Multiyear grants. Operating support. Streamlining. Trust. You’ve heard the rhetoric. But what’s realistic and applicable in the context of your work? What actually works to achieve goals like yours? And how can you adapt these ideas to the realities of your structures and stakeholders? How can you push forward changes — big or small — at your organization?

Decades of CEP research have shown that flexible funding approaches can maximize nonprofits’ ability to use funds to fulfill their missions and plan for the sustainability of their organizations, programs, and services. Yet, CEP’s research has also shown that while attitudes of foundation leaders towards flexible funding have shifted, practices have lagged.

Participants are strongly encouraged to join with at least one colleague, and in groups as large as three per foundation. Each participant should have some responsibility for influencing or implementing strategy, and at least one participant should have a senior leadership role at the organization. In similar past cohorts, participating groups consisted of individuals holding C-level, Vice President, or Director roles, occasionally accompanied by close colleagues at the Senior Program Officer level.