For Immediate Release

NEW STUDY BY CEP PROVIDES AN INSIDE LOOK AT FOUNDATION STRATEGY

Cambridge, Massachusetts… New research from the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) suggests a fundamental disconnect between what foundation CEOs and program officers believe about the importance of strategy and their use of it in their daily work.

Beyond the Rhetoric: Foundation Strategy examines the current state of decision making at large, private, U.S. foundations. “The decision makers we talked with believe that strategy provides significant benefits to private foundations,” says Kevin Bolduc, CEP’s vice president, assessment tools. “But believing that it’s a good thing for foundations generally to have and use strategy is not at all the same thing as actually doing so at your own foundation.”

Through in-depth interviews with CEOs and program officers, the study probes foundation leaders’ views and use of strategy in making decisions. Analysis of participants’ responses reveals that although most of those interviewed said they used strategy, only a small number used it consistently across their work. The study describes four categories of decision makers ranging from those who do not use strategy at all to those who are highly strategic, and it outlines the other traits associated with these categories.

According to CEP President Phil Buchanan, Beyond the Rhetoric lays the groundwork for a deeper look into foundation strategy and its link to creation of foundation impact. “In future phases of this work we hope to help foundation leaders understand where they stand on the strategy spectrum and create a road map for those who wish to become more strategic. We also will seek to better understand the degree to which differences in decision making translate into differences in impact and whether different types of strategies are more or less effective in helping foundations create social impact.”

This research was supported by the Surdna Foundation and by general operating grants from CEP’s major funders, including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Beyond the Rhetoric: Foundation Strategy and supporting audio and video material can be viewed at CEP’s subsite for this project: strategy.effectivephilanthropy.org.

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY
The Center for Effective Philanthropy is a nonprofit organization focused on providing management and governance tools to define, assess, and improve overall foundation performance. CEP received initial funding in 2001 and is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information on CEP's work, including its research, publications, and assessment tools, see www.effectivephilanthropy.org.