Center for Effective Philanthropy

The Center for Effective Philanthropy is one of the most important grantees in the Philanthropy Program portfolio. From firsthand experience, we know the power of their flagship assessment tools, the Grantee Perception Report and the Staff Perception Report, that have helped the Hewlett Foundation improve its own practice. The Center has worked with more than 200 foundations, including most of the largest grantmakers in the U.S. In addition to offering foundation staff and trustees systematic feedback to improve their performance, the Center has used the data, including surveys of more than 30,000 grantees, to help foundations understand the characteristics of effective philanthropy. In the last three years, they have also created tools to help assess and improve foundations’ strategic orientation and grants management practices.

The Center requests bridge funding to support YouthTruth—a national project to gather U.S. high school students’ feedback about their educational experience—as it transitions to an earned revenue strategy. By the end of the grant period, YouthTruth will have engaged more than 160,000 students from 320 schools through its core survey.

The Center for Effective Philanthropy is a leading philanthropic infrastructure organization focused on developing data and insight for funders so they can better define, assess, and improve their effectiveness and thus their intended impact. The center’s work includes original research, knowledge sharing, and advisory services. Knowledge sharing includes research publications, webinars, articles, presentations to funders, and a biennial conference. More than 200 U.S. foundations, including many of the largest, have used the center’s suite of flagship assessment tools, which includes the Grantee, Staff, and Donor Perception Reports. This grant provides support for monitoring, evaluation and learning efforts.