THE CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY INC

EIN 04-3523528 · Management & Technical Assistance - Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations (T02)

What they do

CEP PROVIDES DATA, FEEDBACK, PROGRAMS, and INSIGHTS to HELP INDIVIDUAL and INSTITUTIONAL DONORS IMPROVE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. WE DO THIS WORK BECAUSE WE BELIEVE EFFECTIVE DONORS, WORKING COLLABORATIVELY and THOUGHTFULLY, CAN PROFOUNDLY CONTRIBUTE to CREATING A BETTER and MORE JUST WORLD.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $85.90 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders24 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

75.34%of revenue went to mission work85.9% of expenses · Program services

1.15%of revenue went to fundraising1.3% of expenses

$87.75spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

11.26%of revenue went to management and office costs12.8% of expenses

$1.56in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

48.8%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $701,020 for PHILLIP BUCHANAN (PRESIDENT). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2025

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$18,084,378

Mission workProgram services$13,623,91475.34% of revenue85.9% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$2,036,14911.26% of revenue12.8% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$208,2951.15% of revenue1.3% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$2,216,02012.25% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$15,868,35887.75% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2025CurrentExpense mix: 85.9% mission · 12.8% management · 1.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 87.75% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 83.5% mission · 15.3% management · 1.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.81% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 80.8% mission · 17.9% management · 1.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 102.15% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 79.3% mission · 19.4% management · 1.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.29% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 80.2% mission · 18.8% management · 1.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 49.35% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 82.3% mission · 16.4% management · 1.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 114.11% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 84.0% mission · 14.4% management · 1.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.52% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 81.9% mission · 16.1% management · 2.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.18% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$18,084,378

Expenses$15,868,358

Annual surplus $2,216,020 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$13,623,914 · 85.9% of expenses

Management and office costs$2,036,149 · 12.8% of expenses

Fundraising$208,295 · 1.3% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$18,084,378

Expenses$15,868,358

Assets$24,825,007

Income$19,564,167

Contributions$8,821,531

Mission work (program services)$13,623,914

Fundraising$208,295

Management and general$2,036,149

Executive compensation (total)$2,114,809

Stocks and bonds$15,703,496

Accounting fees$55,500

Investing fees$23,506

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

PHILLIP BUCHANANPRESIDENT · 45 hrs/week $701,020Base $636,356 · Other $64,664

KEVIN BOLDUCVP, ASSESSMENT & ADVISORY SERVICES · 45 hrs/week $320,580Base $302,138 · Other $18,442

ELISHA SMITH ARRILLAGAVP, RESEARCH · 45 hrs/week $315,351Base $279,237 · Other $36,114

DAVID MCKINNEYVP, YOUTHTRUTH · 45 hrs/week $301,971Base $285,291 · Other $16,680

RIHAB BABIKERVP, FINANCE & OPS,TECHNOLOGY/TREASURER · 45 hrs/week $277,819Base $241,498 · Other $36,321

AMBER BRADLEYDIRECTOR, CEP LEARNING INSTITUTE · 45 hrs/week $239,721Base $210,803 · Other $28,918

GRACE NICOLETTEVP, PROGRAMMING & EXTERNAL RELATIONS · 42 hrs/week $237,945Base $206,111 · Other $31,834

MARINELLA BOYADZHIEVDIRECTOR, ASSESSMENT & ADVISORY SERVICES · 45 hrs/week $233,451Base $199,752 · Other $33,699

ANDREA DE FORESTDIRECTOR, ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING & COMMUNICATIONS · 45 hrs/week $224,088Base $208,472 · Other $15,616

WHITNEY IVIEDIRECTOR, CLIENT SERVICES YOUTHTRUTH · 45 hrs/week $204,736Base $187,554 · Other $17,182

ALYSE DAMICOVP, PEOPLE & CULTURE · 36 hrs/week $201,527Base $183,657 · Other $17,870

ALICE MEISR. MANAGER, ASSESSMENT & ADVISORY SERVICES · 45 hrs/week $185,050Base $168,110 · Other $16,940

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (24)

PHILLIP BUCHANANPRESIDENT

KEVIN BOLDUCVP, ASSESSMENT & ADVISORY SERVICES

ELISHA SMITH ARRILLAGAVP, RESEARCH

DAVID MCKINNEYVP, YOUTHTRUTH

RIHAB BABIKERVP, FINANCE & OPS,TECHNOLOGY/TREASURER

AMBER BRADLEYDIRECTOR, CEP LEARNING INSTITUTE

GRACE NICOLETTEVP, PROGRAMMING & EXTERNAL RELATIONS

MARINELLA BOYADZHIEVDIRECTOR, ASSESSMENT & ADVISORY SERVICES

ANDREA DE FORESTDIRECTOR, ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING & COMMUNICATIONS

WHITNEY IVIEDIRECTOR, CLIENT SERVICES YOUTHTRUTH

ALYSE DAMICOVP, PEOPLE & CULTURE

ALICE MEISR. MANAGER, ASSESSMENT & ADVISORY SERVICES

MOLLY HEIDEMANNSPECIAL ASST. TO THE PRESIDENT

DON CHENDIRECTOR

JESUS GERENADIRECTOR

CAROLINE ALTMAN SMITHDIRECTOR

LATIDA SMITHDIRECTOR

LEE RISBYDIRECTOR

ANTHONY RICHARDSONBOARD CHAIR

PAM FOSTERDIRECTOR (AS OF 7/2025)

SAMPRITI GANGULIDIRECTOR

STEPHANIE HULLDIRECTOR

TARYN HIGASHIDIRECTOR

ALESHA WASHINGTONDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2000
Location: 675 MASSACHUSETTS AVE STE 11, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139-3309
County: Middlesex
In care of: % ALEX OCASIO
Primary officer: PHILLIP BUCHANAN, PRESIDENT

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailjosephl@cep.org Phone(617) 492-0800

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: AAFCPAS INC
NTEE classification: Management & Technical Assistance - Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations (T02)
IRS tax category: Management & Technical Assistance