The Research Advantage: Why Context Is Everything in Philanthropy
With $592.50 billion in charitable giving in 2024, foundations possess unprecedented resources to create transformative social change. Yet most philanthropic organizations are making a critical error that undermines their impact: they fund programs in isolation, often ignoring the broader social and economic context that determines whether interventions actually work.
Making “Theory of Change” Matter
A theory of change, when done well, is more than a schematic. It’s a window into the strategic thinking of an organization—how it understands the problem it's trying to solve, the levers it believes can move that problem, and the assumptions that undergird every action it takes. For funders, engaging seriously with a grantee’s theory of change isn’t just due diligence, it’s a way to deepen partnership, surface learning opportunities, and sharpen impact.