Hewlett Grant for Impact Evaluation
Grant Contact
Lennie Magida
Senior Manager, Development and Communications
202-375-7792 or lennie [at] smallfoundations [dot] org
ASF has received a $230,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to undertake a significant Evaluation Initiative and is seeking $145,000 in member grants to fully fund the study. The project is divided into two parts: Part I details a plan to measure ASF’s impact; while Part II is an educational campaign to encourage small foundation trustees to raise the significance of their foundations by thinking critically about impact.
The curriculum we envision is important because smaller foundations can perform at high levels of effectiveness, and they want to do so. If ASF’s members boosted their grantmaking effectiveness by just 10%, the output would equal that of a new $5 billion foundation. Further, we know that 40% of ASF members intend to donate new assets to their foundations, and they tell us that seeing an impact and making a difference are the top ways to lead to greater satisfaction in giving. We’d like to see these donors not just follow through on their plans to give more money, but to give more than originally planned.
Part I: Impact Evaluation Curriculum Programs and Resources Directed to the ASF Membership
This curriculum will be the intellectual underpinning of ASF’s second decade of programming. Having focused our first decade’s work on foundation operations, the evaluation curriculum will be incorporated in the core programming of our second decade.
Specific outcomes include:
Board and staff members set mission and strategies for the foundation.
Board and staff assess foundation’s progress toward mission.
Board and staff are more deeply skilled and engaged in making grants and other philanthropic work of the foundation.
Board and staff adopt an optimal level of operating efficiency.
Grantees are chosen for their ability to deliver impact, consistent with the strategy of the foundation.
Grants achieve or exceed the impact intended at the time the grant was awarded.
Part II: Impact Evaluation Curriculum Programs - Activities
The educational campaign will include the following activities:
Produce "Evaluating Your Foundation" workshop
Produce "Evaluating Your Foundation" case studies, self-evaluation checklist, and Primer
Design and host "Evaluating your Foundation" board retreat
Produce and host "Evaluating the Impact of a Grantee" workshop
Produce "How Different Nonprofits Describe Impact" Primer
Produce and host "Evaluating a Grant" workshop
Produce "Evaluating a Grant" Primer
Design and rollout marketing materials for above
Initiate baseline plus first follow-on evaluation of users/participants for above
