
State of Nonprofits 2026:
What Funders Need to Know
CEP’s fourth annual State of Nonprofits report offers vital insight into how nonprofits are faring amidst unprecedented challenges.
Your Partner in Philanthropic Effectiveness
CEP seeks to influence foundations and major donors to be more effective. We offer assessments that gather essential feedback from key stakeholders, data-driven research, customized advisory services, thought-provoking events, and incisive commentary on the CEP Blog.
Improve Your Effectiveness
CEP’s assessments provide unique insights into your effectiveness by gathering candid and actionable feedback from grantees, donors, and funder staff and benchmarking results with other grantmakers.
Featured Resources
A Sector in Crisis: How U.S. Nonprofits and Foundations Are Responding to Threats
As nonprofits face historic challenges, new data from the Center for Effective Philanthropy reveals how nonprofits are faring and how foundations are responding.
Board Book Insert – State of Nonprofits 2026: What Funders Need to Know
Foundation Governance Today: How Boards and CEOs Are Navigating Risk, Accountability, and a Shifting Landscape
Breaking the Mold: The Transformative Effect of MacKenzie Scott's Big Gifts
AI With Purpose: How Foundations and Nonprofits Are Thinking About and Using Artificial Intelligence
Questions? Connect with us.
Grace Nicolette, Vice President, Programming and External Relations
From the Blog
Beyond Payout: What Is Charitable Capital Doing Right Now?
Center for Effective Philanthropy President Phil Buchanan recently made a strong case for why foundations should increase their payouts. He does not think all foundations should spend down and has long argued that perpetual foundations play an important role in the...
AI Is Reshaping the World — Foundations Must Revisit Their Strategy
AI is not just changing the way foundations work — it is changing the world that philanthropy is trying to change. In 2026, we believe that foundations must go beyond responding to disruption or treating AI as an operational tool and actively examine how it is...
As Fiscal Hosting Expands, What Philanthropy Should Know
At its core, fiscal hosting refers to a model in which a nonprofit organization extends its legal and tax-exempt status to a project or initiative, enabling it to receive and manage funding without establishing a separate legal entity. Over time, this approach has...

