At CEP, we are always looking for ways that our data can help foundations forge stronger relationships with their grantees and become more effective in their work.
Recently, our research showed that when a foundation’s staff exhibits a high level of expertise in the field in which it funds, that expertise usually results in stronger relationships with grantees.
But, how exactly, do foundations gain that strong understanding of these fields? We know that in the busy lives of foundation staff, it can be difficult to carve out enough time to understand the fields in which they are making grants. What are the best source for information? How do program officers develop the necessary knowledge to advance their work? What does understanding the field really mean?
We decided to ask staff at three foundations that had participated in CEP’s Grantee Perception Report® (GPR) and were ranked in the top five percent of more than 200 foundations according to their average grantee ratings on the survey item: “How well does the foundation understand the field in which you operate?”
Our case study, Lessons from the Field: From Understanding to Impact, provides an in-depth look at how these three different foundations cultivate an understanding of their fields and then translate that understanding into more effective grantmaking.
The three foundations – the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the Energy Foundation, and the Wilburforce Foundation – want to make an impact on some of the most complicated challenges we face: civil rights, renewable energy sources, and wildlife protection.
When we interviewed them, staff at these three foundations told us how understanding their fields helped them make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes. For example:
- Listening to stakeholders in California led the Haas, Jr. Fund to reshape a communications campaign on immigrant rights so that it took into account important regional differences.
- A deep understanding of Chinese culture helped the Energy Foundation pilot a groundbreaking plan to significantly reduce air pollution, which the Chinese government has adopted nationwide.
- Some extra research helped Wilburforce discover that it needed to cultivate a key constituency group in order to protect one of the largest intact rainforests on earth.
The foundations also offered very different examples of how they develop and maintain an understanding of the field. For example:
- At Haas, Jr., understanding the field means that the foundation seeks to develop the capacity of their staff and grantees to be leaders in their fields.
- At Energy, understanding the field involves staff developing close working relationships with experts in the field and connecting grantees with experts to enable problem-solving.
- At Wilburforce, understanding the field means knowing as much about the people living and working near the areas it seeks to protect as it does the flora and fauna residing on those lands.
We hope that our case study provides useful ideas to foundations seeking to better understand the fields that they fund, and we welcome your feedback. The case is available for free download here.
GEO has found this report to be incredibly valuable. We have heard from nonprofit leaders we’ve spoken with over the years that too often philanthropy takes an “ivory tower” approach to solving problems. Grantmakers engage academics and consultants to help them shape their strategy, but they often fail to consult the people closest to the problems they are trying to solve.
At the 2010 GEO National Conference, Dev Patnaik from Jump Associates delivered a keynote address about empathy in philanthropy, which he defines as a gut-level connection to the people you are trying to serve. GEO is partnering with Jump to produce a publication on empathy in philanthropy, due out in spring 2011. As a result, our research has found that the strongest examples of empathy in our field are more the result of individual actions than organizational practices. The trick will be finding ways to institutionalize the successes of these individuals who have been able to build authentic, empathic relationships with their grantees.