Data, Research, and Evaluation
Original Research
Moving the Field Forward
Our data, research, and evaluation projects are grounded in strong social science, shaped by decades of experience, and backed by a university’s commitment to rigorous, independent thinking and lifelong learning.
Some of our projects begin with you.
These are client-originated projects: fee-for-service engagements where your research question and evaluation needs drive the work.
Other projects begin with us.
These are field-building research projects: studies, reports, and tools designed to generate knowledge that benefits the sector broadly, not just a single client.
Support smarter philanthropy with a gift to the Johnson Center.
Field Focus: Redefining Community Philanthropy
Led by W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair Dr. Michael Layton, this limited series brings together research, practice, and leaders from around the world to redefine what community philanthropy can truly mean for a field ready to evolve. This work is democratizing who gets to be called a philanthropist, honoring the full spectrum of generosity, and, perhaps most importantly, recentering love as the root of the conversation
Grounded in Purpose: What Philanthropy Can Learn from Psychology
Who are we, what is our purpose, and where do we go from here? Kallie Bauer, Tory Martin, and Emily Brenner draw on psychology — existentialism and trauma response — to help philanthropy name what we are collectively experiencing and emerge from it. This piece explores how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses are showing up across the sector, and offers practical approaches for finding purpose again.
Public Trust in Transition
In March and September 2025, led by Dr. Jeff Williams, the Johnson Center fielded two national surveys to understand how the public views philanthropy and how much trust it does — or does not have — in our institutions. Building on prior studies conducted by our colleagues in the field, we track an important downward trend in public opinion and faith in our field’s work.
The Johnson Center is home to two endowed chairs advancing original research and action in the field.
Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy
The first of its kind in the nation, the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy works with a network of partners to pursue a comprehensive, international program of applied research, speaking and writing, professional education and teaching, and other activities.
W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair
Established at the Johnson Center in 2015, the W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair is the nation’s first endowed chair in community philanthropy. The Chair partners with a network of community and public foundations, collective giving groups, and national and international communities to support, research, and lift up the practice of community philanthropy.