A 2002 Aspen Institute report noted that “Many foundations have come to realize [that] the effectiveness of their programs is not only dependent on the capacities of their grantees, but also on their own effectiveness as grant-makers.... Improvement is needed in the base of knowledge upon which foundations can draw in their efforts to improve their effectiveness.”

CEP focuses on providing foundation leaders with the tools, research, and programming to enable them to define, assess, and improve overall foundation performance.