Grantees were asked to provide any suggestions for how the Foundation could improve. Of the 726 grantees who responded to the survey, 472 shared comments. Per our standard methodology, CEP coded a representative sample of 250 grantee comments, which yielded 227 constructive suggestions. These suggestions were thematically categorized by CEP and grouped into the topics below.
Non-monetary Assistance (20% N=45)
Facilitate Collaboration and Convenings (N = 17)
Building Capacity (N = 14)
Assistance Securing Additional Funding (N = 6)
Awareness of Available Non-monetary Supports (N = 4)
Other (N = 4)
Grantmaking Characteristics (19% N=44)
Grant Length (N = 15)
Grant Restrictions (N = 9)
Covering Grantees' Full Costs (N = 6)
Grant Size (N = 4)
Review 100&Change Structure (N = 4)
Other (N = 6)
Funder-Grantee Relationships (15% N=35)
More Frequent Interactions (N = 16)
Site Visits (N = 9)
Staff Responsiveness (N = 5)
Recognition of Power Dynamics (N = 3)
Other (N = 2)
Proposal and Selection Processes (11% N=25)
More Transparency around Proposal Evaluation (N = 9)
Clarify Guidelines (N = 5)
Streamline Processes (N = 3)
Provide Feedback on Proposals (N = 2)
Other (N = 6)
Impact on and Understanding of Grantees' Fields (8% N=19)
Continue Exiting Strategies (N = 7)
Expand Focus Areas (N = 5)
Advancement of Knowledge (N = 3)
Other (N = 4)
Foundation Communications (7% N=16)
Communications during Strategy Transitions (N = 8)
Clarity of Foundation's Goals and Strategy (N = 5)
Other (N = 3)
Reporting and Evaluation Processes (6% N=13)
Streamline Processes (N = 9)
Other (N = 4)
Impact on and Understanding of Grantees' Organizations (5% N=11)
Understanding of Grantees' Organizations (N = 7)
Orientation Change (N = 4)
Impact on and Understanding of Grantees' Communities (4% N=10)
Orientation Change (N = 5)
Understanding of Grantees' Communities (N = 2)
Understanding of Grantees' Contexts (N = 2)
Other (N = 1)
Other (4% N=9)
Other (N = 9)