Foundation Impact

While foundations are increasingly investing in evaluations, most focus their assessments on the efforts of grantees. Examining the overall impact of grantmaking activities is a relatively new – but important – focus of foundation evaluations, seeking to answer such questions as:

  • What is the return on our grantmaking investment?
  • What has changed as a result of our grantmaking?
  • What could we do differently to maximize our investment?

To help inform how we measure the impact of our grantmaking strategies, The Colorado Trust has identified several resources to advance our discussions:

Center for Effective Philanthropy
Through data collection and research, the CEP offers insights to philanthropic funders to better define, assess and improve their effectiveness and impact. To date, the CEP has produced research reports on foundation performance assessment, foundation strategy, foundation governance and foundation-grantee relationships.

Foundation Center
A leading authority on philanthropy, the Center connects nonprofit organizations and the grantmakers supporting them with tools and information. The Center maintains a comprehensive database of U.S. grantmakers and their grants, and conducts research, education and training programs designed to advance philanthropy at every level. 

FSG Social Impact Advisors
FSG is a nonprofit organization that works with foundations, corporations, governments and nonprofits to increase their social impact. Their resources focus on strategy development, evaluation and organizational alignment.

GrantCraft
A project of the Ford Foundation, GrantCraft offers a variety of grantmaker resources on skill-building and best practices for effective giving.

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
This coalition of more than 1,700 grantmakers is committed to building strong and effective nonprofit organizations. GEO promotes strategies and practices that contribute to grantee success, and provides the philanthropic sector with resources, ideas and connections to make the greatest contribution to the nonprofit organizations they invest in.