Perspectives

  • Perspective

    What Would It Take to Align Foundation Mission and Evaluation Practice?

    Equitable evaluation has created a critical space for reflective practice. As evaluators and researchers, we need to reflect on the notion of rigor. We all have points of view and biases that we must acknowledge. Making visible evaluation orthodoxies invites us to engage with the paradigms that tend to govern our efforts.
    • April 20, 2018
  • Perspective

    Knowledge Sharing to Strengthen Grantmaking

    When foundations share knowledge generated through evaluation, strategy development and thought leadership, they benefit not only others but also themselves. Sharing knowledge can deepen internal reflection and learning, lead to new connections and ideas, and promote institutional credibility and influence.
    • April 13, 2018
  • Perspective

    A New Guide from Philanthropy's Reflective Practices

    Philanthropy's Reflective Practices released a guide exploring four reflective practices. Read more about their work and download the guide today.
    • April 6, 2018
  • Perspective

    Reframing our Purpose to Be More Transformative for People and Families

    As Root Cause began to question its purpose, it was critical that they ask themselves: How can we improve the lives of people and families in a way that they actually notice the difference, address growing disparities, and do that at scale across a neighborhood, town, county or even beyond? The GEO Capacity Building Champions program offered the opportunity to share these perspectives with foundation leaders.
    • March 30, 2018
  • Perspective

    Revised Reporting: Are We Fooling Ourselves?

    While there is a nearly universal belief that grant reports are necessary, there is far less agreement about frequency and format, required elements, and uses.
    • March 2, 2018
  • Perspective

    Rapid Response Grantmaking: Responding to Concerns About Community Wellbeing

    Post-presidential election, the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund noticed the increasing amount of threats and harm facing marginalized communities. In response, they created a Responsive Grant invitation to provide immediate support to Connecticut communities facing these threats.
    • February 16, 2018
  • Perspective

    Improving Maternal and Infant Health Through Collaboration and Engagement

    bi3 provided $3.2 million to launch StartStrong, a maternal and infant health initiative. They supported partners throughout, creating and fostering collaboration. They recently published a short paper highlighting their insights from this project.
    • February 8, 2018
  • Perspective

    Rapid Response Grantmaking: Standing with Immigrant and Refugee Neighbors

    Solidarity MN is a coalition of Minnesota foundations inspired to act by the first Executive Order banning travel from several Muslim-majority countries. While the strategic priorities of our philanthropic partners are unique, our core value is shared: standing with immigrant and refugee neighbors at a time of unprecedented fear and uncertainty.
    • February 2, 2018
  • Perspective

    Looking Forward and Looking Back: 20 Years of Community

    This year, the GEO community celebrates 20 years of making meaningful progress together. It’s a moment for recognizing the fundamental power of community — a moment for remembering how much grantmakers have achieved, and can achieve, when we work together.
    • January 26, 2018
  • Perspective

    Rapid Response Grantmaking: From Day 1 to 100, We Made it 100 Days of US

    The Sprout Fund designs grassroots grantmaking programs that tap the ingenuity of community residents and enable them to contribute to larger regional goals. Immediately following the 2016 presidential election, they knew we had to act quickly and create a new funding mechanism to enable a swift civic response. Their initiative, 100 Days of US, helped Pittsburghers set their own agenda for the first 100 days of the new presidential administration.
    • January 19, 2018