No matter how you look at it, the last year-plus has been a challenging one for foundations, nonprofits, and the people and communities they aim to support. Our sector faced […] The post A Practical Roadmap to Funder Listening in This MomentMelinda Tuan Managing Director, Fund for Shared InsightBritt Lake CEO, Feedback Labs appeared first…

The U.S. political-socio-economic context and its broader impact on nonprofits and foundations continue to evolve. As such, relationships between nonprofits and funders must also keep evolving. In the Center for […] The post Responding to Fragility and Fear: What’s Required of Funders Right NowTony Richardson President, The George Gund Foundation appeared first on The Center…

Most Funders Say They Get It — Only Half of Grantees Agree A striking disconnect sits at the heart of the new Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) report: 93% of […] The post Bridging Philanthropy’s Say-Do GapCarmen Rojas, Ph.D. President and CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation appeared first on The Center for Effective Philanthropy. Goto full…

In relationships with significant power imbalances, research shows the weaker partner must be highly attuned to the behavior of the stronger partner to ensure their own safety and stability, while […] The post The View From the Other Side: How Nonprofits Interpret Funder Responses to Current ChallengesJohn MacIntosh Managing Partner, SeaChange Capital Partners appeared first…

Philanthropy has long grappled with a persistent challenge: how to ensure investments create lasting change rather than short-lived gains. For global health funders, this question has become even more urgent […] The post Demystifying Sustainability: Lessons from a Small Grants Global Health ProgramCarlie Congdon Deputy Director, Program Implementation, Vital StrategiesLara Tabac Director, Vital Strategies appeared…

Over the past year, I’ve had more conversations than I can count that start with the same sentence: “We don’t know what’s going to happen next.” That uncertainty isn’t new […] The post Staying Steady in Choppy Waters: What Nonprofits Need From Funders in This MomentLauren Carson Founder and Executive Director, Black Girls Smile Inc.…

It’s hard to talk with nonprofit leaders today without hearing some version of the same story: Policies are shifting, funding is more uncertain, and the demand for services keeps rising. […] The post Why Collaborative Funds Give Me Hope Right NowJehan Velji Director, Effective Philanthropy Group, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation appeared first on The…

A version of this piece first appeared under the title “Minneapolis, San Diego and the morals that make community” in the Times of San Diego. When the violent federal intrusion […] The post We See What We Are: The Strength in Our CommunitiesGrant Oliphant CEO, The Conrad Prebys Foundation appeared first on The Center for…

CEP just released a powerful and provocative survey of nonprofit and foundation leaders about the state of civil society during a time of profound disruption and destabilization. I expect these […] The post Four ‘Principles of Interpretation’ for Philanthropic and Nonprofit Leaders Navigating CrisesSam Gill President and CEO, Doris Duke Foundation appeared first on The Center for Effective Philanthropy.…

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [sic] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, […] The post A Constitutional and Moral Reckoning: The Opportunity for a Third Founding — And Philanthropy’s RoleShelley Trott Executive Director, Kenneth Rainin Foundation appeared…

The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP)’s newly released report, “A Sector in Crisis: How U.S. Nonprofits and Foundations Are Responding to Threats,” provides a telling look into the current state […] The post It’s Time for a Sector-Wide Reality CheckJake Grindle President and CEO, Maine Health Access Foundation appeared first on The Center for Effective…

Last year, global platforms were buzzing with a real sense of optimism for the future funding of the African continent’s development programs in the wake of global funding cuts. People […] The post Drafting a Blueprint for African PhilanthropyMarième Daff Executive Director, Firelight Foundation appeared first on The Center for Effective Philanthropy. Goto full post…

The Center for Effective Philanthropy recently released a report titled “AI With Purpose” on how nonprofits are or (for the most part) aren’t integrating these technologies into their daily operations. […] The post Don’t Presuppose AI Has an Inevitably Positive PurposeJeff Hauser Founder and Executive Director, Revolving Door Project appeared first on The Center for…

It was an eye-popping number: seven–year grants to Bay Area nonprofits. This extraordinary initiative by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund has implications for how other funders could strengthen grantee […] The post The Transformative Power of Many-Year GrantsBetsy Leondar-Wright, Ph.D. Staffing the Mission Coordinator, Fund the People appeared first on The Center for Effective…

Beyond-the-check support is a core practice within trust-based philanthropy. Yet the question of how to do it — creatively, strategically, and with care — often goes unanswered. From 2019 to […] The post Beyond-the-Grant Support: Shifting Philanthropic Practice Toward Care and Deeper PartnershipLaura Bacon Former Director, Partner Support, Luminate appeared first on The Center for…

A little more than a year ago, Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina. Thirty-one inches of rain, tornados, and mudslides washed out roads and bridges, flooded towns and farms, destroyed […] The post What Can Philanthropy Learn from Nonprofits’ Leadership on Hurricane Helene Recovery?Dr. Susan Mims President and CEO, Dogwood Health Trust appeared first on…

Natural disasters such as the devastating fires that ignited in the Los Angeles area on January 7, 2025 do not intend to discriminate on the basis of race or class. […] The post Rebuild, Restore, Remain: Philanthropy’s Role in Ensuring Equitable Recovery after L.A.’s FiresJasmin Shupper Founder and CEO, Greenline Housing Foundation appeared first on…

Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) have demonstrated promise for addressing some of society’s most complex challenges, ranging from enabling early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and forecasting wildfire paths to […] The post Building a Just AI Future: A Framework for Philanthropic LeadershipAllison Scott, Ph.D. CEO, Kapor Foundation appeared first on The Center for Effective…

The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s new report reveals both bright spots and a warning for philanthropy: while first movers in the social sector have begun funding and building powerful AI […] The post Building on the Bright Spots: Unlocking AI’s Potential in the Social SectorAdam Goldfarb Executive Director and Co-Founder, Opportunity AI appeared first on…

Recently, I used AI to review a contract for a new client engagement. What started as a “quick” review turned into a 10-plus hour project. Instead of asking AI to […] The post Beyond Productivity-Focused AI: How Funders Can Move From Reactive to Strategic on AIAlbert Chen CEO, Anago appeared first on The Center for…