Net impact of government funding on nonprofit fiscal health: burden or benefit?

This study examines the impact of federal grant awards on the financial health of recipient nonprofits. Although a modest body of research finds that government grants are beneficial to nonprofit fiscal health, a large Urban Institute study (2010, 2013, 2015) found that nonprofit managers receiving government grants consistently report fiscal harm due to awards that do not cover all program costs, late payments, and significant administrative burden. Those findings raise the question of whether government funding leads to net benefits or net harm for organizations given the administrative and fiscal burdens identified. This study tests that question using a large panel of federal grants to estimate the impact of government awards on three measures of nonprofit financial health. We find that government grants promote an increase in nonprofit size, improve operating margins, and increase financial reserves for recipient organizations. These benefits endure after the receipt of the award.     

Co-parenting and parenting behaviour: The role of parent mental health for mothers and fathers in the postnatal period

The relationship between co-parenting, parent mental health and parenting remains unclear for parents during the postnatal period, particularly fathers. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate these relationships for families in the postnatal period. Routinely collected self-report data from 138 mothers and 138 fathers participating in Family Foundations, a co-parenting intervention facilitated by a community health service in Melbourne, were used. Path analysis revealed that for mothers, more supportive co-parenting was associated with fewer mental health difficulties and, in turn, low parenting hostility and high parenting warmth. For fathers, supportive co-parenting was associated with fewer mental health difficulties, which was associated with low parenting hostility but not parenting warmth. Co-parenting was also directly associated with parenting warmth and hostility for fathers. The findings highlighted some key differences between mothers and fathers and the importance of interventions targeting the co-parenting relationship during early childhood.