U.S. number of nonprofit organizations 1998-2023

Internal Revenue Service regulations define over 30 kinds of tax-exempt organizations, often called nonprofits, or not-for-profits. Over 1.5 million were registered with the IRS in 2008. This figure does not include all nonprofits: those with less than $5,000 annual revenue and religious congregations need not register with the IRS (although many congregations do). When most people think of nonprofits, they tend to think of public charities, those organizations active in the arts, education, health care, human services, and other areas to which donors can make tax-deductible contributions. The nonprofit sector, however, also includes advocacy organizations, labor unions, business and professional associations, social and recreational clubs, as well as a variety of more obscure types.