A new report on the demographic characteristics of board leadership in the 40 largest nonprofit educational and medical organizations in the Philadelphia region shows modest gains in gender and racial diversity but a “troubling decline” in the number and percentage of organizations willing to share data on board demographics.
The third report by the nonprofit Women’s Nonprofit Leadership Initiative, entitled Who’s on Board: Gender & Race in Nonprofit Board Rooms, says that women filled 39.3% of board seats in the higher education organizations in 2025, up from 38.3% in 2022, and 38.3% of healthcare seats, up from 34.4% in 2022.
Trustees of color held 25.4% of higher education seats (up from 23.8%) and 24.3% of healthcare seats (up from 18.7% in 2022. The share of board chairs who are women or people of color grew from 28% in 2022 to 56% in 2025, which the report calls a “striking shift” in who holds leadership at the top. WNLI notes, however, that women constitute more than half of the region’s population and that people of color make up 43% of the metro area.
The report prefaces its figures with a substantial section showing why board diversity is important and how, in one commentator’s view, 30 years of diversity science shows that diversity of all kinds makes a difference in terms of how effective boards are as decision makers. WNLI has previously urged the IRS to include a demographic question on the annual Form 990 tax information return so that the public can understand who is leading key organizations in their region. (See Nonprofit Issues®, Vol. XXXIII, No. 3.)
The “most significant change” between 2022 and 2025, the report says, was “a marked decrease in the number and percentage of institutions responding to requests” for data for the report. WNLI uses a three-step process to obtain the data. It starts by asking organizations to provide the data. For those who don’t respond, it provides its own data asking for confirmation or correction, and for those who still don’t respond, it uses its own research for the study. Although the percentage who provided data for the study on the first request went from 15.2% to 27.5%, the percentage who confirmed or corrected dropped from 56.5% to only 17.5%. Overall those who did not respond at all jumped from 28.3% to 55%.
Not a current Nonprofit Issues subscriber? Start an introductory subscription for 3 months of full access for just $17.95.
The report says that other organizations attempting diversity studies have faced similar reactions. In confidential interviews with 10 people with “broad and deep experience related to eds and meds boards,” they were told that organizations are “spooked, intimidated and threatened” by the federal government’s opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion, and keeping their heads down because of fear of losing funding. The summary of the interviews provides an interesting look inside the organizations.
Although all agreed on the pressures and fear, there was a divergence on how much the current environment was causing an actual retreat in diversity efforts. Some thought it was an excuse to give up on diversity for those who were never for it, while others felt efforts were ongoing although muted and not highlighted.
Add new comment