are headquartered in Vanderburgh County, making the Evansville area the nonprofit hub of the region. The mix of survey respondents is consistent with these demographics. Over two-thirds of the 138 nonprofits who responded to the survey are also based in Vanderburgh County (74%). The remaining respondents included nonprofits based in Gibson, Posey, Warrick, Henderson or more than one of these counties.
Q: In which counties does your organization provide services?
The 138 surveyed nonprofits provide services in nearly 40 counties in the Tri-State region. Counties closer to the hub of Evansville tend to receive more services from these local nonprofits
Q: Which of the following classifications best describes your organization?
Across the five-county region, organizations indicated a category that best describes the focus of their work (categories used are from Candid/GuideStar and have undergone changes since the 2018 survey). The largest portion of nonprofits (30%) concentrate on human services like youth development, community restoration, and meeting basic needs.
On the Grow capacity building platform, Library resources, such as papers, surveys, articles, podcasts, online learning hubs, and more, are categorized according to Community Topics. At least 1 in 4 nonprofits have missions aligned with these five Grow Community Topics – Poverty, Equity & Access, Education, Housing, and/or Mental/Behavioral Health. Check out the Grow Resource Library for information on these topics and more.
Nonprofit missions align with
Grow Community Profiles Topics
Q: Does your organization provide intentional service to any of the following groups?
Area nonprofits prioritize several audiences, including people with disabilities, various racial and ethnic groups, aging populations, and populations in both rural and urban sectors. Of the options below, services catering to individuals with disabilities also emerged as the most specialized service offered in the 2018 survey.
The option “Neighborhood specific populations” was not included in the 2018 survey.
The 2024 Greater Evansville Nonprofit Survey is a product of Welborn Baptist Foundation
in partnership with Diehl Consulting Group. View the survey methodology.