The Diffusion of State-Level Nonprofit Program Innovation

Abstract

This article examines the diffusion of a state-level nonprofit program to other states across the United States. Current literature on innovation diffusion largely overlooks the diffusion of nonprofit program innovation. Although several streams of related diffusion research have considered organizational change and government policy transfer, they miss organizational and contextual factors particularly important for nonprofits. This study considers organizational and environmental factors in the transfer of state-level nonprofit program innovation using in-depth interviews with 74 policy actors to examine the spread of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Project to nonprofits in four states. It identifies similarities and differences between nonprofit program and government policy diffusion and proposes a modified framework for state-level nonprofit program diffusion that consists of multiple stages and participant roles.