In fiscal year 2023, as an individual trainee for the Duskin Leadership Training Program, I researched the finances and fundraising of disability organizations, primarily in the United States.
The theme was “Fundraising in the Disability Rights Movement.”
I examined the financial documents of about 20 organizations and agencies, including disability organizations, advocacy groups, and Centers for Independent Living, and conducted interviews with staff members either in person or online.
At the time, what I wanted to know was simple.
Why do disability organizations in the United States receive so much funding?
Are they good at collecting donations?
Is their approach to corporations different?
Do they have the know-how to secure grants from foundations?
If there are methods that can be used in Japan, I want to learn them.
I started my research with that feeling.
However, as I looked at the flow of money in various organizations, I gradually began to see something different.
It was not just a matter of “techniques for collecting donations.”
・Government
・Corporations
・Foundations
・Large donations from wealthy individuals
・Events
・Tax systems
・And laws and regulations
In the United States, I felt that the entry points for money supporting the activities of disability organizations are diverse, and the amounts for each are also large. I would like to introduce the ones that left a particularly strong impression on me.
1. A system that allows organizations to receive money from the government while also conducting investigations or taking legal action against the government if necessary.
What surprised me most was the mechanism called P&A (Protection & Advocacy).
P&A is a disability rights advocacy system established in every state and territory in the U.S., and there are 57 P&A systems nationwide.
Despite being agencies independent of the government, they receive public funding based on federal law to conduct investigations into abuse and neglect, make policy recommendations, and take legal action against parties including the government when necessary.
Disability Rights California, which I visited, is one of them.
A scene from the welcome lunch held during my visit in 2024. The author is in the back right.
What surprised me here was that
they can receive money from the government while also conducting investigations or taking legal action against the government if necessary.
That was the situation.
Instead of having to raise funds for advocacy activities on their own, there is a system in place to support them with public funds.
This was quite impressive.
(2) Corporate Sponsorship
Another thing that left an impression was the relationship with corporations.
Looking at the events and programs of disability organizations in the United States, many companies such as the Coca-Cola Foundation, Microsoft, United Airlines, and the Arconic Foundation participate as sponsors.
When I interviewed a representative of a disability organization, what struck me was the comment,
to think of companies not just as ‘someone who gives money,’ but as partners with whom to build a relationship
that they shared.
It is not just about asking for a donation and ending it there; it is about what can be done for the company, and what the organization and the company can do together.
They consider fundraising to include building those kinds of relationships. This was quite impressive to me.
(3) GALAs connect money and people
The GALA came up many times as a place to build relationships with those companies and supporters.
Simply put, it is an event aimed at fundraising.
・Having a meal. ・Introducing activities. ・Honoring supporters. ・Interacting with companies and donors. ・And, collecting funds from participation tickets and corporate sponsors.
What I found interesting was
that fundraising and building relationships with people are carried out in the same place
as well.
It was a place to raise money, and at the same time, a place to build relationships with the next supporters and companies.
4. There are many grant-making foundations, and they are large in scale
Private foundations are also important.
The United States has large-scale foundations that provide grants to non-profits working on various social issues.
The field of disability rights advocacy is also a target for this.
For example, the Ford Foundation positions disability rights as a grant-making area. In 2024, it provided approximately $19.43 million in grants across 69 projects in the disability rights field within the U.S. (Ford Foundation)
I felt this was a scale unimaginable in Japan.
Of course, it is not as simple as just applying and receiving funds. There is competition, and some grants have time limits.
Even so, I was impressed by the fact that disability rights advocacy activities are established as a theme for receiving funding from foundations.
5. There is also a tax system that supports donations
In the United States, there are tax incentives for donations to non-profit organizations that meet certain requirements, such as 501(c)(3) status.
Many of the disability organizations I visited had also obtained 501(c)(3) status.
The number of eligible organizations is also very large, with over 1.5 million organizations in the U.S. falling under 501(c)(3).
Furthermore, starting in 2026, a system will begin allowing individuals who do not itemize deductions to deduct up to $1,000 per person, or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly, for certain cash donations.
Also, regarding participation fees for GALAs and charity events, the portion exceeding the value of items received, such as meals, may be treated as a donation.
Japan also has a donation deduction system, but there are differences in the eligible organizations and the scope of what is recognized as a donation.
What I felt in the United States was that the base of organizations collecting donations is broad, and the systems to make donating easier are quite well-established
as well.
I would like to write in more detail about the differences between this 501(c)(3) system and the Japanese system in a future post.
6. Furthermore, there are laws and systems behind it all
As I looked into the funding for various organizations, the connections to laws and systems also became visible.
For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark U.S. civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability.
The ADA itself does not directly distribute money to disability organizations. However, it includes a mechanism that allows for seeking correction through litigation in the event of a violation, and in cases where the plaintiff prevails, the opposing party may be required to pay attorney’s fees. (Reference: 42 U.S.C. § 12205 – Attorney’s fees)
Furthermore, in California, state law also allows for seeking damages in certain cases. (Reference: Discrimination at Business Establishments – Unruh Civil Rights Act)
Additionally, there is IDEA, which supports the education of children with disabilities; the Rehabilitation Act, which provides federal funding for Centers for Independent Living (CIL); and P&A, which also receives public funding based on multiple laws.
In other words, in the United States, not only are rights guaranteed by law, but the funding and mechanisms to realize those rights are also embedded within the system.
I would like to discuss the relationship between these laws and funding in more detail in a future installment.
Tracing the flow of money reveals the system
What I felt while looking at the finances of various disability organizations this time was that fundraising is not simply a ‘technique for collecting donations.’
Public funding from the government, corporate sponsors, galas, foundations, tax incentives for donations, and laws and systems—multiple mechanisms overlap to support the activities of disability organizations.
What left a particularly strong impression on me was the structure where there are laws that define rights, systems that make those rights usable in practice, and public money attached to some of those systems.
Where does the money to sustain the activities of disability organizations come from?
Starting from what I have actually seen in the United States, I would like to think about this from both the perspective of numbers and systems moving forward.
In the next article, I would like to write about the P&A (Protection & Advocacy) mentioned in (1).
Also, how have the funding and systems surrounding disability organizations changed since the inauguration of the second Trump administration in 2025? I will update the figures and examine them alongside the changes in the system while following the latest developments.
If you liked this article, I would be happy if you could ‘like’ it.
▶Next article
▶Previous article
