Non-Profit Industrial Complex facts for kids

Non-profit industrial complex, or NPIC for short, is a term used by people who work for social change. It describes how non-profit groups, governments, and businesses are connected.

Many people who want to make the world better, called activists, often work for or with non-profit organizations. These groups need money to achieve their goals. Non-profits are officially registered with the government. This allows them to legally receive large amounts of money.

These activist non-profits often get their money from even bigger non-profits. These larger groups are sometimes linked to big businesses and wealthy people. But activists often speak out against things that businesses and rich people support. This can make it hard for them to get funding if they are too critical. To keep getting money, they might have to change their ideas. They might make their goals more acceptable to the industries that provide funding.

What is the NPIC?

People who think these connections between activists and industries are harmful use the term "non-profit industrial complex." It's a quick way to talk about this whole system. Instead of explaining everything each time, they just say NPIC.

They have written many articles and books about the NPIC. These writings look at how funding patterns affect activist groups. They also discuss how the goals of some activists changed after they started getting more money.