Center for Effective Philanthropy

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Center for Effective Philanthropy

The Center for Effective Philanthropy is a nonprofit organization focused on the development of data and insight to enable higher-performing funders. CEP’s mission is to provide data and create insight so philanthropic funders can better define, assess, and improve their effectiveness – and, as a result, their intended impact.

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Voices from the Field

Foundations Respond to Crisis: A Must-Read Research Series from CEP

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

This article was originally published by The Center for Effective Philanthropy and is re-posted here with permission. In early spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, foundations in the U.S. began to shift resources and practices. Some funders, nonprofits, and others in the field called for fundamental changes in how funders approach their work — including upping the provision of long-term,… Read More

Making the Case: Foundation Leaders on the Importance of Multiyear General Operating Support

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

This companion piece to New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support features profiles of five of the 43 foundations that participated in interviews with CEP for that research: the California Wellness Foundation, the Claneil Foundation, Foundation for a Just Society, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. These five foundations — which represent a range of geographies, size, and foundation… Read More

Making it Happen: A Conversation Guide

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

This companion piece to New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support provides resources for foundation leaders and boards seeking to start providing, or provide more, multiyear general operating support (GOS) grants. It shares insights and suggestions from leaders whose foundations provide more multiyear GOS than typical, as well as questions to guide foundation discussions… Read More

New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

New Attitudes, Old Practices: The Provision of Multiyear General Operating Support examines the state of practice in philanthropy regarding multiyear GOS. Findings of this study reveal a sobering disconnect between attitudes of foundation leaders and the experience of nonprofits, as well as a similar disconnect between the attitudes of foundation CEOs themselves and their foundations’ practices. Findings in the report are… Read More

Policy Influence: What Foundations Are Doing and Why

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

Among its key findings, Policy Influence shows that foundation leaders clearly believe in influencing policy as an important lever for change. This report seeks to provide foundation staff, leaders, and boards with data and insights that will spur them to candidly discuss philanthropic involvement in public policy — and help guide their own practices to engage in policy efforts more thoughtfully as they work to achieve their goals… Read More

Voices from the Field

How to Best Support Nonprofits through Uncertainty

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Hannah Martin, Center for Effective Philanthropy

How can funders help and support those who are working most directly with and for the populations we care most about? Read “Supporting Our Unsung Heroes in a Moment of Crisis” a series by CEP President Phil Buchanan for timely perspectives and advice. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is complicating an already complex funding landscape for nonprofits. While the need for… Read More

Donors: 5 Things Nonprofits Want You to Know

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

Graphic of several cartoon people communicating

The Center for Effective Philanthropy published Donors: 5 Things Nonprofits Want You to Know to help communication between donors and nonprofits. The power imbalance that exists between donors and nonprofits means important things are often left unsaid. At the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), we’ve collected candid, anonymous feedback over 15 years from more than 100,000 nonprofit leaders that can help… Read More

Greater Good Lessons from Those Who Have Started Major Grantmaking Organizations

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

Photo of honeycombs with a person looking into a microscope overlaying it

Greater Good: Lessons from Those Who Have Started Major Grantmaking Organizations distills insights gleaned from those interviews, offering guidance for a new wave of philanthropic leaders as they seek to build thriving grantmaking organizations that can best support nonprofits to achieve shared goals… Read More

Understanding & Sharing What Works: The State of Foundation Practice

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

Yes No Maybe Signpost Showing Voting Decision Or Evaluation

Assessing the performance of a foundation is notoriously challenging, but it is crucial to learning and improvement. How well do foundation leaders believe they understand what is and isn’t working in their foundation’s programmatic efforts? How are they building that understanding? What information are they choosing to share with others?… Read More

Strengthening Grantees: Foundation and Nonprofit Perspectives

Posted on October 1, 2018 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

Based on survey responses from 170 nonprofit CEOs on CEP’s Grantee Voice panel and 187 foundation leaders who primarily oversee programmatic work at their organizations, Strengthening Grantees: Foundation and Nonprofit Perspectives provides a comprehensive examination of foundations’ efforts to strengthen grantee organizations and leaders… Read More

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