Listen to Season 5
What is the role of civil society leaders as the guardrails of democracy in the U.S. are tested by those in power? In the season finale of Giving Done Right podcast, hear from author, podcast host, and New York Times columnist Ezra Klein.
Listen wherever you get podcasts.
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CEP seeks to influence foundations and major donors to be more effective. We offer assessments that gather essential feedback from key stakeholders, data-driven research, customized advisory services, thought-provoking events, and incisive commentary on the CEP Blog.
Improve Your Effectiveness
CEP’s assessments provide unique insights into your effectiveness by gathering candid and actionable feedback from grantees, donors, and funder staff and benchmarking results with other grantmakers.
Featured Resources
AI WITH PURPOSE: How Foundations and Nonprofits Are Thinking About and Using Artificial Intelligence
A new, nationally representative survey of nonprofits and foundations reveals how organizations are engaging with AI, top concerns they share, and lagging support for AI development and use with equity in mind.
Breaking the Mold: The Transformative Effect of MacKenzie Scott's Big Gifts
Transformative Gifts: Inside Organizations That Received MacKenzie Scott Grants — A Companion to CEP’s Three-Year Study
State of Nonprofits 2025: What Funders Need to Know
Voices That Matter: How Nonprofits and Foundations Engage With the Communities They Support
Questions? Connect with us.
Grace Nicolette, Vice President, Programming and External Relations
From the Blog
Then and Now: A Look Back on 10 Years of Grantee and Foundation Staff Perceptions
This year, my attention has been constantly pulled in two directions at once: toward the immediate pressure that nonprofits are facing and toward the broad, sweeping shifts shaping the future of civil society, often in ways that feel like 10 steps backwards. Both feel...
The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Wallis Annenberg’s Blueprint for Legacy Planning
Wallis Annenberg was passionate about creating spaces, opportunities, and access where people could connect, learn, and thrive. From community institutions to bold new ventures, she believed philanthropy should enrich lives, strengthen the civic fabric, and inspire...
A Message for Philanthropy in the 2025 Giving Season
This is an edited version of comments Phil Buchanan made to the Maryland Philanthropy Network on September 17, 2025. These comments draw on some previously published material, including Phil’s blog posts on the CEP Blog and his 2019 book, Giving Done Right, and have...

