JPART 21:445–471 Receipt of Government Revenue among Nonprofit Human Service

In an era of privatization, government-nonprofit relations largely determine the face of social provision. Yet, little is known about the organizational factors that influence the receipt of government allocations by nonprofit human service organizations. This study examines how the institutional and ecological environments under which nonprofit human services operate along with the political and economic actions they take shape receipt of government funding. Using a probability sample of nonprofit human service organizations in Los Angeles County that were surveyed in 2002, hypotheses are tested with probit regression analyses. Results suggest that ecological factors and strategic actions play a role in receipt of government funding. Implications of the findings for issues of access to and availability of government resources are discussed. In recent decades, the US government has transferred much of the responsibility for social provision to nonprofit human service organizations, largely through funding mechanisms such as grants and contracting out. O’Neill (2002) reports that government funds made up 60 % of all revenue for the nonprofit human services sector in 2000, and Winston et al