Tag: Guest Author
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What the Birthright Citizenship Decision Reveals About Philanthropy’s Path to Protect and Defend DemocracyAarti Kohli Executive Director, Asian Law CaucusElica Vafaie Program Director, Immigrant Rights, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
The Supreme Court’s recent Trump v. Barbara decision upholding birthright citizenship is bittersweet. On one hand, it reaffirms a core tenet of our Constitution and reflects our longstanding commitment to being a welcoming and […] The post What the Birthright Citizenship Decision Reveals About Philanthropy’s Path to Protect and Defend DemocracyAarti Kohli Executive Director, Asian Law CaucusElica Vafaie Program Director,…
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A Floor, Not a Ceiling: What the Knicks’ Championship Asks of FoundationsBrian Byrd Founder, BiBYRD Consulting
As a lifelong New York Knicks fan, I watched last month’s run to the franchise’s first NBA championship in 53 years with a mix of disbelief and joy. But the […] The post A Floor, Not a Ceiling: What the Knicks’ Championship Asks of FoundationsBrian Byrd Founder, BiBYRD Consulting appeared first on The Center for…
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Navigating the Headwinds: Why Funders Should Lean Into Equity-Centered EvaluationMaryam Khojasteh Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson FoundationMiranda Yates Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson FoundationSonia Taddy-Sandino Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Engage R+DMichael Arnold Partner and Executive Director, Informing Change
The philanthropic sector is no stranger to headwinds, but the current storm is testing funders’ commitment to equity in ways we’ve never experienced before — and learning and evaluation is […] The post Navigating the Headwinds: Why Funders Should Lean Into Equity-Centered EvaluationMaryam Khojasteh Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson FoundationMiranda Yates Senior Program Officer,…
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Capability Scoring: A Model for Capital Allocation That Moves Beyond Capacity as the GoalDavid Bonbright Principal, Deep Fathom
Midy Aponte-Vargas has written one of the clearest statements of philanthropy’s core problem I’ve read this year. The operating-system framing is right. Capacity-as-deficit is right. The argument that more flexible […] The post Capability Scoring: A Model for Capital Allocation That Moves Beyond Capacity as the GoalDavid Bonbright Principal, Deep Fathom appeared first on The…
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When Is AI in the Public’s Interest? Four Questions Philanthropy Should Ask FirstBen Zeno Tracy McFerrin Founder and Principal, Credo Advisors
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), these are not merely interesting times. They are disorienting ones. The technology is evolving quickly, the claims around it are louder than the […] The post When Is AI in the Public’s Interest? Four Questions Philanthropy Should Ask FirstBen Zeno Tracy McFerrin Founder and Principal, Credo Advisors appeared…
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The Case for Funding Courage: Why Donors Who Embrace Risk Should Embrace Strategic LitigationNick Grono CEO, The Freedom Fund
In 2016, my Freedom Fund colleagues and I met with lawyers preparing to represent three Eritrean refugees in a case against Nevsun, a Canadian mining company. The men alleged they […] The post The Case for Funding Courage: Why Donors Who Embrace Risk Should Embrace Strategic LitigationNick Grono CEO, The Freedom Fund appeared first on…
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You Can’t Build Ecosystems on BurnoutLaura Hennighausen Director of Strategic Philanthropy, Purpose Possible
The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s annual State of Nonprofits report is out, and its findings were not a major surprise: nonprofit leaders are increasingly burned out at the exact moment […] The post You Can’t Build Ecosystems on BurnoutLaura Hennighausen Director of Strategic Philanthropy, Purpose Possible appeared first on The Center for Effective Philanthropy. Goto…
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Nonprofits Have Options: A Framework for Mission Continuity in a CrisisBrenda Falk Research Manager, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for PhilanthropyTory Martin Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy
The nonprofit sector has a complicated relationship with endings. Organizational survival is often treated as an unquestioned good: funders reward persistence, boards equate closure with failure, and leaders internalize institutional […] The post Nonprofits Have Options: A Framework for Mission Continuity in a CrisisBrenda Falk Research Manager, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for PhilanthropyTory Martin Director…
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What Funders Miss When They Treat Capacity as the GoalMidy Aponte-Vargas Founder and Chief Executive, Civil Strategies
The operating system philanthropy uses to define nonprofit strength no longer fits the conditions we are in. It rewards what funders can measure, mistakes legibility for credibility, treats community rooted […] The post What Funders Miss When They Treat Capacity as the GoalMidy Aponte-Vargas Founder and Chief Executive, Civil Strategies appeared first on The Center…
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Beyond Payout: What Is Charitable Capital Doing Right Now?Kirstin Hill President and Chief Operating Officer, Social Finance
Center for Effective Philanthropy President Phil Buchanan recently made a strong case for why foundations should increase their payouts. He does not think all foundations should spend down and has […] The post Beyond Payout: What Is Charitable Capital Doing Right Now?Kirstin Hill President and Chief Operating Officer, Social Finance appeared first on The Center…
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AI Is Reshaping the World — Foundations Must Revisit Their StrategyChantal Forster Independent AI Advisor, Warren West AdvisoryLakshmi Iyer Managing Director, FSG
AI is not just changing the way foundations work — it is changing the world that philanthropy is trying to change. In 2026, we believe that foundations must go beyond […] The post AI Is Reshaping the World — Foundations Must Revisit Their StrategyChantal Forster Independent AI Advisor, Warren West AdvisoryLakshmi Iyer Managing Director, FSG…
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As Fiscal Hosting Expands, What Philanthropy Should KnowPaula Castells Carrión Governance and Localization Consultant, Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative
At its core, fiscal hosting refers to a model in which a nonprofit organization extends its legal and tax-exempt status to a project or initiative, enabling it to receive and […] The post As Fiscal Hosting Expands, What Philanthropy Should KnowPaula Castells Carrión Governance and Localization Consultant, Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative appeared first on…
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When Federal Policy Retreats, Local Action Must LeadRip Rapson President and CEO, The Kresge FoundationShamar Bibbins Managing Director, Environment Program, The Kresge Foundation
When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced earlier this year that it was reversing the Endangerment Finding — the long-standing federal policy establishing that greenhouse gases pose a clear and present danger […] The post When Federal Policy Retreats, Local Action Must LeadRip Rapson President and CEO, The Kresge FoundationShamar Bibbins Managing Director, Environment Program, The Kresge…
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Philanthropy in Prose: Why Better Grantmaking Matters Now More Than EverDaniel Stid Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) has recently shared some sobering survey data in “State of Nonprofits 2026: What Funders Need to Know.” The proportion of nonprofit CEOs who report […] The post Philanthropy in Prose: Why Better Grantmaking Matters Now More Than EverDaniel Stid Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute appeared first on The Center…
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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
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 […] The post An Urgent ‘Passing Gear’ Call to Action: Leveraging Foundation Grantmaking in a Landscape of RetrenchmentJon Pratt Senior Research Fellow, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits,…
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Nonprofits Keep Showing Up — Now We Must Show Up for ThemAngelique Power President and CEO, The Skillman Foundation
There is always that part in the superhero movie when the superheroes themselves are beleaguered. Emergencies are burning all around them, while the rhetoric has been manipulated against them. They’ve […] The post Nonprofits Keep Showing Up — Now We Must Show Up for ThemAngelique Power President and CEO, The Skillman Foundation appeared first on…
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What If Philanthropy Hoarded Uncertainty, Not Money?Katya Fels Smyth Senior Fellow, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University
“Our biggest challenge is higher volatility in giving. More foundations than we would expect in a typical year have reduced or dropped their support.” – A nonprofit leader This statement, […] The post What If Philanthropy Hoarded Uncertainty, Not Money?Katya Fels Smyth Senior Fellow, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University appeared first on The…
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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
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 […] The post In Light of New ‘State of Nonprofits’ Data, Philanthropy Must Harness the ‘Power of Possible’Alfonso Tomás Wenker Senior Vice President of Community…
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Responding to the State of Nonprofits in 2026: What Funders Can DoJoanne Florino Adam Meyerson Distinguished Fellow in Philanthropic Excellence, Philanthropy Roundtable
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 […] The post Responding to the State of Nonprofits in 2026: What Funders Can DoJoanne Florino Adam Meyerson Distinguished Fellow in Philanthropic Excellence, Philanthropy Roundtable…
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A Decade of Listening: How Houston Endowment Turned Staff Survey Data into a Stronger CultureSherry Fultz Director of People and Culture, Houston Endowment
At Houston Endowment, we’ve used the Center for Effective Philanthropy Staff Perception Report since 2012, and one thing has become clear: the data points us in the right direction, but deciding […] The post A Decade of Listening: How Houston Endowment Turned Staff Survey Data into a Stronger CultureSherry Fultz Director of People and Culture, Houston…