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Mena Boyadzhiev

Senior Director, Assessment and Advisory Services

Mena leads relationships with funders using CEP’s assessments and custom advisory services. She oversees the design and presentation of CEP assessments and the implementation of CEP’s advisory services practice. Mena is a frequent speaker to foundation staff and boards on topics of philanthropic effectiveness and funder-grantee relationships.

Previously, Mena worked at CEP from 2010 – 2012 as a senior analyst on the Assessment Tools team. Prior to rejoining CEP in 2015, she worked on consumer protection issues at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Consumers Union. Her professional experience also includes work in economic consulting and campaign finance reform.

Mena holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and a B.A. in Economics from Oberlin College. In her free time, Mena can be found exploring her Boston neighborhood with her spouse, energetic twins, and dog.

Mena Boyadzhiev's Blog Posts

Nonprofits in Crisis: Recent Grantee Experiences Reveal the Necessity of Funders’ Attention and Action

“A Sector in Crisis,” CEP’s recent research report, spotlights the nationwide effects of the current moment on nonprofits across the country — and, importantly, how foundations are (or, in some cases, are not) meeting the moment to support nonprofits. Effective...

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Recent Blogs

When Shift Happens, What Does It Mean for Philanthropy to Leave Well?Laila Bell, M.P.A. Vice President, Learning and Impact, The Skillman FoundationStephanie Teleki, Ph.D. Director of Learning and Impact, The California Health Care FoundationJaime Vazquez, M.A. Senior Associate, Planning and Evaluation, The Pew Charitable Trusts
When Shift Happens, What Does It Mean for Philanthropy to Leave Well?

When a foundation shifts course or steps away, what happens to the work — and to the people who depend on it? Few funders will support a single strategy or approach indefinitely. Needs routinely exceed available resources, forcing difficult choices about where a...

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Funders Want Impact, Strong Coalitions Can Deliver It Monica Martinez Program Director, College Success, Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. FundRia Sengupta Bhatt Founder and Principal Consultant, Mandala Strategies
Funders Want Impact, Strong Coalitions Can Deliver It 

As California lawmakers were assembling the most recent state budget, a coalition of nonprofits played a leading role in securing emergency aid for undocumented students facing unexpected costs that could derail their journey to a...

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