THE ROLE OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN SOCIAL CHANGE: A QUALITATIVE REVIEW ON THE SABANCI FOUNDATION

Abstract

Non-profit organizations have been actively operating from the past to the present as structures that emerged in a historical context, interact with changing social needs, and whose organizational forms are shaped within this scope. From their religious and charitable foundations to their transformation into global actors today, they have gone through different stages, always intertwined with society and influencing and being influenced in social, economic, and political terms. Understanding and making sense of this entire process is crucial to understanding the role of non-profit organizations in social change. The aim of this study is to understand and explain the multifaceted contributions of non-profit organizations and initiatives, which are agents of social change signaling significant shifts in social structures, institutions, and cultural norms that shape human behavior and interactions, and their impact on societal outcomes. Within the scope of this study, designed using qualitative methods, the Sabancı Foundation's “Grant Programs” and “Difference Makers” initiatives, which fall under the heading of social change, were subjected to content analysis. The analysis highlighted findings such as cooperation, awareness and education, economic benefit, technology, social entrepreneurship and cooperatives, advocacy and rights-based work, social change, grants, and professions. The study revealed that non-profit organizations play a role in shaping social change in the context of social needs, similar to political, economic, and cultural changes.