Season 5 of the Giving Done Right Podcast is here! New episodes out every Thursday.
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It’s easy to lament all that’s not what it could be in philanthropy. It’s important, even, because critique can lead to improvement. But too many of the critiques I read are generalized, sweeping, and, finally, unhelpful — offering little in the way of practical paths...
The world of private philanthropy is often an enigma in the eyes of nonprofit leaders. We create confusion and frustration for nonprofit organizations. We are a puzzle. We speak in riddles and leave breadcrumb trails of paradox. Nonprofit staff spend countless hours...
Earlier this month, thanks to our generous host, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, CEP led a deep dive with 35 foundation leaders in the United Kingdom into what constitutes a strong funder–grantee relationship, the power dynamic that comes into play in them, and the crucial...
At CEP we are always thinking about the ways that strong funder-grantee relationships affect the success of foundations’ efforts. This topic has been a major emphasis in our research agenda for more than a decade, as we have continually investigated the questions,...
This is the final post in a six-part series on what nonprofit leaders think foundation funders could improve upon in their work. Findings are based on survey responses from 244 nonprofit leaders who have agreed to be a part of CEP’s Grantee Voice Panel — a nationally...
A couple of weeks ago, CEP Manager, Assessment and Advisory Services, Charlotte Brugman was joined by City Bridge Trust Funding and Social Investment Director Tim Wilson and C&A Foundation Head of Effective Philanthropy Lee Risby for an insightful webinar...
Foundations have an image problem. Or, more accurately, a self-image problem. As the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s recent report Strengthening Grantees: Foundation and Nonprofit Perspectives documents, foundations do not understand nonprofits’ needs nearly...
Thanks to Lindsay Louie’s generous invitation, I had the opportunity to do a reverse site visit at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in October (disclaimer: Hewlett is a leading grant funder of CEP). For a day and a half, I shadowed Lindsay to better understand...
This is the third post in a series on “The Art of Philanthropy,” a high-altitude look at the power foundations hold, related issues, and potential solutions. Conversations within and between foundations used to be centered largely around just what was funded and why....
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...