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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.
Amid multiple pandemics in the United States that are disproportionately harming communities of color — and a colossal failure in government response — we need philanthropy to pursue policy changes that dismantle the structural inequities plaguing the nation....
Building Board Support for Foundation Public Policy Efforts This post is the second in “Foundations and Policy Engagement: Insights in Their Own Words,” a five-part series on the CEP Blog. (Read Post 1 here, Post 3 here, Post 4 here, and Post 5 here.) The COVID-19...
What 20,000 students have to say about their learning experiences this spring is critical to the path ahead. Education in the United States, as across the globe, changed dramatically when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools around the country to close this spring,...
Last month, I had the privilege of speaking on a webinar hosted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) to discuss its recent research report, Funder Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic. As I’ve reflected on the comments of my co-speakers, Chitra Hanstad from...
As one foundation executive notes in CEP’s recent report, Policy Influence: What Foundations are Doing and Why, engaging in public policy requires the long view. “This work often takes years to complete and to show impact,” they say. It sure does. Stories of...
Why Foundations are Engaging in Public Policy Efforts This post is the first in “Foundations and Policy Engagement: Insights in Their Own Words,” a five-part series on the CEP Blog. (Read Post 2 here, Post 3 here, Post 4 here, and Post 5 here.) The COVID-19 pandemic;...
Earlier this month, the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) released Funder Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a report based on survey responses from 172 nonprofit CEOs that are part of CEP’s Grantee Voice panel, a nationally representative...
Foundations have been described over the years as providers of necessary risk capital, society’s passing gear, or necessary fuel for social innovators. But what does that look like in 2020? Are funders truly behaving in this way, or are they, as Vu Le fears, complicit...
Earlier in June, FJC – A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds completed our first ever collective giving campaign, which offered our donor-advised fund (DAF) account holders the opportunity to join forces in response to the urgent crisis created by the coronavirus. This...
At the end of the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s valuable new report, Policy Influence: What Foundations are Doing and Why, the authors ask: “Given that many foundation leaders believe that philanthropic engagement in public policy, at its best, brings...
Kudos to the Center for Effective Philanthropy for its recent report, Policy Influence: What Foundations Are Doing and Why, which documents the growing commitment to policy engagement in the philanthropic sector. As the nation navigates the COVID-19 pandemic, an...
The nation and world face unprecedented challenges right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated individuals and organizations alike. Research (from Nonprofit Finance Fund and La Piana Consulting, for example) shows that the pandemic is having harsh negative impacts...
As far back as I can remember, racial constructions have been a part of my reality and lived experience. From my mom telling me that I had to work ten times harder than my white counterparts to be successful, to growing up in under-resourced neighborhoods of color...
This post is the fifth and final in “Social Justice and a Relevant Philanthropic Sector,” a series by Miles Wilson about where philanthropy is stuck in old paradigms — and where there lie opportunities to advance social justice both within the sector and across...
The murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis has led to an outpouring of protest, rage, and in some cases destruction that should surprise no one. From Amadou Diallo to Trayvon Martin to Walter Scott to literally countless other killings (seen and...
Five Considerations for Funders Seeking to Get It “Just Right” The coming year will be a critical moment for philanthropy to aggressively fight the myriad threats to equity that have emerged from the COVID-19 crisis. Giving that helps individuals meet basic needs will...
In light of school closures caused by COVID-19, millions of students are home for the remainder of the academic year. Philanthropy will play a vital role in the response to this crisis. But how can education funders and donors ensure that they are allocating their...
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s new report, Policy Influence: What Foundations are Doing and Why, provides a welcome snapshot of the sector’s recent approach to policy engagement. Policy Influence highlights a chronic condition in philanthropy: practice often...
Foundation leaders believe philanthropic collaboration is important to achieving their goals. Resources abound on this topic (see Bridgespan and GrantCraft for guides to philanthropic collaboration and collaborative advocacy, respectively). In CEP’s own research, we...
With schools gone virtual and live conversations with students no longer possible, listening to students can feel harder than ever. There is always an inherent challenge for teachers, administrators, and education funders in authentically listening to students, given...