Emma Relle

Associate Manager, Assessment and Advisory Services

Emma analyzes data, develops reports, and leads relationships with funders using CEP’s assessments. She is also an experienced project manager and earned her Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification in 2025.

Before joining CEP in 2021, Emma contributed to academic research projects focused on the cognitive and affective aspects of sleep. She holds a degree in Neuroscience with a minor in Education from Boston College. Emma also serves on The Granite YMCA Overnight Camp Advisory Board.

Outside of work, Emma enjoys camping and hiking in the White Mountains, testing new recipes (and perfecting her meal prep routine), and spending time with her family and friends.

Emma Relle's Blog Posts

What Are You Bringing to 2025 and Leaving Behind in 2024? Here’s What Your Grantees Are Saying
Emma Relle Associate Manager, Assessment and Advisory Services, CEP

A new year is often a moment to pause and reflect — about what we’ve been doing well that we’d like to carry forward into 2025, and some things that we’ll be glad to leave behind in 2024. But reflecting on ourselves in an objective, productive way can be difficult —...

‘Words Matter’: An Interview with Houston Grantmaker Long Chu
Emma Relle Associate Manager, Assessment and Advisory Services, CEP
Bao-Long Chu Program Director, Arts and Parks, Houston Endowment

A funder’s choice to collect grantee feedback by partnering with CEP on the Grantee Perception Report (GPR) signals a commitment to learning, improvement, and ultimately, effectiveness. This is particularly true of the many funders who repeat the GPR and observe their...

Prioritizing Grants Management: An Unsung Key to Effective Funding
Emma Relle Associate Manager, Assessment and Advisory Services, CEP

Often, when I hear talk about funders and the ways they can achieve impact, the conversations tend to revolve around the same few groups: program staff, senior leadership, and boards. No doubt, these roles are essential for driving impact in philanthropy. But, in my...

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Contact Emma Relle

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617-492-0800 x312

Recent Blogs

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In Light of New ‘State of Nonprofits’ Data, Philanthropy Must Harness the ‘Power of Possible’
Alfonso Tomás Wenker Senior Vice President of Community Impact, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation

by Alfonso Tomás WenkerLauren Chan | May 14, 2026

Amid burnout, fear of being targeted and funding cuts, our grantee partners are clear that things are not sustainable. Funders, our response cannot be silence, self-protection, or simply falling back to, “philanthropy can’t fill the holes government left.” I’m a...

Responding to the State of Nonprofits in 2026: What Funders Can Do
Joanne Florino Adam Meyerson Distinguished Fellow in Philanthropic Excellence, Philanthropy Roundtable

by Joanne FlorinoChloe Heskett | May 13, 2026

Reading CEP’s latest report on the current state of nonprofits took me back to the Great Recession and the challenges brought on by COVID-19. The combination of CEO and staff burnout along with increased demand for services is — unfortunately — all too familiar. Add...

‘Too Many Nonprofits’ Is Not Our Biggest Problem
Phil Buchanan President, CEP

by Phil BuchananPhil Buchanan | May 11, 2026

“There are too many nonprofits.” “Yes,” someone else will chime in. “There are too many nonprofits.” It’s a comment I hear frequently in gatherings of funders, and when it’s said, I notice, many people nod. We heard this from some foundation CEOs when my colleagues on...