Tag: Guest Author
-
Foundation Governance Today and Tomorrow: Shifting the Mindset from Managing Crises to Long-Term TransformationHanna Stähle Head of Foresight and Innovation, Philea – Philanthropy Europe Association
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s research on “Foundation Governance Today” could not be more timely. Foundation leadership and governance are operating in a challenging, disruptive environment. It is not only […] The post Foundation Governance Today and Tomorrow: Shifting the Mindset from Managing Crises to Long-Term TransformationHanna Stähle Head of Foresight and Innovation, Philea –…
-
Four Nonprofit Leaders on a Year of Extraordinary ChallengeCEP Staff
CEP’s recently released report, “A Sector in Crisis,” revealed that nonprofits are responding to both increased demand and reduced funding. We asked four nonprofit leaders to briefly describe what this […] The post Four Nonprofit Leaders on a Year of Extraordinary ChallengeCEP Staff appeared first on The Center for Effective Philanthropy. Goto full post >>
-
Rethinking the Spend-Down Debate: Mission First, Timeline SecondTracy McFerrin Founder and Principal, Credo AdvisorsBen Zeno
Bill Gates’s May 2025 announcement that his foundation will spend its $200 billion endowment by 2045 reignites a long-running question in philanthropy: whether to exist in perpetuity or spend down […] The post Rethinking the Spend-Down Debate: Mission First, Timeline SecondTracy McFerrin Founder and Principal, Credo AdvisorsBen Zeno appeared first on The Center for Effective…
-
How Getting Clear on Values Helped One Foundation Show Up for Its PartnersElizabeth Love CEO, Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s new research snapshot, “Foundation Governance Today: How Boards and CEOs Are Navigating Risk, Accountability, and a Shifting Landscape,” reveals that many foundation CEOs feel their […] The post How Getting Clear on Values Helped One Foundation Show Up for Its PartnersElizabeth Love CEO, Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation appeared first…
-
Governance Shifts Can Unlock Big Impact for GrantmakersMeghan Duffy Executive Vice President, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
After talking with hundreds of foundation staff and board members over the past two years about governance, I’m not surprised by the findings in the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s new […] The post Governance Shifts Can Unlock Big Impact for GrantmakersMeghan Duffy Executive Vice President, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations appeared first on The Center for…
-
Common Ground for Donors: Supporting Our Youngest Children and Their FamiliesKatherine (Kat) Kaufmann Partner, The Bridgespan GroupMaggie Davies Partner, The Bridgespan GroupRebecca Brondfield Principal, The Bridgespan Group
Today, while American families increasingly struggle to get by, the political divisions dominating public debate are impeding concerted policy progress to help them. But there is at least one approach […] The post Common Ground for Donors: Supporting Our Youngest Children and Their FamiliesKatherine (Kat) Kaufmann Partner, The Bridgespan GroupMaggie Davies Partner, The Bridgespan GroupRebecca…
-
A Practical Roadmap to Funder Listening in This MomentMelinda Tuan Managing Director, Fund for Shared InsightBritt Lake CEO, Feedback Labs
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…
-
Responding to Fragility and Fear: What’s Required of Funders Right NowTony Richardson President, The George Gund Foundation
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…
-
Bridging Philanthropy’s Say-Do GapCarmen Rojas, Ph.D. President and CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation
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…
-
The View From the Other Side: How Nonprofits Interpret Funder Responses to Current ChallengesJohn MacIntosh Managing Partner, SeaChange Capital Partners
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…
-
Demystifying Sustainability: Lessons from a Small Grants Global Health ProgramCarlie Congdon Deputy Director, Program Implementation, Vital StrategiesLara Tabac Director, Vital Strategies
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…
-
Staying Steady in Choppy Waters: What Nonprofits Need From Funders in This MomentLauren Carson Founder and Executive Director, Black Girls Smile Inc.
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.…
-
Why Collaborative Funds Give Me Hope Right NowJehan Velji Director, Effective Philanthropy Group, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
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…
-
We See What We Are: The Strength in Our CommunitiesGrant Oliphant CEO, The Conrad Prebys Foundation
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…
-
Four ‘Principles of Interpretation’ for Philanthropic and Nonprofit Leaders Navigating CrisesSam Gill President and CEO, Doris Duke Foundation
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.…
-
A Constitutional and Moral Reckoning: The Opportunity for a Third Founding — And Philanthropy’s RoleShelley Trott Executive Director, Kenneth Rainin Foundation
“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…
-
It’s Time for a Sector-Wide Reality CheckJake Grindle President and CEO, Maine Health Access Foundation
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…
-
Drafting a Blueprint for African PhilanthropyMarième Daff Executive Director, Firelight Foundation
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…
-
Don’t Presuppose AI Has an Inevitably Positive PurposeJeff Hauser Founder and Executive Director, Revolving Door Project
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…
-
The Transformative Power of Many-Year GrantsBetsy Leondar-Wright, Ph.D. Staffing the Mission Coordinator, Fund the People
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…