As a philanthropic intermediary, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy occupies a unique position – educating and advising funders, pooling and distributing resources, and working closely with grantee partners to advance equitable disaster recovery. Recently, we engaged in CDP’s second Grantee Perception Report (GPR) through the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), continuing our efforts to strengthen those partnerships and improve our practices through listening to grantee insights.

As someone who joined CDP after being both a grant recipient (in 2020) and an unsuccessful applicant (in 2022), I understand firsthand the complexities and inherent power dynamics of grantmaking. From this dual perspective, I approached the 2024 GPR process with a mix of healthy skepticism and cautious optimism. I wondered: What more could we learn? How might that learning help us evolve further?

What we discovered through the survey and CEP’s comparative analysis has been both humbling and galvanizing. I hope it inspires other donors and intermediaries to embark on their own learning journeys in service of their missions.

An Organization Learning Through Grantee Insights

CDP’s staff and board are committed to continuous learning and reflection. We are deeply grateful to our grantee partners for their candid, thoughtful feedback. Their input affirmed areas where we are succeeding and illuminated opportunities for improvement for a more profound impact.

Below are several key takeaways from the GPR that we want to highlight:

  • Clear impact, even as an intermediary. CEP remarked that we had “continued strengths in external impact coupled with enhanced understanding.” This was especially meaningful given our role as an intermediary, where measuring field-level impact can be more nuanced. The feedback underscores the strength of the relationships we strive to cultivate and our commitment to learning alongside our partners.
  • Recognized sector leadership. Survey comments reflected high regard for CDP’s leadership in disaster philanthropy. Grantee partners described CDP as “a renowned leader in disaster recovery operations” and praised our contributions to setting “a high standard for disaster preparedness, resilience and response.” They also highlighted the value of the research, data and tools we provide – resources that support informed, long-term approaches to disaster relief.

Read the full article about listening to grantee insights by Sharad Aggarwal at Center for Disaster Philanthropy.