About the Center

Our mission is to strengthen civil society by conducting programs and activities that increase the knowledge and efficacy of America’s nonprofit organizations, charitable foundations, and individual donors. Originally founded in 2021 as a project of AmPhil, the Center became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2024.

Our Mission

The Center for Civil Society (C4CS) stands on the frontlines of the fight to restore American civil society. We exist to unshackle principled organizations and multiply the impact of philanthropic giving by providing the practical training and thought leadership for principled nonprofits to achieve their visions so all can realize the freedom and opportunity we were created to enjoy.

Our Staff

Caitlin Nocera

Director of Events

Lorna Bernhoft

Senior Writer & Managing Editor, Philanthropy Daily

Austin Detwiler

Editor-in-Chief,
Philanthropy Daily

Jeremy Beer

Senior Fellow & Host of GDT Podcast

Jack Fowler

Senior Fellow

Doug Schneider

Senior Fellow

Our Board of Directors

Tom Riley

President,
The Connelly Foundation

Pete Peterson

Dean, School of Public Policy,
Pepperdine University

Bridgett Wagner

Executive Director,
Feulner Institute at The Heritage Foundation

John Coleman

Managing Partner,
Sovereign’s Capital

Matt Gerken

Partner, AmPhil

Liz Palla

Partner, AmPhil

Josh Owens

Partner, AmPhil

Subscribe To Civil Thoughts

Each week, into the ether Civil Thoughts is projected, intent on sharing a smart gathering of a dozen or so pieces and essays and articles that touch on various facets of our civil society and the givers, doers, and thinkers doing some heavy lifting in that arena. They’re nothing more than recommendations, but of pieces and essays and articles (one or two, a few, maybe most, possibly even all) that may prove of keen interest, and that will stimulate your thinking.

No asks, no tasks. No quizzes!

— Jack Fowler

K to Campus: a Givers, Doers, & Thinkers Conference

The K-12 educational reform movement is now decades old, and efforts to reform higher education have been at play for at least as many years. While we have seen significant successes at the K-12 level in the last generation (despite fierce resistance), there is a sense that reform efforts on university campuses have yet to bear fruit. During our fourth annual Givers, Doers, & Thinkers conference, we’ll explore what we’ve learned from the K-12 ed reform movement, and how those lessons can be applied in higher education reform. 

Givers, Doers, & Thinkers Podcast

Givers, Doers, and Thinkers (GDT) introduces listeners to the fascinating people and important ideas at the heart of Americal civil society. We speak with philanthropists, foundation leaders, reformers, social entrepreneurs, nonprofit executives, religious believers, historians, sociologists, philosophers, journalists, and anyone else who will help us understand contemporary civil society’s achievements and failures. We also sprinkle in practical advice for nonprofit leaders and fundraisers. This is the podcast for anyone interested in that vital space where philanthropy and civil society intersect.

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Philanthropy Daily is the premier source of news, know-how, and motivation for nonprofit fundraisers across the United States and beyond. Don’t miss an article… subscribe for free and receive an email every Friday with a digest of our newest articles, delivered right to your inbox!