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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.
The James Irvine Foundation, like many funders, was jolted to act in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder and the ensuing national racial reckoning. Although Irvine had long supported organizations focused on racial equity and had some internal efforts focused on...
In 2008, the Ford Foundation made its first foray into using the Grantee Perception Report (GPR) conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) for vital feedback on how grantees perceive us. Between then and 2017, CEP administered the survey on behalf of...
In a CEP blog post published earlier this week, I offered up a list of 10 Grantee Perception Report participants who had made their assessment results public in 2023 as a way to both thank our many partners in the last year and reflect on what role feedback...
Of all the rituals we associate with the new year — stowing away the suitcases from holiday travel, returning unwanted gifts, tacking a new calendar onto the fridge — for many of us, the moments of introspection and reflection are what hold the most meaning. The...
On behalf of the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) staff, board, and community of colleagues representing multiple industry sectors and areas of focus, we reiterate our gratitude for being included in the 2021 cohort of grant recipients for Mackenzie...
What will it take to create a more equitable America? Increasingly, that conversation is turning to reparations for Black people and building a culture of racial repair for everyone, as the missing piece. As of now, at least 80 national funders, including the Ford...
What is one thing the country’s largest private foundation has in common with nearly every other foundation in the U.S.? The need for feedback to ensure it is implementing the smartest version of its strategy. In fall 2022 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation...
In 2020, Luminate, a global philanthropic organization, commissioned CEP to survey its grantee partners through the Grantee Perception Report (GPR). In 2023, Luminate commissioned a second Grantee Perception Report. This blog is a follow-up to the “10...
For the past two years, I have had the honor to serve on an advisory board for the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) as they continue to study the effects of large, unrestricted gifts on philanthropy through the lenses of both recipients and funders. I...
Our beliefs and attitudes determine how we interpret and respond to the world. This is no less true for how we define success and failure than it is for how we approach philanthropy. Our mindset can make all the difference in how we show up, interpret, and respond to...
Two years into CEP’s study of the effects of MacKenzie Scott’s grantmaking on the social change sector, the findings are overwhelmingly positive. Scott’s strategy of making multimillion-dollar gifts with no strings attached has led to significant,...
Trust-based philanthropy means something different to black women nonprofit leaders. We are often not trusted out of the gate because of bias due to our intersectional identity. We are often questioned about our decisions — and we are often treated as if we are not...
“We don’t want to hire someone and then we have to fire them because the money runs out, right? We want to create something that’s meaningful and potentially self-sustaining.” “Sometimes managing the dollars is a little more difficult, because it’s not necessarily...
The positive effects of MacKenzie Scott’s massive, unrestricted gifts are increasingly apparent and, to date, the experiences of recipient organizations belie widespread concerns about negative unintended consequences from her approach. These are among the key...
Funders across the United States are shifting their approaches to philanthropy in order to more meaningfully involve and shift power to people from the communities they are funding. Two popular approaches that may provide a counterweight to the harmful power dynamics...
Recent commentary by former Republican officials has drawn attention to the question of philanthropic funding for engaging right-of-center constituencies on climate change. Writing in the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Politico, former representatives Carlos Curbelo...
Earlier this fall, Spring Impact, in collaboration with Impact for Breakfast, hosted an event, ‘Deploying Funding for Scale: Lessons from Investors,’ alongside British International Investment and Epic Foundation. The conversation was focused on...
In the past decade, eye-opening data on the fading of the American Dream have prompted a range of philanthropic efforts to boost economic mobility in the U.S. In recent years, many funders have devoted more attention to elevating economic mobility...
During my 11 years working at grassroots nonprofits, funders contacted me for input but didn’t include me in their decision-making. As a formerly incarcerated, directly impacted person, it felt transactional. I walked away from the meetings, wishing I could one...
This afternoon, as we closed the doors on the final session of the CEP conference, our whirlwind three days together at CEP2023 came to an end. As you each return to your own lives, families, and work, we hope you leave us with a plethora of new ideas, tools, and...