For Immediate Release

CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY RELEASES PUBLICATION ON FOUNDATION EFFECTIVENESS SEMINAR

Cambridge, MA: The Center for Effective Philanthropy has released a report on lessons learned and questions raised during its seminar, "Foundation Effectiveness," held October 9-10 in New York.

In a difficult economic climate and with increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and the public, foundations are challenged to measure, improve, and articulate their performance and effectiveness. Over 100 foundation CEOs, trustees, and senior staff gathered at the seminar to discuss these and other issues.

Participants heard talks by Michael Bailin, President of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Edward Skloot, Executive Director of the Surdna Foundation, and others; participated in interactive panels; and candidly shared their experiences in making their organizations more effective. This report includes viewpoints of these practitioners and distills lessons learned.

The report also includes a first look at new field-wide research on foundation effectiveness, drawing on data from a survey of more than 3,000 grantees of 30 foundations, as well as preliminary findings from research on foundation governance. Findings on foundation-grantee relationships as well as the current state of foundation governance are topics of two forthcoming papers, to be released in the next two months by CEP.

Participants also learned from their colleagues how some foundation boards are challenging their organizations to assess themselves, and how CEOs are implementing measurement systems. Others spoke about steps they are taking to assess their performance, including commissioning comparative Grantee Perception Reports from CEP.

To to obtain a copy of the seminar publication, please click here.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY

The Center for Effective Philanthropy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing the practice of philanthropy by providing management and governance tools to define, assess, and improve overall foundation performance.

Major funders of CEP include: The Atlantic Philanthropies, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation.