A new, global study shows how leading philanthropic foundations are harnessing monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) activities to drive strategic decision-making and support efforts to drive systemic change.
Developed by CEI, in collaboration with Tanoto Foundation, the recently launched study, The evidence behind better philanthropy, is based on in-depth interviews with 11 leading foundations and an extensive review of relevant literature.
“We set out to better understand how philanthropic organisations are leveraging evidence from their MEL efforts to drive learning and improvement that advances their missions,” explains CEI Global Managing Director, Mary Abdo.
“Philanthropic practice is typically not well studied or codified, and there is not really a clear sense of how to ‘do’ philanthropy well. Philanthropic capital is a really precious resource for supporting innovations, but there is a lack of shared insight and practice on how foundations can ensure what they learn informs what they do.”
These new study findings are therefore highly instructive, in documenting key lessons from real-world practice, and in providing a sense of trends and ‘benchmarks’ for the sector.
Ten key themes emerge from the study:
- It’s not MEL, it’s SMEL – Strategy, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
MEL is both informed by and informs on the organisation’s most critical strategic questions, and there is deep integration with strategy teams (often, they are one and the same team).
- MEL teams play a “critical friend” role
MEL teams find it most effective to work closely and collaboratively with stakeholders – including board, program and grantee counterparts – seeking to avoid an “audit” role and instead to come to the table emphasising a shared learning mindset.
- Methodological flexibility is essential
Without exception, foundations concurred that a “fit-for-purpose” mindset on methods was key – that is, the most rigorous methods are not always the most appropriate. Methods must be matched to questions, time and resources.
- Evidence must be “useful and used”
The “usefulness” of MEL is tied to its ability to support decision-making and learning; the timeliness of findings and relevance of insights is critical.
- A “learning culture” is essential
There is a core emphasis on learning, humility, and curiosity. The research emphasised that a learning culture relies on tolerance for risk, along with the ability to work with uncertainty and ambiguity. This must be coupled with flexibility and adaptability, seeing failure as an opportunity for learning.
- MEL needs a (senior) seat at the table
Respect for, recognition of, and integration of MEL throughout the foundation requires MEL leaders with organisational authority. Having a MEL leader in a senior managerial position is essential for signalling and decision-making.
- Building grantee evidence literacy is key to advancing impact
Grantee literacy (and sense of co-ownership) in gathering and applying evidence is critical for successful MEL efforts and broader funding impact, but in many contexts this vision is not yet a reality.
- Contribution, rather than attribution, takes centre stage in complex systems
As foundations increasingly fund systems change and/or collaborative efforts, there is a shift from measuring attribution (or causality) to measuring contribution. But no “gold standard” for systems change measurement has yet been defined.
- External “learning partners” play an important role
Some foundations have developed long-term, strategic relationships with external “learning partners” (either teams or individual advisors), often in a “critical friend” partnership built on trust and open discussion.
- Communications is an important “tool for impact”
MEL teams are engaging with colleagues in Communications roles to help them make learning insights more meaningful for non-experts, which is essential to support knowledge translation and dissemination.
“What we’re seeing is these leading foundations moving away from a strict focus on MEL as a tool for accountability, toward a more complex, holistic understanding of evidence as key to strategy, and to their role in driving systemic change,” says Mary.
“The other clear finding is that organisational culture around evidence is crucial: the most successful foundations encourage open dialogue about what is and isn’t working, and prioritise the role of evidence in continuous learning and improvement.”
In the study’s Foreword, Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees member, Belinda Tanoto, notes: “This report does not claim to have all the answers, but we hope it inspires reflection, discussion, and collaboration. By aligning on shared principles and learning from each other’s experiences, we can build a more evidence-informed sector that is better equipped to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.”
Download the full report HERE
Watch a webinar panel discussion on key findings HERE
The report, The evidence behind better philanthropy, is authored by CEI’s Dr Grace Chng, Mary Abdo and Marlyna Mochtar, in collaboration with Dr Gary Woller, former Global MLE Head (2023-2024) at Tanoto Foundation, which commissioned the study.
