Our researchers are embedded in the national conversations driving the field forward, shaping and leading some of the most influential research initiatives in philanthropy. When you work with us, you’re tapping into a sector-wide network of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers who trust us as peers and partners.
Founded in 2018 by Dr. H. Daniel Heist of Brigham Young University and Dr. Danielle Vance-McMullen of DePaul University, the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC) has become the definitive source for rigorous, nationally-representative research on DAFs. Since 2022, Dr. Jeff Williams, the Johnson Center’s director of consulting services, has served as one of its research directors — helping to lead the collaborative’s most significant work, including the groundbreaking 2024 National Study on Donor Advised Funds, the first study ever to examine transaction-level DAF data, and the Annual DAF Report, the field’s authoritative yearly overview of DAF activity.
Dr. Elizabeth Dale, Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy and acting executive director at the Johnson Center, is a founding partner of the Democratizing Philanthropy Research Initiative (DPRI). DPRI brings together leading scholars and community practitioners from around the world to co-create research that can shift power in philanthropy. Drawing on expertise in community philanthropy, trust-based practices, participatory grantmaking, intersectional feminism, and community-centric fundraising, DPRI is advancing a new standard for how the field thinks about democratizing giving — moving beyond shared principles and toward effective, evidence-based practice.
The Johnson Center is a member of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), a national collaborative network coordinated by the Urban Institute that connects leading local data organizations committed to advancing access, opportunity, and well-being at the neighborhood level. NNIP partners serve their communities as data translators, educators, and advocates for change — and membership signals commitment to the highest standards of community-centered data practice. For the Johnson Center, NNIP membership means direct access to a cross-country network of peer organizations and cutting-edge methods, deepening the local insight and national context we bring to every project.
Johnson Center staff are sought out by peer organizations to help set research agendas, shape methodology, and inform public policy.
Dr. Elizabeth Dale is the book review editor and a member of the Editorial Board.
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