Evocative Grantmaking &
Generative Engagement
Foundations that view themselves primarily as “grant makers” often lose sight of the fact that funding is only one of many ways that they can add value. Moreover, much of that potential value is squandered if foundation staff focus solely on the procedural steps involved in awarding grants (soliciting and reviewing proposals, negotiating contracts, disbursing funds, monitoring grantees’ progress). That “transactional” approach to grantmaking presumes that the foundation’s role is to fund the projects that nonprofits formulate when they prepare their applications. Evocative grantmaking, in contrast, is based on the realization that foundation staff are in a unique position where they can stimulate nonprofits to engage in deeper thinking and to generate next-generation projects. In essence, foundations have the power to entice a wide range of people and organizations to try things they wouldn’t otherwise step into. This is a power that can be abused – as when foundations impose their own agenda on nonprofits and require specific lines of work in return for receiving a grant. But that power can also be used to draw nonprofit agencies, community-based organizations and grassroots leaders into a deeper interrogation of their aspirations and a broader exploration of the opportunities available to them. I first saw this approach to philanthropy in action at the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation in the early 2000s. Their staff (“network officers” rather than “program officers”) were intentionally provocative in pushing social-justice groups across the Southeast U.S. to think more ambitiously and to connect with one another in ways that could create movements, not just deliver services. I described their work in a couple articles and considered what it takes on the part of foundation staff, CEOs and boards to carry out this “evocative” approach to philanthropy. The evocative approach can be used not only to help individual applicants and grantees reach their potential, but also in the context of place-based philanthropy. By actively engaging with people and organizations throughout a community, foundation staff can draw out a mix of promising ideas that would otherwise remain dormant. This premise became the basis for a new approach to place-based philanthropy – “Cultivation.” One of the core assumptions underlying evocative grantmaking is that foundation staff have expertise, experience and perspective that allows them to add value to partners. That has proven true for the foundations I have worked with. Anchorum Health Foundation was quite explicit in hiring program directors who had well-honed experience in healthcare, financial management, public policy and other areas directly relevant to the foundation’s partner organizations. With that expertise, foundation staff were able to guide struggling nonprofits toward previously unrecognized remedies. Other philanthropic models, especially Trust-Based Philanthropy, call for foundation staff to engage with nonprofit organizations in extensive, authentic conversations with the intent that the foundation will provide support that is tailored to the nonprofit’s interests and goes beyond simply awarding grants. Evocative grantmaking is different in that it encourages foundation staff to lean in with their own ideas and perspective, including offering up the foundation’s own strategic interests during conversation with grantees. The intent is NOT to impose the foundation’s interests on partners, but rather to invite a bi-directional back-and-forth conversation that explores how both organizations can advance their interests. As Anchorum’s experience demonstrates, generative conversations between the funder and grantee often lead to innovative solutions that neither party anticipated on the front end.
Contributions to the Field > Evocative Grantmaking & Generative Engagement > Relevant Publications
How Grantmaking Can Create Adaptive Organizations
This SSIR article introduced the concept of "evocative grantmaking" as a means of building the adaptive capacity of nonprofits. It also laid out 4 key practices: hold grantees accountable to learning and improvement (not the initial set of milestones), link grants in a sequence that promotes continuous improvement, provide resources that support strategic thinking, and deploy staff as evocateurs.
Building the capacity of networks to achieve systems change
Networks are increasingly recognized as powerful platforms and vehicles for advancing social change. Foundations have taken advantage of their potential by (a) providing funding to networks aligned with their interests, or (b) convening new networks. In contrast, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation deploys its staff as "network officers" who actively engage with networks in ways that build their capacity.
Moving from Trust-Based Philanthropy to Generative Engagement
While Trust-Based Philanthropy has encouraged foundations to better understand and address the needs of nonprofits, the model has also downplayed the expertise and interests that foundation staff can bring to the relationship. This piece introduces "generative engagement" as a more balanced approach and highlights two instances where Anchorum Health Foundation added value to nonprofits by pushing beyond what Trust-Based Philanthropy recommends.
Cultivating promising ideas to improve community health
This Health Affairs blog introduces the Cultivation approach to place-based philanthropy by describing the rationale, the philosophy and the forms of support that foundations provide. It also includes examples from the Clinton Foundation's Health Matters Initiative.
Prodding new thinking and new action: The crucial power of foundations
It has long been recognized that foundations have the power to draw nonprofits into work they wouldn't otherwise consider. This GIH blog explores what it means for foundations to use that power wisely and responsibly, not just to advance their own immediate interests.
Using foundations’ power to advance racial equity
Using foundations’ power to advance racial equity Because grant opportunities can incentivize new programming, foundations have the potential to encourage institutions to pursue a more robust equity agenda. At the same time, foundations can use their power to encourage bolder, more informed action on the part of groups that are on the front lines of social change.
Enticing institutions to become more inclusive and responsive: Lessons from The Colorado Health Foundation’s Locally Focused Work
As one strand in its strategy to promote health equity across the state, the Colorado Health Foundation's Locally Focused Work (LFW) aims to create more inclusive, responsive institutions within the communities where it is investing. LFW uses 2 strategies for this: 1) building the power of local equity champions, and 2) using the grantmaking process to entice institutions to adopt new and expanded organizational-change work. This article describes successes and challenges with the second approach.
How can foundations promote impactful collaboration?
The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts devotes most of its resources to supporting collaborative groups in developing, testing and sustaining innovative approaches to address the key health and SDOH issues facing the region. Their model emphasizes reviewing available evidence, rigorous program design, experimentation, and using data for learning and advocacy. In addition, the foundation's CEO played a critical role as an active participant in each collaborative group, asking probing questions and continually pushing the group to next-level work.