2020. A devastating year for so many. But it will also be remembered as an inevitable one that forced us to confront some long-standing problems. Here is our list of 10 significant news events of 2020 affecting the nonprofit sector in the United States:

1. COVID-19 (more than 325,000 deaths and 18 million cases in the U.S.) – See Nonprofits and Coronavirus, COVID-19 (National Council of Nonprofits); The Impact of COVID-19 on Large and Mid-Sized Nonprofits (Independent Sector)
2. The Boy Scouts of America, facing an unprecedented number of child abuse claims, seeks bankruptcy protection – See Boy Scouts must settle 95,000 abuse claims by next summer — or risk running out of cash (Washington Post)
3. Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, is murdered while jogging; Breonna Taylor is killed in her home by police; and George Floyd is killed by a police officer pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes, sparking protests all over the world – See Updated: The Nonprofit World Responds to the Death of George Floyd (Chronicle of Philanthropy, subscription paywall)
4. The U.S. provides for a $2 trillion stimulus package to boost the economy during the COVID crisis – See In the time of coronavirus: How many eligible nonprofits benefited from the Paycheck Protection Program? (Johnson Center); Paycheck Protection Program Fact Sheet (Independent Sector); PPP Loan Management and Forgiveness: A Timely Interview with FMA (Nonprofit Quarterly)
5. The U.S. Supreme Court rules that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers sexual orientation – See Fostering A More Supportive Workplace For LGBT Workers (Industry Week)
6. California has its worst wildfire year in recorded history (over 4% of the state’s land); the world has its worst year in modern history in terms of climate change – See How to Help Victims of the California Wildfires (NY Times)
7. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies; President Trump selects and the Senate confirms Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy – See Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Vital Importance of Dissent (Nonprofit Quarterly)
8. The U.S. elects Joe Biden to be its 46th President; Kamala Harris is the first Black and Asian American and the first woman Vice President-elect – See Biden Victory Gives Nonprofits Cautious Optimism on Advancing Their Causes (Chronicle of Philanthropy, subscription paywall)
9. Mackenzie Scott donates over $4 billion to charities in 4 months – See MacKenzie Scott Has Donated More Than $4 Billion In Last 4 Months (KQED); Giving Billions Fast, MacKenzie Scott Upends Philanthropy (NY Times)
10. COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for emergency use and start to be given to front-line healthcare workers – See The COVID-19 vaccines are here: What comes next? (McKinsey)