Perspectives

  • Perspective

    See the Forest and the Trees: 11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2020

    In this post from the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Tory Martin shares highlights from their new report 11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2020.
    • March 2, 2020
  • Perspective

    Learning What Works: Practitioners Leading with Equity

    Charles E. Carter of Project Evident shared reflections from his experience at the Equitable Evaluation Teaching Case workshop and insights from Project Evident's new DEI Evidence Matrix, a tool that can support the alignment of key stakeholders and the intentional building of diversity, equity and inclusion into evidence and evaluation practices.
    • January 14, 2020
  • Perspective

    Cross-post: An eye towards the future: Trust-based funding

    In this cross-post from the inaugural fellow at The Patterson Foundation, Hannah Saeger Karnei, she explores her experience learning about the Ford Foundation's BUILD program.
    • December 16, 2019
  • Perspective

    Cross-post: Evaluation in the Hot Seat: Taking on Current Criticisms

    At the GEO Learning Conference this year a group of 5 evaluators and funders held a session of five pecha kucha talks to explore the current criticisms of evaluation and propose some solutions. In this blog series, the speakers explore their topics and offer additional insights.
    • December 9, 2019
  • Perspective

    Cross-post: How Grantmakers Can Better See What's Coming

    In this post, which originally appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Bess Rothenberg of the Ford Foundation reflects on the challenges of confirmation bias as obstacles to progress and change.
    • December 2, 2019
  • Perspective

    Making Organizational Culture More Intentional to Drive Community Change

    As more grantmakers are considering how they can advance change through their grantmaking, many funders are also thinking the need to strengthen their organizational cultures in order to work more effectively and have greater impact. Intentional cultural change work can take many different forms. Our conversation with Margie Jo Eun Joo Andreason, diversity, equity and inclusion manager at Northwest Area Foundation, and Paul Luna, president & CEO of Helios Education Foundation, during a recent GEO webinar showed two different approaches to culture change.
    • November 18, 2019
  • Perspective

    Racial Equity and the Role of Foundations

    The Consumer Health Foundation has long embedded racial equity in its programs, policies and practices. Kendra Allen, program associate with the foundation, breaks down the activities and elements they use in their approach toward racial equity.
    • November 12, 2019
  • Perspective

    Five Foundations Advance Ways to End the Starvation Cycle

    Five major foundations, all GEO members, have agreed to do more to combat the “starvation cycle” that undercuts the effectiveness of their grantees. They have agreed to test and refine potential solutions, and to reach out to other funders to share what they have learned.
    • November 4, 2019
  • Perspective

    Revolutionary Love — Our Secret Sauce

    What if the philanthropic sector placed as much value on love and relationships as we do on data and outputs? What if strategic plans accounted for the time it takes to actually build deep, authentic trust and our theories of change had love at the center? It’s no longer a dream— it’s how the Latino Community Foundation does the work and why they've had such powerful results.
    • October 28, 2019
  • Perspective

    Cross-post: Reflections on Un-Learning

    The Associations Advancing Equitable Evaluation Practices (AAEEP) came together earlier this year to support and advance equitable evaluation study and practice. As a part of this commitment, we offered a webinar sharing experiences of two foundations, Kresge and the Oregon Community Foundation, who are testing the waters of equitable evaluation. Kate Seely from Northern California Grantmakers shares reflections from the webinar.
    • October 21, 2019