The Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy develops research that has a meaningful impact on the nonprofit sector. This research improves Texas leaders’ understanding of the scope, structure, and capacity of nonprofits and philanthropy in Texas and beyond. Additionally, the program collaborates with a network of scholars in the field. Research articles have been published in the top national journals in the core areas of: governance, strategic management, grant making and philanthropy.

The CNP continues to engage in and produce research to create a meaningful impact on the nonprofit sector. Below is some of the research completed by the center. If you are interested in partnering with the center for future research, reach out to our center staff on our “people” page.
The center collaborates with many organizations locally, across the state, and around the country. Some of our recent research partners are highlighted below.
Dr. Will Brown
Selected Publications & Projects
- Renz, D. O., Brown, W. A., & Andersson, F. O. (2022). The Evolution of Nonprofit Governance Research: Reflections, Insights, and Next Steps. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 089976402211110-089976402211110. SAGE Publications.
- Brown W.A. & Hale, M. (Eds), (2022). Preparing leaders of nonprofit organizations: Contemporary Perspectives, Routledge.
- Brown, WA, (2020). Composition on nonprofit boards: Summary of factors that account for who governs nonprofits, in H. Anheier, & S. Toepler, (Eds) Routledge Companion to Nonprofit Management.
- Van Puyvelde, S., Brown, W. A., Walker, V., & Tenuta, R. (2018). Board Effectiveness in Nonprofit Organizations: Do Interactions in the Boardroom Matter?. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 47(6), 1296-1310. SAGE Publications.
- Brown, W. A (2014). Strategic Management in Nonprofit Organizations. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
Dr. Kenneth Anderson Taylor
Selected Publications & Projects
- Meyer, M. A., Alexander-Hawk, M., Purdum, J. C., Yelle, H., Vick, J., Rodriguez, A., Romero, S., & Taylor, K. A. (2022). Resilience in Recovery? Understanding the Extent, Structure, and Operations of Nonprofits Meant to Address Disaster Survivors’ Unmet Needs. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 089976402211382-089976402211382. Sage Publications.
- Taylor, K. A. (2018). Nonprofit Donor Motivation Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, & Public Policy.
- Co-Principal Investigator, Child Care Business Training grant awarded by the Texas Workforce Commission; $1,500,000
- Co-Principal Investigator, Assessing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Associations grant awarded by the American Society of Association Executives; $75,000
Dr. Robbie Robichau
Selected Publications & Projects
- Fernandez, K., Robichau, R. W., Alexander, J., Scherer, R. F., & Makenzie, I. (2022). How a nonprofitness orientation influences collective civic action: The meditating effects of civic engagement and political participation. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 33, 1051-1063. doi.org/10.1007/s11266-021-00445-4
- Robichau, R. W. & Sandberg, B. (2022). Creating meaningfulness in public service work: A qualitative comparative analysis of public and nonprofit managers’ experiences of work. The American Review of Public Administration, 52(2): 122-138. doi.org/10.1177/02750740211050363
- Sandberg, B. & Robichau, R. W. (2022). The hybridization of meaningful nonprofit work: Exploratory study of the effects of marketization on nonprofit managers’ sense of meaningfulness in work. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 51(3), 606-632. doi.org/10.1177/08997640211072852
- Sandberg, B., Robichau, R. W., & Russo, A. (2022). Exploring the gendered dimensions of meaningful nonprofit work under marketized conditions. Voluntary Sector Review, 13(1): 77-96. doi.org/10.1332/204080521X16366270153080
- Bryan, T. K., Robichau, R. W., L’Esperance, G. E. (2021). Conducting and utilizing evaluation for multiple accountabilities: A study of nonprofit evaluation capacities. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 31(3): 547-569. doi.org/10.1002/nml.21437
Dr. Ellie Heng Qu
Selected Publications & Projects
- De Wit, A., Qu, H. & Bekkers, R. (2022). The health advantage of volunteering is larger for older and less healthy volunteers in Europe: A mega-analysis. European Journal of Aging. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-022-00691-5
- Qu, H. (2022). Differential associations between volunteering and subjective well-being by labor force status: An Investigation of Experiential and Evaluative Well-Being Using Time Use Data. Journal of Happiness Studies 23, (4), 1737-1770. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-021-00471-5
- Qu, H., & Paarlberg, L. E. (2022). Community diversity and donor control: An empirical analysis of contributions to donor-advised funds at community foundations. Administration and Society, 54(5): 763-791. https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997211035721
- Qu, H., & Levine Daniel, J. (2021). Tangible information and charitable giving: When (Does) nonprofit overhead matter? Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.30636/jbpa.42.254
- Qu, H., Levine Daniel, J. (2021). Is “overhead” a tainted word? A survey experiment on framing effects of nonprofit overhead and donor decisions. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. 50(2): 397-419. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764020959475
- Texas Nonprofit Leaders’ COVID-19 Impact Report (December 2020)
- Size and Scope of the Brazos Valley Nonprofit Sector (2018-2019)
- Texas Nonprofit Sector: Growth and Change (1995 – 2012) (2015)
- Texas Nonprofit Sector: Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations (2014)
- Texas Nonprofit Sector: Describing the Size & Scope (2013)