Table of Contents

Tables, Figures, and Exhibits xi

Foreword xiii
Richard T. Schlosberg III

Preface xvii

The Editors xxi

The Contributors xxiii

Introduction: Putting Evaluation to Work for Foundations xxxv
Jana Kay Slater, Norman A. Constantine, and Marc T. Braverman

PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVES

Perspective by Hodding Carter III xlvii
President and CEO, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Perspective by Michael M. Howe liii
President, The East Bay Community Foundation

Perspective by Risa Lavizzo-Mourey lvii
President and CEO, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING FOUNDATIONS AS A CONTEXT FOR EVALUATION

1 Using Evaluation to Advance a Foundation’s Mission 3
Laura C. Leviton and Marian E. Bass

2 A Historical Perspective on Evaluation in Foundations 27
Peter Dobkin Hall

3 Foundations and Evaluation as Uneasy Partners in Learning 51
Mark R. Kramer and William E. Bickel

4 Building Strong Foundation-Grantee Relationships 76
Michael Quinn Patton, John Bare, and Deborah G. Bonnet

5 Evaluation as a Democratizing Practice 96
Jennifer C. Greene, Ricardo A. Millett, and Rodney K. Hopson

6 Integrating Evaluation into Foundation Activity Cycles 119
Laura C. Leviton and William E. Bickel

PART TWO: BUILDING CAPACITY FOR EVALUATION PRACTICE

7 Making Judgments About What to Evaluate and How Intensely 145
Melvin M. Mark and William L. Beery

8 Adapting Evaluation to Accommodate Foundations’ Structural and Cultural Characteristics 166
Ross F. Conner, Victor Kuo, Marli S. Melton, and Ricardo A. Millett

9 Field-Based Evaluation as a Path to Foundation Effectiveness 185
Patricia Patrizi and Edward Pauly

10 Strategies for Smaller Foundations 201
Marli S. Melton, Jana Kay Slater, and Wendy L. Constantine

11 Strategies for Comprehensive Initiatives 223
Debra J. Rog and James R. Knickman

12 Appraising Evidence on Program Effectiveness 236
Norman A. Constantine and Marc T. Braverman

13 Evaluative Thinking for Grantees 259
E. Jane Davidson, Michael M. Howe, and Michael Scriven

14 Communicating Results to Different Audiences 281
Lester W. Baxter and Marc T. Braverman

Index 305

About the Author

Marc T. Braverman is a Cooperative Extension youth development specialist in the Department of Human and Community Development at the University of California, Davis.

Norman A. Constantine is a senior research scientist and program director of the Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development at the Public Health Institute in Oakland, California, and lecturer in epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Jana Kay Slater is senior research scientist at the Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development at the Public Health Institute in Oakland, California.