Tuesday
February 24
2026

Analysis: The Broken Narrative About Nonprofit Sustainability at Scale

By Joanne Peter

Many social innovation funders aspire to be “catalytic” in their grantmaking, supporting social enterprises to unlock future revenue streams that will allow them to be financially sustainable at scale, without an ongoing dependence on philanthropy. In a challenging fundraising environment, the imperative for nonprofits to diversify their revenues has become even more urgent than ever. However, the dominant narratives about sustainable financing at scale can leave nonprofits questioning many of their foundational decisions.

Photo courtesy of fauxels.

Source: Jhpiego (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Agriculture, Education, Energy, Environment, Finance, Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology, Telecommunications, Transportation, WASH
Tags
business development, NGOs, philanthropy, scale, sustainable business