
State of Nonprofits 2026:
What Funders Need to Know
CEP’s fourth annual State of Nonprofits report offers vital insight into how nonprofits are faring amidst unprecedented challenges.
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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.
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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
A SECTOR IN CRISIS: How U.S. Nonprofits and Foundations Are Responding to Threats
As nonprofits face historic challenges, new data from the Center for Effective Philanthropy reveals how nonprofits are faring and how foundations are responding.
Board Book Insert – State of Nonprofits 2026: What Funders Need to Know
Foundation Governance Today: How Boards and CEOs Are Navigating Risk, Accountability, and a Shifting Landscape
Breaking the Mold: The Transformative Effect of MacKenzie Scott's Big Gifts
AI With Purpose: How Foundations and Nonprofits Are Thinking About and Using Artificial Intelligence
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Grace Nicolette, Vice President, Programming and External Relations
From the Blog
Responding to the State of Nonprofits in 2026: What Funders Can Do
Reading CEP’s latest report on the current state of nonprofits took me back to the Great Recession and the challenges brought on by COVID-19. The combination of CEO and staff burnout along with increased demand for services is — unfortunately — all too familiar. Add...
‘Too Many Nonprofits’ Is Not Our Biggest Problem
“There are too many nonprofits.” “Yes,” someone else will chime in. “There are too many nonprofits.” It’s a comment I hear frequently in gatherings of funders, and when it’s said, I notice, many people nod. We heard this from some foundation CEOs when my colleagues on...
A Decade of Listening: How Houston Endowment Turned Staff Survey Data into a Stronger Culture
At Houston Endowment, we’ve used the Center for Effective Philanthropy Staff Perception Report since 2012, and one thing has become clear: the data points us in the right direction, but deciding what to act on, and following through, is what drives real change....

