The relationship between foundations and grantees is a topic that the social sector has been discussing for years. Collectively — through scholarly research, industry-wide surveys, and opinion pieces — we have acknowledged power dynamics, mismatched expectations, lack...
Blog
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.
Grounding our Work in Listening and Learning
Foundations use knowledge to make decisions. A recent report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Understanding & Sharing What Works: The State of Foundation Practice, shows that 80 percent of foundation CEOs surveyed say their organizations are using what...
The Art of Philanthropy: Understanding Power and Corrosion
This is the first post in a series on “The Art of Philanthropy,” a high-altitude look at the power foundations hold, related issues, and potential solutions. The art of philanthropy begins with balance and ends without it. Of course, any attempt for balance runs head...
Why Support for Communications, Staffing, and Fundraising is Necessary
In CEP’s recent report, Strengthening Grantees: Foundation and Nonprofit Perspectives, Meher Shulman, associate director, Nonprofit Support Program, at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, says that capacity building is an investment “to ensure nonprofits have...
What Does It Take to Shift to a Learning Culture in Philanthropy?
If there was ever any doubt that greater openness and transparency could benefit organized philanthropy, a new report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) about knowledge-sharing practices puts it to rest. Besides making a case for the need for greater...
Evaluation: The Journey and the Destination
A new CEP report titled Understanding & Sharing What Works highlights the challenges foundations face in understanding what does and doesn’t work programmatically, deciding what to do with that information, and sharing what they have learned. At the Edna McConnell...
How Can Foundations Learn Better and Share More?
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s new report Understanding & Sharing What Works explores, from the vantage point of the foundation CEO, how foundations go about assessing their efforts, how they use this knowledge to make decisions, and how they share what...
How Are Funders Understanding and Sharing What Works?
In a post on the CEP blog last week about measuring foundation progress, Mark Zezza and Maureen Cozine of the New York State Health Foundation write, “As stewards of resources to advance the public interest, it is incumbent upon us to be transparent about our...
Advancing Nonprofit Diversity: A Call to Action for Funders and Nonprofits
CEP’s recent report, Nonprofit Diversity Efforts: Current Practices and the Role of Foundations, provides funders valuable input on what they can do to lead the way in helping nonprofits make greater improvements in diversifying their boards and staff. Reading the...
Don’t Sleep on Early Bird Registration for the 2019 CEP Conference
We’re in the final month of early bird registration for Stronger Philanthropy, CEP’s 2019 national conference. At current registration levels, we’re predicting that the conference will sell out in the coming weeks. If you are a senior leader at a foundation (or a...
From Keeping Score to Measuring Progress: One Foundation’s Approach to Self-Assessment
As the calendar year comes to an end, it’s performance assessment time for employees at many organizations. Did I meet my goals for the year? Where did I do well? Where might I have fallen short? What could I do differently to improve my performance next year? Many...
More than Money: 3 Non-traditional Ways Funders Can Support Grantees
A recent report from CEP reveals that there is often a gap between what a nonprofit wants and what a funder provides. The report shows that foundation leaders frequently cite a lack of internal staff capacity or time to provide support to strengthen their grantees. As...
Seeking Input on CEP’s Revised Definition of Philanthropic Effectiveness
Massive challenges face this country and the globe, including threats to key democratic institutions, income inequality, and climate change, to name just a few. Given this context, and the stakes, philanthropic effectiveness is all the more important. While effective...
The People We Seek to Help
What words should we use to describe the clients served by nonprofits? Participants in nonprofit programs? Recipients of nonprofit services? End beneficiaries of philanthropy? Partners? Constituents? Citizens? The list of...
Going All In on Supporting Effective Organizations
In 2008, the Center for Effective Philanthropy report, More than Money: Making a Difference with Assistance Beyond the Grant, found that “the majority of grantees of a typical large foundation receive no assistance beyond the grant, and the 44 percent that do receive...
Strengthening the Hearts and Lungs of Social Change
As funders, we are privileged to support leaders, organizations, and networks that create movements for change. To succeed, that work must be done in partnership, moving together toward our shared goals for positive impact in the world. One of the most powerful ways...
The Need for a Strong Voice for Institutional Philanthropy
Early in my tenure at the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), when our staff numbered just three, I realized that to get visibility for our research on foundation performance assessment, we would need to secure a spot on the agenda of the annual conference of the...
Bringing the “Beginner’s Mind” to Funder-Grantee Conversations
CEP’s new study, Strengthening Grantees: Foundation and Nonprofit Perspectives, finds that a gap in understanding exists between CEOs of nonprofits and foundation leaders when it comes to strengthening organizational needs. Since reading the report, I’ve been...
What Foundations Can Do to Help Strengthen Nonprofit Organizations
CEP released a study this week that shows the disconnect between nonprofits and funders on understanding grantees’ organizational strengthening needs. While almost all foundation leaders say they feel responsible for strengthening grantees and care about grantees’...
Are Nonprofits Getting the Support They Really Need?
Strengthening nonprofit organizations and providing general operating support have been discussion topics for decades in philanthropy. When CEP set out to conduct research on these issues late last year, we wondered what the results would reveal to move these...