Professional Development
Ramp up your skills.
We provide competency-based professional development and capacity building for individuals and organizations.
The Grantmaking School
Programs for Nonprofit Professionals
Custom Courses & Trainings
A Closer Look
Free Learning Series
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Applied Research & Evaluation
Put research to work.
We can help improve your practice and strengthen your impact with applied research and evaluation.
Family Philanthropy
Community Philanthropy
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Research, Evaluation, and Consulting
A Closer Look
Understand the impact of COVID-19 through 990s
Next Gen Donor Learning
Resources & Tools
Find the right tools.
The Johnson Center provides resources and tools to make data and research useful for practitioners.
The Foundation Review: Journal of Philanthropy
Community Insight Data Platform
Competency Models
A Closer Look
Trends in Philanthropy
Resource Collections

Latest from the Blog

Don’t Start a Nonprofit. Start a Giving Circle.
Don’t Start a Nonprofit. Start a Giving Circle.
Nonprofits are a popular way to give back. However, they are not the only option — or even the best option, oftentimes. Giving circles are an excellent alternative that may provide greater impact with lower effort.
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Concept to Credential: Advancing Nonprofit Board Leadership Opportunities
Concept to Credential: Advancing Nonprofit Board Leadership Opportunities
West Michigan community leaders came together in 2016 to develop a plan to foster more inclusive nonprofit boardrooms. The resulting project helped inform the Johnson Center's new curriculum and microcredential for board service.
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Innovations in Talent Investment for Individuals, Organizations, and Communities
Innovations in Talent Investment for Individuals, Organizations, and Communities
Nonprofits and foundations are increasingly investing in their talent through options like fellowships, remote work, sabbaticals, and distributed leadership models.
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The Community Investment Network and the Fierce Urgency of Now
The Community Investment Network and the Fierce Urgency of Now
In honor of Black Philanthropy Month, Marsha Morgan shares how the Community Investment Network lifts up Black philanthropy by supporting giving circles and Black donors.
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One Health and Animal Protection Philanthropy: A Growing Sub-Sector
One Health and Animal Protection Philanthropy: A Growing Sub-Sector
As we better understand how our relationships with animals — as sources of food, labor, co-carriers of diseases, etc. — affect our health and theirs, a fast-growing sub-sector is focused on improving outcomes for all.
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Was 2020 a Turning Point for Global Philanthropy? Yes and No.
Was 2020 a Turning Point for Global Philanthropy? Yes and No.
Did 2020 and 2021 truly represent a turning point in philanthropy? Have foundations consequently reformed their practices — and are they sustaining those changes? The answer is complicated.
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Four Key Distinctions to Help Make Sense of a Complex Philanthropic Universe
Four Key Distinctions to Help Make Sense of a Complex Philanthropic Universe
To help you navigate the complex philanthropic landscape, Michael Moody highlights four simple yet key distinctions in the field.
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Reopening Federal Pell Grants for Incarcerated People Means Higher Ed and Funders Can Do More
Reopening Federal Pell Grants for Incarcerated People Means Higher Ed and Funders Can Do More
The reopening of the federal Pell Grant program could launch a new era of higher education for people who are incarcerated.
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Philanthropy’s Response to the Crises of 2020
Philanthropy’s Response to the Crises of 2020
The articles in this double issue of The Foundation Review offer intellectual, ethical, and practical frameworks for foundations in guiding their actions.
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Nonprofits are Finding New Ways to Get the Data They Need
Nonprofits are Finding New Ways to Get the Data They Need
Nonprofits are taking advantage of new partnerships, tools, and technologies like data philanthropy, predictive analytics, and machine learning to demonstrate impact.
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Upcoming Events
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Tue October 4
Beginner's Guide to Reading Form 990
This workshop is designed to ground you in the basics of Form 990 — including practical and purposeful ways to leverage information from a 990 with a nonprofit, financial, or foundation lens.
12:30 pm
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Wed October 19
Basic Grantwriting
Join other grantseekers and nonprofit professionals in this two-part workshop designed to help develop your grantwriting skills.
1:00 pm
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Tue October 25
Philanthropy's Quest for Equity: Past. Present. Future.
This session will present a historical timeline to describe and examine milestones in the history of American philanthropy, weaving perspectives to analyze modern philanthropy’s quest for equity as practice, process, and vision.
2:00 pm
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In the Media
Mon September 12
The Future of Family Philanthropy
Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review
Thu September 8
Unlocking the Potential of Open 990 Data
Source: Stanford Social Innovation Review
Thu July 28
County commission candidates focus on infrastructure
Source: Macomb Daily
Mon July 11
Survey says Macomb County missing out on non-profit dollars
Source: Macomb Daily