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The CEP blog aims to offer a range of perspectives, experiences, and opinions related to effective philanthropic practice. We welcome submissions that address crucial issues facing individual and institutional donors and are not self-promotional in nature. The views expressed in these posts are not necessarily CEP’s own.

 

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Solidarity Leadership: What If Philanthropy Encouraged Collaboration Rather Than Competition?Devi Leiper O’Malley Co-Founder, Closer Than You ThinkRuby Johnson Co-Founder, Closer Than You Think and Director, Global Resilience Fund, PurposefulSwatee Deepak Co-Founder, Closer Than You Think
Solidarity Leadership: What If Philanthropy Encouraged Collaboration Rather Than Competition?

Individualism. Competition. Risk aversion. Short-termism. Scarcity. Presumed expertise. Many of the norms by which philanthropy operates perpetuate the very narratives our sector seeks to change. In this series on the CEP blog, contributors who represent a...

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Courage in Unity: A Funder’s Response to the ‘State of Nonprofits’John Palfrey President, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Courage in Unity: A Funder’s Response to the ‘State of Nonprofits’

The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s State of Nonprofits report is timely and insightful, and many of its findings are an important reality check. We are in a time of great challenges on many fronts. It is fitting to refer to this period as a crisis in the...

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In Conversation: The State of Nonprofits is … PrecariousPhil Buchanan President, CEPElisha Smith-Arrillaga, Ph.D. Vice President, Research, CEP
In Conversation: The State of Nonprofits is … Precarious

This is the second in a series of occasional chats among some of CEP’s staff we’ll be posting on the blog, in which they discuss the current context for philanthropy and nonprofits. In this conversation, CEP President Phil Buchanan talks with CEP Vice President of...

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Change is a Process: What If Philanthropy Had the Courage to Take Its Cues From Nature?Erin Lynn Williams Chief Field Building Officer, The Center for Cultural Power Ilegvak Culture Bearer, Artist, Designer, Filmmaker, Writer, Activist, and Educator
Change is a Process: What If Philanthropy Had the Courage to Take Its Cues From Nature?

Individualism. Competition. Risk aversion. Short-termism. Scarcity. Presumed expertise. Many of the norms by which philanthropy operates perpetuate the very narratives our sector seeks to change. In this series on the CEP blog, contributors who represent a...

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Reconsidering Our Relationship to Power: What If Philanthropy’s Greatest Resource Isn’t Financial but Relational Capital?Tesmerelna Atsbeha Senior Program Officer, Private Philanthropy
Reconsidering Our Relationship to Power: What If Philanthropy’s Greatest Resource Isn’t Financial but Relational Capital?

Individualism. Competition. Risk aversion. Short-termism. Scarcity. Presumed expertise. Many of the norms by which philanthropy operates perpetuate the very narratives our sector seeks to change. In this series on the CEP blog, contributors who represent a...

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If You Know You Know: What If Philanthropy is Mistaking Wealth for Expertise?Cassie Denbow Resources and Reparations Co-Lead, Whose Knowledge?élysse marcellin Resources and Reparations Co-Lead, Whose Knowledge?Anasuya Sengupta Founder and Director, Whose Knowledge?
If You Know You Know: What If Philanthropy is Mistaking Wealth for Expertise?

Individualism. Competition. Risk aversion. Short-termism. Scarcity. Presumed expertise. Many of the norms by which philanthropy operates perpetuate the very narratives our sector seeks to change. In this series on the CEP blog, contributors who represent a...

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In Conversation: About Those 100-and-Some DaysKevin Bolduc Vice President, Assessment and Advisory Services, CEPPhil Buchanan President, CEP
In Conversation: About Those 100-and-Some Days

This is the first in a series of occasional chats among some of CEP’s staff we’ll be posting on the blog, in which they discuss the current context for philanthropy and nonprofits. In this conversation, CEP’s Vice President of  Assessment and Advisory Services...

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Leaning Into Abundance: What If Philanthropy’s Potential Wasn’t Limited by Manufactured Scarcity?Zaineb Mohammed Director of Communications, Kataly Foundation
Leaning Into Abundance: What If Philanthropy’s Potential Wasn’t Limited by Manufactured Scarcity?

Individualism. Competition. Risk aversion. Short-termism. Scarcity. Presumed expertise. Many of the norms by which philanthropy operates perpetuate the very narratives our sector seeks to change. In this series on the CEP blog, contributors who represent a...

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Trust, Transparency, and Resilience: How a Multiyear Grants Budget Benefits Grantees and Foundation StaffGabriela Alcalde Executive Director, Elmina B. Sewall FoundationThomas Mitchell Finance and Community Investment Partner, Elmina B. Sewall Foundation
Trust, Transparency, and Resilience: How a Multiyear Grants Budget Benefits Grantees and Foundation Staff

Four years ago, the Sewall Foundation decided to tackle an incongruence in our practice of trust-based philanthropy: how to make multiyear grants within a structure of single-year grants budgets. The deep belief that structures manifest and reinforce our culture and...

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Positioning and Repositioning: What if What We Inherited Doesn’t Have to Be the Legacy We Leave?Louisa Mann Chair, Thirty Percy and Director, Skagen Conscience Capital
Positioning and Repositioning: What if What We Inherited Doesn’t Have to Be the Legacy We Leave?

Individualism. Competition. Risk aversion. Short-termism. Scarcity. Presumed expertise. Many of the norms by which philanthropy operates perpetuate the very narratives our sector seeks to change. In this series on the CEP blog, contributors who represent a...

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How Can You Know If You Don’t Ask? Nonprofits Report Primary Concerns in Recent CEP SurveysMena Boyadzhiev Senior Director, Assessment and Advisory Services, CEPJoyce Cheng Associate Manager, Learning Institute
How Can You Know If You Don’t Ask? Nonprofits Report Primary Concerns in Recent CEP Surveys

In uncertain times, strong relationships matter more than ever. We’d argue that it’s nearly impossible to build genuinely strong relationships with grantees if you’re not asking them about their challenges and current needs. That’s why, in recent rounds of CEP’s...

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A Path to Repair: What if Philanthropy Wasn’t About Giving Away Money, but Returning It?Lisa Pilar Cowan Vice President, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
A Path to Repair: What if Philanthropy Wasn’t About Giving Away Money, but Returning It?

Individualism. Competition. Risk aversion. Short-termism. Scarcity. Presumed expertise. Many of the norms by which philanthropy operates perpetuate the very narratives our sector seeks to change. In this series on the CEP blog, contributors who represent a...

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The Myths of Philanthropy: What If We Change the Narratives That Govern the Philanthropic Sector?Mandy Van Deven Founder, Both/And Solutions and Co-Lead, Elemental
The Myths of Philanthropy: What If We Change the Narratives That Govern the Philanthropic Sector?

In a context where authoritarianism is rising globally, even in countries some believed were out of reach, funders who seek to protect democracy and human rights often express that we’ve been outmaneuvered by well-resourced opponents that use powerful narratives to...

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Moving Towards Respect and Redistribution: A Reflection on the Power of Sharing and Giving from Three Indigenous Peoples OrganizationsLourdes Inga Executive Director, International Funders for Indigenous PeoplesTeresa Zapeta Executive Director, International Indigenous Women's ForumMyrna Cunningham Chair of the Guiding Committee, Pawanka Fund
Moving Towards Respect and Redistribution: A Reflection on the Power of Sharing and Giving from Three Indigenous Peoples Organizations

Despite proven effectiveness, Indigenous Peoples organizations remain underfunded compared to mainstream philanthropic initiatives. Structural barriers and lack of trust within the funding landscape — such as rigid grant requirements, short-term project-based funding,...

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It’s Time for Funders to Move Into Swift Alignment With Movements — Participatory Processes Can HelpJeree Thomas Program Director, Communities Transforming Policing Fund, Borealis PhilanthropyJulia Beatty Former Program Director, Black-Led Movement Fund, Borealis Philanthropy
It’s Time for Funders to Move Into Swift Alignment With Movements — Participatory Processes Can Help

As we collectively navigate a new political reality that has devalued and divested from equity, justice, and inclusion, funders must interrogate how we think about movement impact and progress. Community wisdom fuels our ability to make lasting change: if it’s...

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