Many funders recognize the importance of relationships, from making connections between grantees to building a movement. But how do you learn from the work of relationship building? Network mapping, a tool that has been used in a range of fields, such as disease surveillance, the study of online social networks, and organizational development, can also be applied in the field of evaluation and learning.

When it comes time to wind down investments in long-term initiatives, and even on shorter projects, foundations want to leverage learnings and identify ways to share these with others who can benefit from this knowledge. And while formal evaluation reports and professional publications are nice, they are rarely designed to meet the interests of the general public. How can evaluators and funders partner together to share learning in creative and meaningful ways that people will actually read?

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation supports organizations in Kansas City to provide residents with the opportunity to achieve economic stability, mobility, and prosperity regardless of race, gender, or geography.  In order to cultivate a shared understanding of racial equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI) amongst those who serve Kansas City, the foundation partnered with the National Equity Project to facilitate an 18-month community of practice (CoP) amongst 14 organizations across a range of issue areas.

As more funders are interested in and adopting trust-based philanthropy, they are reimagining their roles and exploring new ways to show their support as an "ally."  However, this evolution isn’t without challenges and tensions. I’ve explored polarity thinking previously (including here with Kimberly Braxton of Equal Measure) and, as evaluation in philanthropy evolves to meet communities on their own terms, the need to balance dynamic tensions has only become more critical.

As part of a GEO session called “Under the Hood,” Engage R+D’s Sonia Taddy-Sandino had the pleasure of facilitating a dynamic and honest conversation with Brenda Solórzano, CEO of the Headwaters Foundation, Charles Sidney Fields, Vice President of the James Irvine Foundation, and Hanh Cao Yu, Chief Learning Officer of The California Endowment, about what it takes to move beyond pledges and promises to deeper equity-focused shifts in organizational practices, structures, and culture.

Over the last decade the PropelNext initiative established an effective, equity-grounded model for transforming dozens of  youth-serving nonprofits. A project of Learning for Action supported by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, our evaluation of PropelNext surfaced key design elements that catalyzed impact at youth-serving organizations working closely with opportunity youth.

As we lean into our equity journey and explore how to deepen our impact, we’re excited to share important news about our evolving organization and leadership model. 

Anniversaries and year-end reflections are always a great time to take stock and express gratitude, especially after weathering many storms. It seems fitting that wood and trees are elements for commemorating five-year anniversaries - a symbol of durability, wisdom, and strong roots. As founders of Engage R+D, we have been reflecting on that metaphor of wood and what durability means in the context of our work. As we end 2022, those reflections are also catalysts for the future. 

This fall, we continue to reflect on our role in using evaluation and learning to advance equity and transform systems. We are grateful to partner with and learn from leaders working toward critical shifts in society, to collaborate with the incredible people who make up our team, and for the opportunity to support meaningful projects across diverse issue areas and communities.

by Ali Miller and Qiana Wallace

Building capacity might look like investing in training, supporting alignment with best practices, or hiring “experts.” But what if there’s another way? Working with The TK Foundation’s nonprofit youth program grantees, we realized we could do something different. So we intentionally centered equity by using a co-design model to create the capacity-building program in partnership with grantees. Here are our notes on what worked and what we learned about creating an inclusive program model, centering trust, sharing power, and engaging youth.