The Change Lab — U.S. Civic Landscape Report
Date: September 11, 2025
This report quantifies the civic landscape across The Change Lab’s seven focus areas using IRS/NTEE–anchored directories (Cause IQ), labor statistics (BLS), and national volunteering data (AmeriCorps/Census). Within each focus area, we selected disjoint categories to minimize double counting. Cross‑domain overlap still exists; treat these figures as a conservative floor.
Executive Highlights
75,700,000
Neighbors who volunteered (last year)
Formal volunteers, Sept 2022–Sept 2023
4,990,000,000
Volunteer hours (last year)
AmeriCorps/Census
13,671,233
Volunteer hours per day
Derived: 4.99B ÷ 365
9,494
Volunteer hours per minute
Derived
12,800,000
Nonprofit employment
BLS, 2022
10
Share of private-sector jobs
BLS, 2022
90,837
Local governments (units)
2022 Census of Governments
100,000
Volunteer opportunities (live floor)
Idealist/VolunteerMatch network, public claim
Organization Landscape by Focus Area
| Focus Area | Organizations |
|---|---|
| Community, Culture & Belonging | 729,842 |
| Education & Opportunity | 397,367 |
| Basic Needs & Economic Security | 298,214 |
| Systems Change & Structural Power | 201,498 |
| Health, Wellness & Care | 112,461 |
| Environment & Infrastructure | 97,946 |
| Governance, Rights & Democracy | 40,481 |
Counts are the sum of disjoint categories within each focus area; do not sum across focus areas.
Top Categories in Each Focus Area
Basic Needs & Economic Security
| Category | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Human service organizations | 162,176 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/human-service-organizations-list/ |
| Unions & employment organizations | 49,179 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Housing providers & shelters | 39,520 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/housing-providers-and-shelters-list/ |
Community, Culture & Belonging
| Category | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Religious organizations | 357,125 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Recreation, sports & social clubs | 159,785 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Arts, culture & humanities nonprofits | 135,076 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
Education & Opportunity
| Category | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Educational institutions (all) | 260,881 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Student service providers | 70,490 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| PTAs | 41,937 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
Environment & Infrastructure
| Category | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental organizations | 32,363 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Public safety organizations | 27,297 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Disaster relief organizations | 19,481 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
Governance, Rights & Democracy
| Category | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Crime & legal aid orgs (all) | 19,338 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/crime-and-legal-aid-organizations-list/ |
| Civil rights & social justice orgs | 16,643 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/civil-rights-and-social-justice-organizations-list/ |
| Legal aid societies | 2,788 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
Health, Wellness & Care
| Category | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Health organizations (incl. hospitals/clinics) | 52,595 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Mental health organizations | 31,152 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Disease-focused nonprofits | 22,712 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
Systems Change & Structural Power
| Category | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations (grantmaking) | 191,732 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Scientific research centers | 7,569 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
| Social science research centers | 2,197 | https://www.causeiq.com/directory/ |
Methodology & Caveats
- Organization counts: Cause IQ directories (IRS/NTEE mapping). Distinct subcategories per focus area to limit internal double‑counting.
- People & volunteering: BLS (2022) and AmeriCorps/Census (2022–2023). Derived “per‑day” and “per‑minute” from annual hours.
- Live opportunities: Idealist/VolunteerMatch public claims — consider these a floor.
Full Sources (copy/paste links)
https://www.causeiq.com/directory/
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/nonprofits-accounted-for-12-8-million-jobs-9-9-percent-of-private-sector-employment-in-2022.htm
https://www.bls.gov/bdm/nonprofits/nonprofits.htm
https://www.americorps.gov/newsroom/press-release/more-757-million-people-volunteered-america-americorps-reports
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/11/civic-engagement-and-volunteerism.html
https://www.idealist.org/en/careers/how-to-get-started-volunteering
https://www.idealist.org/en/about/idealist-and-volunteermatch-announce-merger
https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/2024/march/local-governments-us-number-type
Report generated September 11, 2025.