Nonprofits And Foundations Doing Big Things
Discover How Market Leaders Leverage Nonprofits & Foundations To Boost Profits and Goodwill, While Changing The World And Empowering People
Use surplus income & wealth to benefit and advanced humanity!
In 1889, Andrew Carnegie said that "all surplus wealth beyond one's personal needs should be treated as a trust fund to improve society". That concept was further developed and incorporated into the tax code in 1917 as the Charitable Tax Deduction - a deduction on the tax forms that all tax-payers (corporations, individuals, and estates) can leverage.
On this page, you'll learn how large corporations are successfully redirecting a portion of their income and assets to fuel social, environmental, humanitarian, and educational causes and how you can incorporate the same strategies to:
Boost goodwill, credibility, trustworthiness, and recognition in your marketplace through charitable investing
Gain several layers of competitive advantages and benefits by incorporating charitable investing as a core strategy
Gain several layers of tax benefits that encourage philanthropic investing and charitable donations
Stand-out as a purpose-driven company that focuses on social and environmental advancement, not just profits
Press Play To Understand How Reinvesting Tax Dollars Can Help Humanity Advance Forward
10 Household Brands Doing Well And Doing Good In The World
For entrepreneurs and investors looking to build purpose-drive companies, there's always a framework in place to follow:
Apple:
For-profit: Apple Inc.
Nonprofit: Apple’s Corporate Giving focuses on education and inclusion initiatives.
Amazon
For-profit: Amazon.com, Inc.
Nonprofit: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Imagine Grant supports nonprofits using cloud technology.
Facebook/Meta
For-profit: Meta Platforms, Inc.
Nonprofit: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative funds research and community projects.
Nike
For-profit: Nike, Inc.
Nonprofit: Nike Foundation promotes global youth sports and education.
Walmart
For-profit: Walmart Inc.
Nonprofit: Walmart Foundation supports disaster relief and food security.
Ford Motor Company
For-profit: Ford Motor Co.
Nonprofit: Ford Foundation funds global equity and social justice projects.
Coca-Cola
For-profit: The Coca-Cola Company
Nonprofit: Coca-Cola Foundation funds water conservation and community initiatives.
Intel
For-profit: Intel Corporation
Nonprofit: Intel Foundation supports STEM education and technology access.
General Electric (GE)
For-profit: GE
Nonprofit: GE Foundation invests in health and education programs.
Pfizer
For-profit: Pfizer Inc.
Nonprofit: Pfizer Foundation funds global health initiatives and vaccine access.
Here Is The Tax Code From A 30,000 Foot View
Understand how the tax code works and how nonprofit entities compliment and strengthen corporations, LLCs, wills, and trusts
1. For-Profit Arm [LLC, INC, S-Corp, S/P, PLLC, etc.]
Purpose: Provide revenue-generating services to clients.
Profits fund operations and innovation.
A portion of profits is donated to the public nonprofit to advance its mission.
Tax breaks for donation amounts depends on the for-profit structure
2. Creating A Public Nonprofit Arm [501c3 Public Nonprofit]
Purpose: Secure funding from corporations, foundations, and grants to focus on:
Education: Host workshops, webinars, and conferences to train and inform communities.
Research: Fund and conduct studies in areas related to the organization’s mission.
Community: Build communities, provide resources, and collaborate on community-driven initiatives.
3. Private Foundation [501c3 Private Foundation]
Purpose: Manage wealth, lower taxes, and support long-term nonprofit causes.
Redirects a portion of personal income and assets into investments that grow tax-free.
Funds are donated or granted annually to causes aligned with the organization’s values, creating a sustainable philanthropic cycle.
This model integrates financial growth, philanthropy, and societal impact effectively.
Here are some examples of how entrepreneurs and investors can incorporate and leverage public and private foundations
We have created education and research centers and foundations for clients across 100+ unique sub-niches, including in all these industries:
1. Law Firms
Public Nonprofit:
Provide legal education workshops on estate planning, personal injury, immigration law, or IP law topics.
Create a legal community and offer resources to educate and empower more people
Conduct research and publish insights, discoveries, or trends in the legal industry.
For-Profit: Offer client services in estate planning, litigation, or business law, etc.
Private Foundation: Invest in various assets to diversify your investment portfolio, and create grants or donation programs such as: scholarships for law students, legal aid initiatives, or funding various nonprofit causes.
2. Realtors
Public Nonprofit:
Educate first-time buyers or underserved communities with home-buying and real estate investing
Conduct research on affordable housing solutions.
Partner with cities for community housing initiatives.
For-Profit: Generate revenue by managing property transactions.
Private Foundation: Invest in low-income housing developments and sustainable building programs.
3. Insurance Agents
Public Nonprofit:
Host workshops on financial literacy and disaster preparedness
Fund research on emerging insurance risks.
Create community resources for uninsured families.
For-Profit: Sell policies and provide risk management services.
Private Foundation: Fund disaster relief, financial aid for families, and research grants.
4. Coaches
Public Nonprofit:
Provide free leadership training for youth.
Conduct research on workplace motivation and productivity.
Partner with schools to deliver community mentorship programs.
For-Profit: Offer premium coaching services to executives and businesses.
Private Foundation: Fund scholarships for leadership programs and mentorship projects.
5. Consulting Firms
Public Nonprofit:
Host industry workshops on sustainability and ethical practices.
Research economic trends and publish white papers.
Partner with nonprofits to solve community issues.
For-Profit: Provide business strategy and operational consulting services.
Private Foundation: Support local entrepreneurs and invest in small business incubators.
6. Accounting Firms
Public Nonprofit:
Offer free tax preparation workshops for underserved populations.
Research innovative financial management strategies.
Host financial literacy conferences and empower people.
For-Profit: Deliver tax, auditing, and financial planning services.
Private Foundation: Fund scholarships for accounting students and sponsor nonprofit financial programs.
7. Marketing Agencies
Public Nonprofit:
Educate nonprofits and entrepreneurs on effective branding.
Research trends in ethical advertising and offer insights.
Build a community where you educate and empower people with resources.
For-Profit: Offer commercial branding and marketing solutions.
Private Foundation: Invest in media literacy initiatives and sponsor ethical marketing research.
8. Medical clinics [GP, chiropractors, dentist, podiatrists, orthopedics, clinical research, pharmaceutical, functional medicine, etc.]
Public Nonprofit:
Secure grants to educate your marketplace on various medical topics through blogs, workshops, seminars, or courses.
Conduct research in your clinic and secure grants for clinical trials.
Build a community where you educate and empower people with various resources.
For-Profit: Offer medical services to your patients
Private Foundation: Redirect a portion of personal income and assets to fund various medical or nonprofit initiatives and causes.
We have helped 100s of entrepreneurs and investors incorporate these startegies into their operating model.
Here are a few examples
Want to view more ideas and examples of how various educational centers are operating?
Here are a few more examples to inspire you
Educational Nonprofits That Are Having An Amazing Impact
Khan Academy
Description: Provides free online educational resources across various subjects for learners worldwide.
Annual Revenue: Approximately $60 million in 2023.
KHAN ACADEMY ANNUAL REPORT
CK-12 Foundation
Description: Offers free, customizable educational content, including digital textbooks and interactive lessons, primarily focusing on STEM subjects.
Annual Revenue: Specific revenue details are not publicly disclosed.
OpenStax
Description: A nonprofit initiative of Rice University that provides free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks for various subjects.
Annual Revenue: Specific revenue details are not publicly disclosed.
Code.org
Description: Dedicated to expanding access to computer science education, particularly in underrepresented communities.
Annual Revenue: Approximately $54 million in 2020.
Project Lead The Way (PLTW)
Description: Provides transformative learning experiences for PreK-12 students and teachers across the U.S. through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science.
Annual Revenue: Approximately $85 million in 2019.
Scratch (MIT Media Lab)
Description: A free programming language and online community where children can create interactive stories, games, and animations.
Annual Revenue: Specific revenue details are not publicly disclosed.
The Exploratorium
Description: A museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, offering interactive exhibits and educational programs.
Annual Revenue: Approximately $50 million in 2019.
EdX
Description: Provides free online courses from universities like MIT and Harvard.
Annual Revenue: Prior to its acquisition by 2U, Inc. in 2021, edX was a nonprofit. Post-acquisition, edX operates under 2U, a for-profit company.
Coursera for Campus (Nonprofit Access)
Description: Offers free access to courses from top universities and institutions globally.
Annual Revenue: Coursera operates as a for-profit entity; specific revenue from nonprofit access is not publicly disclosed.
OER Commons
Description: A public digital library of open educational resources for teaching and learning.
Annual Revenue: Operated by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), which reported total revenue of approximately $5 million in 2019.
Unleash Your Inner Brilliance By Starting A Public Education Center
Here are some examples of how nonprofits have funded groundbreaking research by converting and redirecting a portion of their income & assets
Biomedical and Health Sciences
Polio Vaccine (March of Dimes)The March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization, funded Jonas Salk's groundbreaking work on the polio vaccine in the 1950s.
HIV/AIDS Treatments (AmfAR): The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) played a pivotal role in advancing treatments for HIV/AIDS through significant funding and advocacy efforts.
CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing (Broad Institute)The Broad Institute, a nonprofit research institution, was instrumental in developing CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, which has transformed genetics and medicine.
mRNA Technology (Whitehead Institute/MIT Collaboration)The Whitehead Institute, affiliated with MIT, contributed to the foundational research that led to mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, developed by companies like Moderna.
Breast Cancer Awareness and Research (Susan G. Komen Foundation)Funded significant studies in early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
Technology and Computing
World Wide Web (CERN)Although not a nonprofit in the traditional sense, CERN’s nonprofit-like structure led to the creation of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.
Artificial Intelligence Research (OpenAI): OpenAI, initially founded as a nonprofit research organization, made major advancements in machine learning and AI, including the development of GPT models.
Apache Software Foundation: Created and maintained the Apache HTTP Server, one of the most widely used web servers globally, and other open-source software critical to internet infrastructure.
Environmental Science
Climate Change Models (National Center for Atmospheric Research - NCAR)NCAR, a nonprofit research center, has developed critical climate models used globally for understanding climate change.
Conservation Genetics (Wildlife Conservation Society - WCS)Pioneered research in the genetics of endangered species, enabling targeted conservation efforts.
Coral Bleaching Research (Australian Institute of Marine Science)A nonprofit government-funded organization discovered key factors contributing to coral bleaching and developed strategies for reef preservation.
Astronomy and Space Science
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (Bell Labs/SETI Institute)Bell Labs’ nonprofit arm and subsequent collaborations helped confirm the Big Bang Theory through the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation.
Exoplanet Research (SETI Institute)Played a leading role in identifying exoplanets and advancing the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Agriculture and Food Science
Golden Rice (Rockefeller Foundation)Funded research that developed Golden Rice, a genetically modified rice variety aimed at combating vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.
Disease-Resistant Crops (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center - CIMMYT)Developed high-yield, disease-resistant crop varieties as part of the Green Revolution.
Physics and Material Sciences
Gravitational Waves (LIGO/VIRGO Collaboration)Funded in part by nonprofit research organizations, this discovery confirmed Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.
Graphene Research (National Graphene Institute)Supported early research into graphene, a material with remarkable properties, by various academic and nonprofit funding bodies.
Social Sciences and Economics
Behavioral Economics (Russell Sage Foundation)Funded pioneering research in behavioral economics, which transformed economic theory and public policy.
Human Development Index (United Nations Development Programme - UNDP)The nonprofit arm of the UN developed the HDI, a global standard for measuring human development.
Even Artificial Intelligence (AI) Was Developed With "Charitable Tax Dollars"
1. Early Foundations of AI
The roots of AI trace back to academic research institutions and publicly funded projects. Early AI research in the mid-20th century was driven by government grants and nonprofit initiatives:
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency): A U.S. government agency whose funding laid the groundwork for machine learning and natural language processing (NLP).
MIT’s AI Lab: Heavily supported by government and nonprofit grants, the lab spearheaded early work in neural networks and robotics.
2. OpenAI and the Role of Nonprofits
OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT, started in 2015 as a nonprofit with a mission to ensure AI benefits all of humanity. Its trajectory showcases how nonprofit structures fuel AI innovation:
Funding Sources: OpenAI initially raised $1 billion from corporate philanthropists like Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, and Sam Altman. These contributions reflected a blend of corporate social responsibility and belief in AI's transformative potential.
Public Resources: OpenAI leveraged publicly available datasets, academic research, and open-source collaborations to build foundational models like GPT.
In 2019, OpenAI transitioned to a "capped-profit" structure with OpenAI LP to secure additional funding while maintaining its nonprofit ethos. Despite this shift, its initial nonprofit framework significantly influenced its research trajectory.
3. The Role of Taxpayer Funding in AI Development
Government-funded research has been a bedrock for AI advancements:
National Science Foundation (NSF): The NSF funded key breakthroughs in computational linguistics and machine learning that influenced modern AI systems.P
ublic Universities: Research at institutions like Stanford and Berkeley, often funded by taxpayer dollars, contributed to early breakthroughs in NLP and deep learning. Researchers from these institutions were instrumental in developing algorithms and datasets that OpenAI and similar organizations later used.
Large-Scale Projects: Programs like the Human Genome Project, though not directly AI-focused, advanced computational techniques and datasets essential for AI research.
4. The Influence of Corporate Philanthropy
Corporate foundations and tax-deductible donations from tech companies accelerated AI research through nonprofit collaborations:
Google.org and AI Research: Google’s nonprofit arm supported open AI initiatives, including TensorFlow, an open-source machine learning platform that facilitated rapid AI development across industries.
Microsoft and OpenAI: Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI brought significant funding, computing power, and resources, helping refine GPT models and commercialize AI applications.
IBM Watson AI XPRIZE: Sponsored by IBM’s nonprofit initiatives, this competition fostered innovative AI projects addressing global challenges.
5. Open Source and Collaborative Ecosystems
Nonprofits and publicly funded institutions contributed to the open-source ecosystem, which was critical for democratizing AI:
Apache Software Foundation: Developed and maintained open-source tools used in data processing and machine learning pipelines.
Hugging Face and Community Contributions: Hugging Face, while not strictly nonprofit, built upon nonprofit research to create accessible NLP tools, contributing back to the open AI ecosystem.
6. Ethical AI and Nonprofit Advocacy
Nonprofits play an ongoing role in shaping ethical AI:
Partnership on AI: A consortium of nonprofits, academic institutions, and companies advocating for responsible AI development.AI Now Institute: A nonprofit organization focusing on the social implications of AI, funded by philanthropy and research grants.
7. AI Today: A Product of Collaboration
The success of AI systems like ChatGPT reflects decades of cumulative efforts:
Publicly funded research provided foundational knowledge.Nonprofits and open-source projects democratized AI tools.Corporate funding and partnerships bridged the gap between nonprofit research and scalable deployment.
8. Looking Forward
As AI continues to evolve, the partnership between nonprofits, government funding, and private-sector collaboration remains crucial. Nonprofits and public funding ensure that AI development is inclusive, ethical, and accessible, addressing global challenges and bridging socioeconomic divides.
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