Date of Award

2023

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Department

Government

First Advisor

Jeongwoo Kim

Abstract

How nonprofit organizations function and their relationship with federal funding is a topic that has been scrutinized in analytical literature. Appalachian nonprofit organizations and their unique attributes has also been a topic of interest. However, there is little in the current literature on the intersection between Appalachian nonprofit organizations and federal funding. This study expands on the topic by examining characteristics present in Appalachian nonprofit organizations and how they relate to the likelihood of receiving federal funding. Forty-nine Appalachian nonprofit organizations that were recipients of federal funding in the fiscal year of 2021 were chosen, and using information found on their publicly available websites, the following characteristics were analyzed for: racial diversity in staff and board, gender diversity in staff and board, board size, staff management, and online presence. The results of this study suggest that an Appalachian nonprofit organization’s online presence, management of staff, and size of board may have an influence on its likelihood of receiving federal funding. The gender diversity of an Appalachian nonprofit organization’s staff and board may not have an influence on its likelihood of receiving federal funding, and its racial diversity seems to have an inconclusive impact.

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