Giving Compass' Take:
- Brian Peckrill, Executive Director of the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, reports on recent research demonstrating the public trust nonprofits still have.
- In an era marked by declining trust in institutions, what is the significance for civil society of continued trust in nonprofits? How can nonprofits become more transparent to gain greater trust?
- Ask a custom question to find other articles and resources focused on public trust in nonprofits.
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We are living through an era of declining trust. Polarization has strained confidence in government, business, media and other public institutions. Increasingly, that distrust extends beyond institutions to each other, and it is hardly an American phenomenon. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer found that seven in 10 hold back from trusting anyone whose values, sources of information, background or approach to social problems differ from their own.
Against that backdrop, one sector of American life has proven remarkably resilient: nonprofits.
According to the 2026 "Trust in Nonprofits and Philanthropy" study from Independent Sector, on whose public policy committee I serve, 56% of Americans report high trust in nonprofit organizations. No other institution the survey tested scored higher, including the military, small businesses and law enforcement. That figure is essentially unchanged from 2025 and follows a five-point rebound in nonprofit trust in 2024.
Now, 56% is hardly a landslide; however, in today’s institutional environment, it is something closer to a beacon.
It also raises an important question: What makes nonprofits different, and why has their standing held up better?
I suspect that much of the answer lies in proximity. Certainly, there are nonprofits operating nationally and globally, but Americans often experience the nonprofit sector much closer to home. It is the food pantry down the street. The church one attends on Sunday. The center that cared for an aging parent. The organization that rebuilt the community theater.
Nonprofits are ever-present in American civil society because they are civil society. Millions of Americans know nonprofits because they have received services from one, volunteered with one, attended one, worshipped at one or contributed to one.
The data support that connection. Among Americans who interacted directly with a nonprofit during the past year, 60% said the experience increased their trust in nonprofits. Half of Americans now believe nonprofits are making divisions in the country better.
Read the full article about public trust in nonprofits by Brian Peckrill at Forbes.