No one can solve the world’s problems alone, yet often it feels easier and more efficient to get through our long to-do list by ourselves. It is time consuming to find others doing similar work, and to really collaborate you need to build relationships first (see my previous blog post on this topic!). We, the…

Ever wonder if final grant reports just collect dust in a corner of the Foundation’s office or get thrown into the furnace (or the digital equivalent)? These reports contain a wealth of information that organizations spend significant time writing, and our team works diligently to read every final grant report- albeit sometimes a little later…

Capacity building is notoriously tricky to evaluate. Here in the Packard Foundation’s Organizational Effectiveness (OE) team we evaluate our work several ways, and we are always trying to improve so we can increase our impact.  This post provides a brief overview of our monitoring, evaluation, and learning approach over the last three years. We wanted…

Early in my career I was working in Kampala, Uganda on a development project. One day I walked past a little girl, about age 3 or 4, sitting cross-legged on the street in tattered clothes under the hot sun, with her hand out for money, eyes closed, not moving an inch. A similar-looking slightly older…

Thank you to our nonprofit partners who participated in the Grantee Perception Report® (GPR) survey. We are listening and find your feedback valuable in improving our grantmaking practices so that our work together can be even more impactful.