The Creative Education Foundation ("CEF") is an independent, nonprofit membership organization of leaders in the field of creativity theory and practice. It regards itself as the "Centre for Applied Imagination".
Its mission is to help individuals, organizations and communities transform themselves as they confront real-world challenges.
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Founded in 1954, CEF is the recognized world leader in Applied Imagination. Alex Osborn, an adman and educator, not only founded CEF, but also invented brainstorming[1] and co-founded the advertising firm, BBDO. His classic book, Applied Imagination, continues to inspire the work of CEF.
Along with Sidney Parnes, Osborn developed the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving Process (commonly referred to as CPS). For more than 50 years, CEF has been teaching adults and children in organizations, schools and communities how to use this proven process to develop new ideas, solve problems and implement solutions.
CEF sponsored a Leadership Convocation in 1960, bringing together the pioneers of the creative thinking movement, including Calvin Taylor, J. P. Guilford, Ellis Paul Torrance, and Donald MacKinnon.
CEF fosters a culture of courage that is open, dynamic and diverse. It is a community where a passion for creative thinking, learning and the sharing of ideas thrives. CEF helps people learn to apply their imagination to their life, their work and their community.
As the pioneer in creating and delivering programs, products and services that integrate creativity into adult and childhood education, CEF touches thousands of people’s lives each year. CEF offers these ways to engage one's imagination and to discover ways of unleashing one's creativity to transform the world ...
This annual, international conference inspires people to learn, to engage and to support the global use of Applied Imagination and creativity. It claims to develop one's creative abilities, learn to apply a proven creative thinking process, discover tools and techniques to generate more and better ideas, increase team innovation, encourage young students to think more imaginatively, and improve the community. Held annually since 1954, CPSI is the longest-running creativity conference in the world.
For more than 40 years, JCB has been the benchmark scientific periodical with the most current research in creative thinking. It aims to keep one up to date on cutting-edge ideas about creativity in education, psychology, business and arts. The current Editor is Dr. Tom Ward of the University of Alabama. The Associate Editors are James C. Kaufman and Roni Reiter-Palmon.
This outreach program teaches young people how to apply Creative Problem Solving to make positive changes in their own lives ... and to collaborate with youth and adults in their schools and communities to solve challenges creatively and for the common good.
Members promote Applied Imagination for improving quality of life – especially through creative education and youth, creative aging and retirement, and creative communities and cities.
CEF is available to teach Creative Problem Solving to your organization or community - including in-services, training, facilitating, consulting and more.