Mapping the Research Priorities of Nonprofit Sector Research Centers

While the number of research centers devoted to nonprofit sector research has expanded significantly over the past decade, little attention has been given to mapping the research activities in this emerging set of institutions. This analysis identified 36 research centers explicitly engaged in nonprofit sector research in 2010. Through an examination of the research priorities and initiatives indicated on center websites, we document the 10 most common research themes (present in at least 25% of centers) and the relationship between center auspice and research themes. The findings provide a comprehensive view of the scope and contours of these increasingly institutionalized knowledge development centers in a time of growing interest, domestically and internationally, in the role of nonprofits and the contributions they make to strengthening societies in developing and developed parts of the world.