To better understand foundations and public policy influence, the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) studied the perspective of foundation leaders across U.S. on this topic, through surveys and in-depth interviews. Key findings include:

• Most foundation leaders view efforts to influence public policy as an important way to achieve their goals. These efforts are not new but have increased in recent years; however, they remain a small portion of most foundations’ work.
• Foundation leaders recognize that they cannot achieve their policy goals alone. Most are supporting grantees’ policy efforts and collaborating with others.
• Most foundations have had mixed success in their policy efforts or are unsure how effective these efforts have been. Foundation leaders face some common challenges, particularly when it comes to building board support.