Survey gathering high-quality nonprofit sector data poised to be a powerful advocacy tool
Ontario’s nonprofit sector plays a critical role in supporting communities across the province, delivering everything from essential social services to cultural programming. Yet every year, organizations face mounting pressure to do more with less. This is why Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) started the State of the Sector Survey. Each year, this survey helps surface the realities nonprofits are facing and strengthen their ability to advocate for support.
ONN recently launched its 7th annual State of the Sector survey, with research design and fieldwork conducted by Environics Research. The survey, open to Ontario nonprofits until July 6, 2026, captures a real-time portrait of the sector, tracking funding pressures, workforce challenges, service demand, and community impact across the province.
Since its inception, the survey has served a clear and enduring purpose: to provide the sector with consistent, high-quality, disaggregated data that can be used to advocate for change. Year-over-year, the findings have documented rising demand for nonprofit services across the sector, particularly in areas such as social services, community development, and housing, underlining just how essential these organizations are to Ontario’s social infrastructure.
At Environics Research, we are proud to bring our expertise in rigorous public sector research to this work. Producing data that nonprofits can rely on, to connect with policymakers, make the case for resources, and strengthen their communities, is exactly the kind of work we believe matters.
The survey is open in both English and French to charities, grassroots organizations, volunteer-run groups, nonprofit social enterprises, and nonprofit co-operatives with a public benefit mission across Ontario. If your organization qualifies, we encourage you to participate and add your voice to the data. This year’s results will inform ongoing advocacy and funding discussions across the sector.
Read the full ONN announcement and access the survey, open until July 6, 2026.
