The Fastest-Growing Nonprofits of 2025: Who's Scaling and Why

While the median nonprofit grows slowly — if at all — a subset of organizations have experienced revenue growth that would make venture capitalists envious. Using IRS filing data from GiveScope's database of 1.93 million organizations, we identified the fastest-growing nonprofits in America and analyzed what's driving their explosive expansion.

The Three Engines of Nonprofit Growth

1. Healthcare Consolidation

The single largest driver of nonprofit revenue growth is hospital system mergers and acquisitions. When a $200 million community hospital joins a $15 billion health system, its revenue can multiply seemingly overnight. The trend toward healthcare consolidation has been accelerating for over a decade, driven by:

• Pressure to achieve economies of scale in purchasing and technology
• The capital requirements of electronic health records and regulatory compliance
• Insurance company consolidation creating pressure for provider consolidation
• The financial stress of COVID-19 pushing vulnerable hospitals toward mergers

Several health systems have grown from regional players to national behemoths through serial acquisitions. CommonSpirit Health, formed from the 2019 merger of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health, now generates ~$35 billion in annual revenue across 140+ hospitals.

2. Donor-Advised Fund Expansion

DAF sponsors represent some of the fastest-growing entities in the nonprofit sector. Fidelity Charitable processes approximately $19 billion in annual contributions — growth driven by a bull market in securities (donors contribute appreciated stock), tax reform that increased the standard deduction (pushing more donors toward bunching charitable giving), and aggressive marketing by financial services firms.

Community foundation DAF programs have been even faster-growing on a percentage basis. Some regional community foundations saw their DAF assets grow from under $50 million to over $500 million in less than five years as local wealth — particularly tech wealth on the coasts — flowed into these vehicles.

3. Post-Pandemic Government Funding

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented surge in government funding flowing through nonprofits. Food banks that typically operated on $15-20 million budgets suddenly processed $100-200 million in USDA emergency food assistance. Rental assistance programs, small business support organizations, and community health centers saw similar funding explosions.

The critical question for many of these organizations is sustainability: as pandemic-era funding expires, can they maintain their expanded operations? The data suggests a mixed picture — some organizations have successfully diversified, while others face painful contractions.

Growth by Sector

Among the fastest-growing nonprofits, the sector breakdown reveals clear patterns:

• Health (NTEE E): ~35% of fastest-growing organizations. Driven by consolidation and the ongoing expansion of the healthcare economy.
• Human Services (NTEE P): ~20%. Government contracts and pandemic-era emergency funding drove rapid expansion.
• Philanthropy (NTEE T): ~15%. DAF growth and the formation of new foundations by tech wealth.
• Education (NTEE B): ~12%. Driven by online education expansion and research funding increases.
• International (NTEE Q): ~8%. Global crisis response — pandemic, Ukraine, climate disasters — drove international giving.
• Other categories: ~10%. Includes fast-growing environmental, food security, and housing organizations.

Geographic Hotspots

Nonprofit growth isn't evenly distributed. The fastest-growing organizations cluster in:

• California: Tech wealth creating new foundations, plus massive healthcare systems
• Texas: Population growth driving healthcare and human services expansion
• Florida: Population migration and healthcare demand
• New York: Financial services DAFs and major health system expansion

Growth vs. Health: A Cautionary Tale

Fast growth doesn't always mean healthy growth. Our financial health scoring model reveals that some of the fastest-growing nonprofits have mediocre health grades. Common problems include:

• Revenue concentration risk: Organizations that grew primarily through a single government grant or contract face enormous cliff risk when that funding expires
• Inadequate reserves: Rapid growth often outpaces reserve-building, leaving organizations with 30 days or less of operating cash
• Governance gaps: Organizations that grow from $5M to $50M may still have board structures and management systems designed for a $5M operation
• Staff burnout: Growth without proportional investment in human resources creates unsustainable workloads

Explore the largest nonprofits by revenue and their financial health scores to see how growth and organizational health interact.

What to Watch in 2025-2026

Several trends will shape nonprofit growth in the near term:

• Pandemic funding cliffs: Emergency government funding is expiring, and organizations that didn't diversify face contractions
• Healthcare AI integration: Health systems investing in AI and automation may see efficiency-driven growth
• Climate funding: The Inflation Reduction Act and state-level climate legislation are channeling billions through environmental nonprofits
• DAF regulation: Proposed legislation requiring minimum DAF payouts could significantly reshape philanthropic giving patterns

The fastest-growing nonprofits tell us where money is flowing, where needs are greatest, and where entrepreneurial leaders are seizing opportunity. But as with any growth story, the question isn't just how fast — it's how sustainable.