“Although we have developed metrics and evidence to use in developing social policy and practice, we have not applied the same framework to philanthropy—but we should. Good intentions and generosity are not sufficient in practice and they ought not to be in philanthropy.”

Richard Gelles, Ph.D.
Dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, Joanne and Raymond Welsh Chair of Child Welfare & Family Violence

ACTIVITIES

The following activities are at the heart of the Center’s work:

Translating
Our professional staff gathers available research and data from multiple sources and thinks strategically about what this information suggests, how it fits together, and how it can best be used.

Staff members then translate their findings into clear, practical decision-making tools built upon a process of rigorous interpretation and analysis.

Innovating
The Center identifies practical ways to think through philanthropic decisions, measure social impact, and create new models for achieving impact.

Beyond the information gap in the world of philanthropy, there is also a measurement gap — continuing uncertainty about the best ways to measure and compare effectiveness, and an analytic gap — a lack of analytic and decision frameworks to support a philanthropist who is focused on maximizing social impact.

The Center is currently conducting a series of structured interviews with high net-worth philanthropists. The insights gained from these discussions will inform our development of new tools to help philanthropists make smarter decisions.

Engaging
The Center actively seeks partnerships throughout the region, nation, and world—bringing the best minds to the table to solve questions related to philanthropy and philanthropic impact. We aim to create a network of individuals and institutions who are also trying to identify best practices for delivering and measuring social impact. By partnering with nonprofits/NGOs, philanthropists, foundations, policy and research centers, and universities, the Center is positioned to become a valuable resource for anyone who is committed to allocating capital so that it can do the most good.

We see ourselves as neutral brokers of information for individual philanthropists, philanthropic advisers, foundations and others interested in achieving the highest social impact they can with their philanthropic dollars. To ensure our neutral stance, the Center is neither grantmaking nor grantseeking.

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