Public-Private Partnerships Extend Community-based Organization’s Longevity

Abstract

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are essential to the survival of mission-driven nonprofits, especially those in aging services. Aging service nonprofits receive less than two percent of all institutional philanthropic dollars, with a largest segment of their funding provided by government entities. Carter Burden Network (CBN) is an aging services nonprofit organization serving community-dwelling seniors in Manhattan, with a concentration of services in East Harlem, Roosevelt Island, and the Upper East Side. The New York City Department for the Aging (NYCDFTA) and other government sources provide 50 percent of CBN’s budget. The adage that ‘government cannot do it alone’ is exemplified through CBN’s history of developing new programs through private partnerships, and use of skills-based volunteerism to enhance services. PPPs have helped CBN strengthen its capacity to expand its service provision and areas. Equally important is CBN’s commitment to increase return on investment for PPPs by reducing food insecurity and malnutrition, hospitalization, and social isolation—all with a financial benefit to the broader society.