Government contracting problems to be aired Oct. 7

The National Council of Nonprofits and the Urban Institute have collaborated on a project focusing on problems experienced by nonprofits that contract with governments at the local, state, and federal level.

On Thursday, Oct. 7, the Urban Institute will host a news conference to release its findings from the first national survey documenting the extent of government contracting and grants with human service organizations.

A panel of four experts, including Dr. Elizabeth Boris of the Urban Institute and Tim Delaney of the National Council, will discuss the realities on the ground, policy implications of the survey and the future of nonprofit-government relations. In conjunction with the release of the Urban Institute's survey results, the National Council will be issuing a Special Report that expands on the findings, explains how the contracting problems affect everyone in and outside the entire nonprofit sector – including funders and taxpayers – and proposes solutions that nonprofits and government officials can adopt to strengthen communities. 

The National Council of Nonprofits has posted the Five Worst Government Contracting Abuses that have been documented so far on its website, drawn from stories submitted by nonprofits across the country.