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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.
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...
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,...
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...
In the last few years, our country has experienced turbulent times that have left indelible marks on our collective psyche. We witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis that gripped the world with uncertainty and fear. Shortly thereafter, the murder of George Floyd...
It’s clear that nonprofits are looking for more support from their foundation funders, in both words and deeds, as they grapple with a Trump administration that seems hell-bent on going after nonprofits — and civil society more broadly. We have documented some...
Have you seen that pizza video — you know, the one produced by the Human Services Council of NY that shows how hard funders can make it for nonprofits to get funded in ways that align with their work? In the comedic short video, the “funder” wants to buy a bunch...
I think it’s time for a shift away from the approach that some larger U.S. foundations and key infrastructure organizations have taken to operating in the second Trump administration. That approach has been based on assumptions that may have made sense in mid-November...
In extremely challenging times — which we are inarguably in for those of us in the social justice nonprofit and philanthropic spaces — it is often helpful to look back to draw lessons on how to move forward. As a Black woman leading one of the longest-standing civic...
The Trump administration’s relentless assault on USAID, its attempted freeze of federal funding to U.S. nonprofits, and its stated intentions of hobbling the work of vital nonprofits around the world are only the most recent examples — albeit completely avoidable and...
Just after executive orders started to flow, I described the Trump administration as seeking to create chaos and cruelty. I should’ve added a third “c” — coercion. For philanthropic funders, which generally don’t receive government funding, that coercion isn’t direct...
“With funding freezes, the most vulnerable are impacted. We provide vital assistance to people in need of life-saving healthcare, and we’ve seen an increase in the number of people who do not have anywhere else to turn for resources beyond us.”Nonprofit Leader “The...
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s final report of its three-year study on the impact of MacKenzie Scott’s large, unrestricted gifts is overwhelmingly positive, with one notable exception: executives of other foundations have “mixed perspectives” on Scott’s...
I am still pinching myself from the first gift we received from MacKenzie Scott in December of 2020 — and somehow Undue Medical Debt (formerly RIP Medical Debt) has now received three. What these gifts presented to us was an unprecedented opportunity to approach our...
How can we support civil society to promote positive change – now and in the long term? For many of us working in philanthropy, this is an increasingly crucial question. Locally, nationally, and globally, we aim to partner with and empower people and organizations...
“I was left in awe. I didn’t know what to say except thank you. Our core values were repeated back to us as we were given this gift and investment. I thought, ‘Wow, we can now support the growth of our organization and concentrate on our work, not the fundraising...
Big, unrestricted gifts have a transformative effect on nonprofits that receive them. They can lead to greater financial strength and documented program results. They can also lead to increased confidence and reduced burnout of leaders. While foundation leaders have...
This year’s wildfires in Los Angeles didn’t only destroy homes and livelihoods they also revealed the longstanding inequities in disaster response. The workers who are clearing debris, the small business owners struggling to reopen, the laborers who lost their income,...
The speed and intensity of the unprecedented attacks on the nonprofit and public sectors unleashed in the first month of President Trump’s second administration has been staggering. While many of us anticipated disruption, the consequences for communities in the U.S....
In times of increasing uncertainty, from shifting federal priorities to crises like the wildfires devastating Southern California, nonprofit organizations face growing challenges in sustaining their work and responding to the evolving needs of their communities....
The scope and scale of the Trump administration’s ambitions are now strikingly clear, as is the degree of the administration’s hostility for the nonprofit sector in the U.S. and around the world. A White House memo issued Friday, February 7 states: “The United States...