Eugene Lewit, Consulting Professor, Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University
Paul Jellinek, Principal, Isaaks/Jellinek
Foundations support evaluations for a variety of reasons: to measure impact and monitor program performance; to strengthen program performance by providing feedback to grantees and foundation staff; and to promote broader learning by grantees, the foundation, and the nonprofit community at large. Foundations have also used evaluations to leverage the impact of their programs using a demonstration, evaluation, and dissemination model. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s grantmaking strategy ensures that all children have health insurance has gone a step further, using evaluation as a powerful strategic intervention in its own right.