About GEO

Smarter grantmaking. Stronger nonprofits.
Better results.

Mission

Understanding that grantmakers are successful only to the extent that their grantees achieve meaningful results, GEO promotes strategies and practices that contribute to grantee success.

Learn about the GEO community in the video above.

Past, Present and Future

In 1997, a handful of visionary leaders saw a need for a place where grantmakers committed to improving organizational effectiveness could convene to share knowledge and best practices, and inspire their colleagues to act.

Today, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations is a powerful coalition of more than 2,000 individual members representing 350 grantmaking organizations committed to building strong and effective nonprofit organizations.

We help grantmakers improve practices in four primary areas which, through years of work in philanthropy, have been identified by innovators in the field as critical to nonprofit success: Learning for Improvement, Leadership Development, Money and Stakeholder Engagement.

GEO carries out this work through a variety of products and services, including:

• Conferences: A biennial national conference and topical conferences.
• Action Learning: Brings together grantmakers to address pressing grantmaking challenges. Participants hear how their peers are creating change and translate collective lessons into immediate advances in their own work.
• Services: Peer-to-peer problem-solving, skill-building seminars and speaking engagements.
• Publications: Original research, action guides, and more.
• Resource Library: Online access to thousands of philanthropy related resources.
• Networking Opportunities: Connecting members through e-mail listserv, event calendar, and online forums.

Join us to be a part of growing movement to build a more effective nonprofit sector.

GEO is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. It does not award grants and does not accept proposals seeking financial support.