Skip to content
English
Sign in
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

What are the beneficiary demographic category options?

When completing a Social Impact Report, these are the demographic category options available.

These categories are based on a standardized taxonomy from Candid's (formerly Foundation Center + Guidestar) Philanthropic Classification System.

 
 
Age Groups:
Demographic Category Definition Demographic Sub-Category
All Adults People 19 years of age and older. Adults (19+)
    Seniors (64+)
All Children Young people from birth to 18 years of age Children (0-9)
    Youth (10+)
 
Ethnic + Racial Groups
Demographic Category Definition
People of African descent People having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
People of Latin American descent People having ancestral origins in Europe (especially Iberia), Africa, and the New World; having more proximate backgrounds in the New World; who share elements of cultural heritage, language (often Spanish or Portuguese), national identity, and lineage; and who represent a variety of racial and ethnic identities.
Multiracial people People having more than one strong racial, ethnic, or cultural identity or ancestry.
People of Asian descent People having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.
Indigenous peoples Peoples and nations that have a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories, and consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing in those territories, or parts of them.
People of Middle Eastern descent People with ancestral relations to indigenous inhabitants of Western Asia (not including the Caucasus) and Egypt.

 

Gender and sexual identity

Demographic Category Definition
Women and girls Women and girls; those usually identified as female, or who self-identify as 
female.
Men and boys Men and boys; those usually identified as male, or who self-identify as male.
LGBTQIA+ people People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual or two-spirit, as well as other individuals with related identities. This umbrella term groups all individuals who do not identify as heterosexual or cisgender. This may also include gender nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender nonconforming

 

Health

Demographic Category Definition
People with disabilities People who have impairments, activity limitations, and/or participation restrictions (according to the WHO). In the U.S. the ADA defines this group as people who have impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities.
People with diseases and illnesses People who have contracted, are suffering from, or are receiving treatment for a specific serious medical condition such as cancer, malaria, heart disease, celiac disease, etc.
People with substance use disorder People who are addicted to, have a dependence on, or who use in a harmful manner substance such as illegal drugs, legal pharmaceuticals, or alcohol. Use For: People in recovery.

 

Social and economic status

Demographic Category Definition
Immigrants, migrants, and refugees People who have left an area to which they are native to cross a border to another region or country.
Economically disadvantaged people People who lack the economic resources to adequately fulfill their material wants and needs; people who are deprived of choices, opportunities, or well-being due to a lack of wealth or income; people whose income or the value of whose possessions lies below a level set by a nation or other institution in an instrument meant to measure poverty.
Homeless people People without a regular dwelling or permanent shelter.
Extremely poor people People who lack the resources (sometimes referred to as "a dollar a day") to fulfill basic human needs, and whose deprivation strongly affects life expectancy. People experiencing absolute poverty.
Victims and oppressed people People who have suffered loss, harm, injury, or death as a result of crimes, attacks, accidents, extreme circumstances, or other acts and events.
Incarcerated people People who are in the process of or have in the past been detained, imprisoned, or held captive, in custody, under house arrest, or under close arrest.

 

Work status and occupations

Demographic Category Demographic Category Definition
Students People, usually young people, who are engaged in full-time or part-time formal 
study at an educational institution. Foundation Center uses this term in conjunction 
with primary and secondary education.
Unemployed people People without work or other source of income or support, and usually who are actively seeking work.
Veterans People who have retired from or left active duty in their nation's armed forces; or 
those who have entered a new life in peacetime after active participation in a war 
or conflict.
Self-employed people People who work for themselves as independent contractors, craftspeople, artisans, artists, or sole proprietors of a small business, and not as an employee of another person or organization.
Retired people People who have left their work or career, usually later in life, to pursue other interests such as leisure, domestic activity, volunteer work, creative activity, caretaking, and other activities that are not intended to provide economic support.
Domestic workers People who work in the homes of their employers providing services such as cooking, cleaning, gardening, childcare, home and property maintenance, etc.
Military personnel People who serve in their nation's armed forces, including active duty personnel, reservists and those in training.
Farmers People who raise food for consumption as their primary economic activity; includes truck gardeners, ranchers, pastoralists, and subsistence farmers.
Artists and performers People who pursue creative careers in arts, crafts, performing arts, writing, media, etc.
Emergency responders Uniformed personnel who are a first line of defense and response in emergencies like crimes, accidents, and disasters, such as police, firefighters, EMTs, and others.
Teachers People who are trained and often certified to teach students at schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions and for other educational programs such as educators; school-teachers; professors; and instructors. This includes Educators; School-teachers; Professors; Instructors.