Bloomberg and the Non-profit Sector

Today I went to see Mayor Bloomberg speak about the non-profit sector at NYU's Wagner School.  Amidst all of the handwringing these days about how to save Fortune 500 corporations, it was refreshing to hear a major public official focus on improving the business climate for non-profit organizations.  Bloomberg acknowledged just how important non-profits are to New York, not just in terms of culture and education and social services, but in terms of our economy.  (Among other statistics that he cited, he said that fully 15 percent of NYC workers are employed by non-profit organizations.)  He went on to announce a series of reforms designed to make life a little easier for non-profit groups, including an expansion of the Fund for the City of New York's cashflow loan program, enhancements of the City's contracting process, and the creation of an initiative designed to explore whether it is possible to realize some economies of scale through group purchasing of office supplies, technology and insurance.   I'll be interested to see what kind of play these initiatives get in the papers tomorrow.