Giving

The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy appreciates your interest in supporting our work. The Center is widely recognized by philanthropic and nonprofit leaders, academics, and the media as the authoritative resource on the field. It is a respected voice on philanthropic trends and patterns, the premier convener of individuals concerned about the impact of their giving, and a valued catalyst for solving public problems.

We invite you to learn more about opportunities for giving to The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy below.

Director’s Circle

The Director’s Circle is an intimate group of philanthropic leaders who are looking to learn how to increase the meaning and grow the impact of their giving. Informed by The Center’s research, inspired by peers, and connected to leading experts, members and their families will be empowered to make a bigger difference through their philanthropy.

The Director’s Circle is instrumental in shaping and supporting The Center’s programs on donors and their families. Insights gained from members will inform The Center’s efforts in donor education to deepen understanding at the nexus between giving and family dynamics.

Director’s Circle members will:

  • Draw on the expertise and networks of The Center in informing their philanthropic choices and strategy with one-on-one meetings with The Center’s Director
  • Meet with peers to share their experiences and explore their challenges and questions regarding their giving
  • Receive invitations to all CPPP events, including: Distinguished Speaker’s Series, Conversations on Philanthropy, National Leadership Forums and exclusive University events
  • Recognition at all Center events and in Center materials, including Distinguished Speakers Series invitations which are mailed to a national list of over 5,000 key leaders in philanthropy, business, and government and on the Center’s website
  • Become part of a peer network of philanthropic leaders

Philanthropic Partners Program

Join Us

Creating a more informed, thoughtful group of philanthropic leaders whose work helps build a better future is a collaborative effort. We invite individuals, foundations, and corporations to become Philanthropic Partners by making an annual contribution to The Center and by actively engaging in its intellectual endeavors. Our Sustaining Philanthropic Partners play a key leadership role in strengthening philanthropy by contributing $25,000 or more each year. The Center’s Philanthropic Partners make an annual contribution of $10,000 or more (for organizations) or $5,000 or more (for individuals). Gifts from our Partners provide the resources necessary to develop research around emerging issues in the field and to increase opportunities to convene leaders for high level discussions in both large forums and in more intimate settings. Whether you’re the leader of an international foundation, an individual donor, head of a family foundation, or a next generation philanthropist, the groundbreaking work of The Center can help you increase the meaning and impact of your giving. Please join us in our efforts to transform philanthropy and strengthen our communities.

Philanthropic Partners of the Center receive:

  • Visibility within and access to a unique cross-sector group of leaders in Southern California, convened 2-3 times annually in the Center’s Distinguished Speakers Series
  • Invitations to exclusive Partner events and small group meetings on emerging issues in philanthropy
  • Invitations to all private receptions and/or dinners with nationally recognized leaders featured in the Center’s Distinguished Speakers Series each year
  • Recognition at all Center events and in Center materials, including Distinguished Speakers Series invitations which are mailed to a national list of over 5,000 key leaders in philanthropy, business, and government and on the Center’s website
  • Advance copies of Center research reports and papers

View the Philanthropic Partners Program Brochure: CPPP Philanthropic Partners Brochure

For more information or to join the Center’s Philanthropic Partners, please contact:

Gregg Millward
Senior Director of Development
(213) 740-1776
[email protected]

The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy
University of Southern California
Lewis Hall, Room 201
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626

Endowed Funds

Endowments give the Center the strength and resources it needs to invest in philanthropy and public problem solving. Your endowment gift allows the Center to grow its leadership position as a unique resource and valued catalyst located at the focal point of the growth in the field of philanthropy. Endowed gifts are an investment in the future of our important work. Funding provided through endowments is a catalyst for the creation of relevant research and timely convenings that will strengthen the philanthropic sector and lead to effective problem solving. Endowments can be established through current or planned gifts or a combination of both.

Endowment for The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy

The Center is an authoritative resource and a key partner to philanthropists, foundations, nonprofits, and others in their efforts to tackle complex issues. It is a respected voice on philanthropic trends and patterns, the premier convener of individuals concerned about the impact of their giving, and a valued catalyst for solving public problems. Building on almost a decade of expertise and dedication to more efficient and effective philanthropy, it is now time to take the next step.

An endowment for the Center will enable it to engage in the kind of long-term planning it must undertake in order to expand its research, increase the number and variety of its gatherings, and more widely communicate its findings to the philanthropic, public, and nonprofit leaders who value its lessons. As an innovative and vital partner in philanthropy, the Center will help to create a more informed, thoughtful group of leaders who are working to strengthen our communities and to build a better future for us all.

Gift Planning

To learn about making deferred or planned gifts to the Center, including bequests, life-income plans, and other options for your estate — and for information about increasing your income, earning valuable income-tax deductions, and reducing your estate taxes — please visit the USC Office of Planned Giving Web site.

FAQ

How is the Center funded?

Generous funders provide financial support for the Center’s core operations and activities, research, and projects. This support includes annual gifts from our Philanthropic Partners and an initial $1 million operating grant from The James Irvine Foundation, which allowed us to make tremendous progress in building capacity in a short amount of time. In addition the California Community Foundation established a $1 million endowment for the Center in 2002 to fund high-quality, publishable research by USC faculty on topics related to philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.

These organizations and individual donors share the Center’s commitment to strengthen philanthropy and to help build effective partnerships between philanthropy, government, business and nonprofit organizations to advance public problem solving.

Why give to the Center now?

This is a critical moment for the philanthropic community in the United States. With the volatile changes in the economic climate in the past few years the need for research and analysis about giving, volunteering, and nonprofit organizations has never been greater. Our work informs and guides those who want to learn about the best ways to help their communities through strategic and meaningful philanthropy.

What type of gift can I make?

Several giving opportunities exist to help ensure the Center remains a key partner and resource for philanthropists, foundations, nonprofits and others in their efforts to solve society’s problems. We encourage all those interested in supporting the field of philanthropy to become a Philanthropic Partner of the Center. Gifts from members of this premier annual giving society allow the Center to engage in the kind of strategic program planning it must undertake in order to generate philanthropic research on an on-going basis, to respond quickly to emerging issues and opportunities in the field, and to continue to bring together leaders for high-level discussions of important topics on a regular basis in small in-depth roundtable discussions as well as larger national forums.

How can I make my gift to the Center?

There are many ways to make your gift to The Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy. These include gifts of cash, appreciated property, tangible property and closely held stock. Planned or deferred gifts provide additional options for supporting the Center; the most common of which is to establish a bequest in your will. Other options, such as life income plan gifts, provide income during your lifetime from the assets donated to the Center. We would be pleased to provide information about these options for your use in financial and estate planning.

Please contact Gregg Millward, Senior Director of Development and External Relations, at 213-740-1776 or email [email protected] for information about endowed funds, planned giving, and other ways to support The Center. 

Payment Options

Give Now
Click here to make a one-time gift to The Center on Philanthropy & Public Policy.

Mail Your Gift
To make a gift by check, money order, or credit card, print and complete the mail-in CPPP Gift Form.

Gifts of Stock or Real Estate
Please contact Gregg Millward at 213-740-1776 or email [email protected] for information about how to make a gift of stock or real estate.