by Michael Matsunaga and Kimberly Braxton

As evaluators, from Fall 2020 to Spring 2021 we spoke with national, state, and local early learning practitioners, advocates, and state system leaders on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help identify ways to rebuild early learning into a system that is better able to withstand shocks to its operations.

by Anna Saltzman

Our Engage R+D team recently held a learning session where we explored our experiences and impacts working across communities that were new to us. We discussed the challenges of working in different contexts, strategies for building connection and trust, and overall lessons learned. That conversation showed how much evaluators can and should learn through place-based inquiries at the outset of a project.

by Kimberly Braxton and Pilar Mendoza

Every day we deal with “polarities,” or dynamic tensions, in our work, personal lives, and broader society, yet we may not always notice them or recognize them as such. As two organizations committed to deepening our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practice, Equal Measure and Engage R+D recently embarked on a joint learning experience to explore some common polarities that exist in our work and organizational cultures. Polarity thinking can prompt us to increase our awareness about values that may be in tension with one another and which ones are being prioritized. In this blog, we share some of what we learned.

by Clare Nolan and Christina Garcia

What might it look like to design and commission evaluation differently? In this new case study, we describe the design charrette process in detail. Drawing on this experience, here are four ideas for how funders can increase the value of evaluation for grantees and others with potential to benefit from the knowledge they generate.

by Shayla Spilker and Kelly Bougere

How can foundation dollars be more powerful in a time of crisis? As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact communities that have long experienced economic disinvestment, many are asking how to leverage philanthropic funding differently for more immediate impact and greater social good. One solution comes in the form of impact investing, which includes a range of financial tools for both individuals and institutions seeking to do greater good with their dollars.

by Mary Gray and Sonia Taddy-Sandino

We spoke with André Chapman, the CEO and founder of Unity Care, along with board members, staff, funders, and the PropelNext team, to explore what it takes for leaders to survive and even thrive in times of crisis. This blog post highlights four key attributes of adaptive and resilient leadership.

by Meghan Hunt and Mary Gray

In 2019, the Getty Foundation partnered with Engage R+D to assess the impact of nearly three decades of the Getty Marrow internships. While much has changed in that time, many challenges remain. “Even as our sector faces an economic crisis and field-wide job losses, cultural organizations of all sizes must work with intention to combat structural racism and pioneer change,” wrote Weinstein, “particularly if we want it to return stronger and more equitable in the future.”

How can foundations support people of color in the arts? And what does it take to sustain and evolve these supports over time, through changing societal contexts?

by Kim Ammann Howard, Nikki Kalra, and Sarah Stachowiak

When the need to get money out the door feels especially urgent, foundation evaluation and program staff, grantees, and other key stakeholders can sometimes be reluctant to spend valuable time to engage in evaluation. This is when meaningful evaluation is most needed.

Evaluators play an important role in helping funders understand and respond more effectively and equitably to the needs of the communities we serve. The fields of philanthropy and evaluation will be more effective - and more just - when people with diverse perspectives and experiences are involved with and leading evaluation. Yet, the field of evaluation is predominantly White, leading many funders to wonder why there are not more people of color involved in evaluation efforts. It raises the question of who is left out of our evaluations, whose interpretation of the data is reflected, and whose voice matters most.

by Pilar Mendoza

There is growing recognition among evaluators and funders that we have more work to do if we want to transform our predominantly white sector into one that is inclusive and supportive of our BIPOC colleagues. If we truly want to transform our field and advance equity, we need to do a better job listening to those who have been historically marginalized to understand what it will take to support and amplify new and existing voices.

by Dr. Kelly Hannum

If you’ve been paying attention to evaluation practice in philanthropy, you know there is work to do to evolve who we are and what we do. The majority of evaluators aren’t white by accident. The toolbox of evaluation isn’t discounting tools because they don’t work, but because they aren’t trusted or valued in favor of more “traditional” approaches. It’s time to step up and reclaim a broader array of traditions and examine more comprehensive sources of insight and evidence.

by Clare Nolan and Meg Long

In 2019, FEAN hosted a discussion at the American Evaluation Association conference with co-presenters the Center for Evaluation Innovation and the Equitable Evaluation Initiative that began with a hypothesis: if our field-building work is based in values, there is greater likelihood that evaluation and learning will become a mechanism for advancing equity and social justice. We believe that embedding shared values in the for what and how will lead to results that get us closer to equity. This post, originally published in the AEA 365 blog, articulates some of the basic shared values among funders and evaluators.

Social sector conversations about talent often focus on increasing diversity, building skillsets, and improving hiring and management. But to solve tough social problems, we need to let go of tired narratives about talent and work together to dismantle oppression in the evaluation field.

On May 1, over 40 members of the Funder and Evaluator Network (FEAN)  joined together in a virtual coffee break to connect and reflect on the state of philanthropic evaluation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.  We were energized to see old and new friends from all over the country and across sectors come together to be in community at this challenging time.

by Sonia Taddy-Sandino and Jennifer Garcia

Over the last several months, COVID-19 has caused unimaginable human suffering and launched us into an uncertain future. Like so many, we’ve spent this time settling into our new reality of physical distancing, homeschooling kids, caring for elders, and processing the magnitude of this moment. We’ve also sought to hold space as a team to reflect on how we can best support the many nonprofit organizations and diverse communities that are profoundly and disproportionately impacted by this pandemic.