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Kate Gehling

J.D. Candidate, University of Chicago Law School (as of July 2021)

Former Position at CEP
Senior Analyst, Research

Length of Tenure at CEP
2 years

What are you up to these days?
I am about to begin my first year of law school at the University of Chicago Law School.

How did your time at CEP prepare you for what you are doing now/ will be doing next?
I think that many of the research and analytical skills I learned at CEP – asking precise questions, synthesizing information, examining different perspectives and patterns through data – will serve me well in the legal field. Plus, there are so many general skills I grew, like effective collaboration and clear communication, that will serve me wherever my career takes me.

What do you miss most about working at CEP?
The people! Most people on the alumni page mention missing the people and it’s so true. I enjoyed every minute I spent with my colleagues at CEP, whether that was working through tough questions related to our work or catching up over lunch.

What advice would you give someone about working at CEP?
If you have a question or request, don’t hesitate to speak up. Your colleagues have a wealth of knowledge and you can learn so much from them by asking questions. And if something isn’t working for you, I’ve found that CEP is extraordinarily willing to respond to staff requests and make adjustments to the way we function so that people can do their best work.

Describe your perfect Sunday.
I would sleep in, without needing to get up at any specific time or to fulfill any responsibilities that day. I’d eat a delicious, big brunch with friends, and then spend the afternoon outside together enjoying sunny weather, preferably at the beach. I’d end the day with a pint of ice cream, watching a favorite tv show or curling up with a book.

Kate Gehling's Blog Posts

Strengthening Nonprofits: The Value of Complementing Multiyear GOS Grants with Capacity Building Supports

Nonprofit leaders and sector advocates have long called on funders to prioritize strengthening nonprofit organizations. Our research here at CEP has found that nonprofit leaders not only want help from their funders to strengthen their organizations, but they go on to...

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Recent Blogs

A ‘Perfect Storm’: One Nonprofit Leader on Fear, Funding, and Finding a Way ThroughCaroline Gasparini Coordinator, Research, CEPElizabeth Lindsey Executive Director, Genesys Works National Capital Region
A ‘Perfect Storm’: One Nonprofit Leader on Fear, Funding, and Finding a Way Through

“We have had to be agile, flexible, and optimistic in ways that I haven't experienced before.” Elizabeth Lindsey, who leads the Washington, DC area location of the youth-empowerment nonprofit Genesys Works, has spent most of her career in the...

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An Urgent ‘Passing Gear’ Call to Action: Leveraging Foundation Grantmaking in a Landscape of RetrenchmentJon Pratt Senior Research Fellow, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Nonprofit Financial CommonsRuth McCambridge Director of Content, Nonprofit Financial Commons
An Urgent ‘Passing Gear’ Call to Action: Leveraging Foundation Grantmaking in a Landscape of Retrenchment

In CEP’s latest research report, “The State of Nonprofits 2026,” one of its three major findings is that “despite ongoing financial challenges, many nonprofits are making strategic adaptations to their work in order to survive.” That is absolutely right — but is...

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