Operational Benchmarking Report
The Operational Benchmarking Report (OBR) compares funders’ operations and structures. Foundations that commission OBRs complete a questionnaire about their organization’s structural characteristics, financial information, grantmaking process, and staffing. This information is then compared to operational benchmarking data that CEP has collected from foundations of varying asset size, type, geographic focus, programmatic strategy, and other structural characteristics. Funders may also choose to see their data compared to a group of selected peer funders.The OBR covers topics such as:
- Program officer caseload
- Proportion of grant applications accepted
- Average grant processing time
The OBR Process
Creating the OBR takes about two weeks once CEP receives a completed questionnaire from the foundation. CEP prepares findings and hosts a call with relevant foundation staff members to conclude the OBR process. OBRs are delivered on a rolling basis and can be delivered on a timeline that makes sense for your organization.
