Report: 76% of Michigan nonprofits led by white executives

The Michigan Nonprofit Association and Data Driven Detroit have released a report on nonprofit leadership and race. The findings were taken from the Michigan Statewide Nonprofit Census, a statewide survey of nearly 600 organizations.

The results were intuitive for many leaders who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), says Nellie Tsai, a social innovation officer for MNA.

“It validated a lot of people’s experiences, especially BIPOC-led organizations,” says Tsai. “Some of those leaders thought, ‘This was something that I’ve always felt,’ but there’s some power in seeing it as a number instead of just anecdotal evidence.”

Findings included:

• Race was more likely to be listed as a top equity issue for nonprofits with leaders who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color than white-led non-profits.
• 76% of nonprofits are led by white executives, which closely reflects 74% of Michigan’s population being white according to the most recent Census.
• Organizations with an executive director of color were more likely to have multiple executive directors.
• Executive directors of color were more likely to have served in their positions for less than five years.
• Housing was listed as the most pressing equity issue facing communities across the state.
• Metro Detroit reported the highest percentage of organizations with leaders who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (38%), while Tip of the Mitt reported the lowest (1%).

Listen to WDET’s interview with the Michigan Nonprofit Association’s Nellie Tsai at the top of the page.