STRATEGY

We believe that lessons gained from our grantmaking can be used to help keep our work relevant, effective, and valuable to the fields in which we work. The Foundation evaluates the progress of our funding strategies and seeks to create opportunities to learn and share knowledge acquired over time.

This section features major evaluations that we have commissioned or conducted, as well as articles written by our staff about the ways in which the Foundation approaches evaluation, research, planning, program development, communications, and other matters of strategy.

Grantee outputs and outcomes are an important part of monitoring the Foundation's strategic direction. Guidance for prospective grantees seeking to develop effective outputs and outcomes can be found here.

WHAT WE'RE THINKING

Strategic Planning Update: Learning By Listening

The Foundation is in the midst of a strategic planning process that will guide our work for the next decade. As part of the process, we solicited community input on a range of topics important to our work. In this update, Jeremy Nowak describes what we learned by listening. more...

Hints for Program Evaluation: A Funder’s Advice

Helen Davis Picher, WPF’s Director of Evaluation & Planning, offers insights on how we approach evaluation, along with tips for organizations looking to beef up their own ability to assess their effectiveness. more...

Strategic Planning: Thoughts From Our President & CEO

We’ve embarked on the development of a new strategic plan that will guide our allocation of resources for years to come. In this column, Jeremy Nowak shares some thoughts on the early stages of the process the Foundation is using to shape its future.

more...

A Common Sense Approach to Evaluation

WPF's Sandi Adams describes how the Foundation uses a variety of methods to evaluate the success of our grantees, and ourselves.
more...

Using Evaluation to Shape Strategy: How Can We Make It Better? Are We There Yet?

Evaluation is an important tool in our grantmaking program. We use it to review progress in a field, explore what needs to be done, and help us tweak strategies as needed along the way. In this column, we describe how we are using evaluation to help shape our efforts to protect water quality in our region.
more...

Capitalization, advocacy, and Philly's robust cultural mix: an interview with Olive Mosier

"We believe that the future of a healthy cultural sector is tied to how well it is capitalized," says WPF's Olive Mosier, in an interview with Barry's Blog, a widely read publication for arts administrators. more...

EVALUATIONS AND RESEARCH SUMMARIES

A Common Sense Approach to Evaluation WPF's Sandi Adams describes how the Foundation uses a variety of methods to evaluate the success of our grantees, and ourselves.

Using Evaluation to Shape Strategy: How Can We Make It Better? Are We There Yet? Evaluation is an important tool in our grantmaking program. We use it to review progress in a field, explore what needs to be done, and help us tweak strategies as needed along the way. In this column, we describe how we are using evaluation to help shape our efforts to protect water quality in our region.

Strategy Review: Water Policy Grantmaking 2005 - 2009 A new report evaluates the Foundation's investment of $14 million in efforts to protect the region's water quality.

Monitoring and Evaluating our Strategies WPF's Helen Davis Picher and Sandi Adams recently published an in-depth paper about our approach to strategy and the tools we’ve developed to assess progress toward our goals.

What Does It Mean To Be A “Strategic” Grantmaker? "Being strategic is about more than just having a strategy," writes Sandi Adams in a discussion of the Foundation's approach to strategic grantmaking and the ways that we monitor progress toward our goals.

Evaluating Conservation Landscape Initiatives Pennsylvania's Conservation Landscapes Initiative was evaluated by the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning to document and assess the Commonwealth's approach.

Children’s Stability and Well-Being Study Researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute are studying the effects of placement stability on kids in Philadelphia's foster care system.

Children’s Literacy Initiative – Model Classroom Evaluation Evaluating the success of the Children's Literacy Initiative's kindergarten and first grade Model Classrooms program in the School District of Philadelphia.

Schuylkill River Watershed Cluster Assessment A close study of the Foundation's watershed program finds successes, but challenges too.

Capitalization in Philadelphia's Nonprofit Cultural Sector A new report released by TDC of Boston underscores the need for Philadelphia’s arts and culture groups, service organizations, and funders to address capitalization needs within the nonprofit sector.

Summer Career Exploration Researchers found that implementation was strong, but there was little difference in the long term effects of the program on SCEP students. Nevertheless, the report concludes that SCEP and similar programs have an important place in our region's system of supports, programs and opportunities for young people.