The Fund’s Western Balkans Program Midterm Impact Assessment
After five years of grantmaking in the Western Balkans, midway to the 10-year timeframe established for the program in 2010, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund commissioned an independent impact assessment to evaluate the following:
- What progress has been made in Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia against the goals and indicators in the program framework? In what ways have the RBF and its grantees contributed to progress?
- Is the program’s overall aspiration of EU accession still valid? Are the program’s goals relevant in the evolving context?
- What has been learned about the Fund’s grantmaking approach in the region?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Fund’s work in the region?
- What should the RBF board and staff consider for the next five years?
The assessment was carried out by Jennifer Chapman, Michael Dziedzic, and Reuf Bajrovic, who collectively have experience in program evaluation and various aspects (political development, military engagement, peacebuilding efforts, organized crime, etc.) of the complex Western Balkans history and context. The team interviewed approximately 80 individuals and conducted three focus group discussions, receiving input from grantees, former grantees, and other donors active in the region; government officials and other decision-makers; and international organizations and institutions in Albania, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and the United States.