Learning from Grantee Feedback: Policy, Process, and Cultural Changes That Make a Difference
Published in CEP
By Bess Rothenberg and Luc Athayde-Rizzaro
In 2008, the Ford Foundation made its first foray into using the Grantee Perception Report (GPR) conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) for vital feedback on how grantees perceive us. Between then and 2017, CEP administered the survey on behalf of Ford four times … and our results were consistently disappointing. Our scores were rarely higher than average. And on the dimensions related to our relationships with grantees our scores were stubbornly in the bottom third, if not fifth, on most indicators.
It was around 2017 and following our fourth survey that the Ford Foundation committed intentionally to strengthening its role as a learning organization, dedicating people and resources through the establishment of an Office of Strategy and Learning. And the institution began building out policies, practices, and ways of engaging that would allow us to improve on the basis of empirical evidence. And, just under three years later, on our next survey, our scores improved markedly.
The Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
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