Giving Compass' Take:

• Hannah Oren at GuideStar highlights nonprofit organizations in the U.S. that are helping African American communities through arts, education, human services and social action.

• Donors who are interested in supporting black communities may find this list serves as a useful starting point.

• Learn about the future of African American philanthropy. 

Black History Month came to a close, but we’d still like to shine a spotlight on U.S. nonprofits serving and supporting black populations. Searching IRS data, financial documents, and GuideStar Nonprofit Profiles,  we identified more than 2,500 organizations that state they serve African Americans.

Although many other organizations serving black communities certainly exist, this cohort of 2,500 gives us insight into the range and vitality of these organizations.

There is diversity and variation across every variable of these organizations. They are located all around the United States, in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Some have been around for a long time—80 organizations are 50+ years old—and many are more recently formed, with 476 getting their starts in the past 5 years. They engage in all 26 major cause areas the IRS uses to classify nonprofits by mission—everything from employment and job-related groups to religious organizations, legal organizations to youth development groups.

Read the full article about nonprofits that serve African Americans by Hannah Oren at GuideStar