Thesis
Evaluation in foundations: how its purpose and practice reflect institutional culture
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
2013
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-4417
Abstract
The growing emphasis on accountability and effectiveness has pushed grantmakers to be more data driven in communicating the achievement of their outcomes. Literature on this subject suggests that grantmakers do not utilize evaluation methods to articulate the connection between their outcomes and their organizational mission and objectives, and are unwilling to adopt evaluation for this purpose. This paper examines whether or not Greater Philadelphia grantmakers in the arts are part of this population and finds that grantmakers of all sizes have and continue to practice evaluation in ways unique to each institution. The observed challenge facing these grantmakers is to adopt efficient and practical evaluation practices to understand, articulate, and monitor each funder's discrete grantmaking objectives. Each grantmaker's objectives are either impact or support-oriented, and this orientation denotes a funder's institutional culture (i.e. staff size, overall annual grant budget, and funding priorities). These two orientations are the root of not only grantmaking strategy, but how a grantmaker practices and uses evaluation.
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Details
- Title
- Evaluation in foundations
- Creators
- Lindsay Tucker - DU
- Contributors
- Neville Vakharia (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- iv, 64 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Arts Administration; Arts and Entertainment Enterprise; Drexel University; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
- Other Identifier
- 4417; 991014632215904721