News

An evaluation of the RBF's grantmaking work in the global Democratic Practice portfolio 2010 to 2015 found that it was successful in its primary goal of strengthening the vitality of democracy in global governance. Program director Thomas Kruse's memo reflects on the evaluation and outlines the continuing strategies of the portfolio.

Earlier this year, the Center for Effective Philanthropy surveyed the RBF’s grantees and applicants to gain insight into their perception of the Fund’s performance. This process allows core constituencies the opportunity to provide us with feedback on our work and we are committed to responding to their suggestions.

The story behind the evolution of the Fund’s Mission-Aligned and Impact Investment strategies is the subject of a case study by The ImPact. The study offers actionable insights that families and organizations can use to align their investments with their values.

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 assessment to evaluate impact, such as progress made in Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia, against the goals and indicators of the program framework.

A recent report by Princeton University’s Innovations for Successful Societies highlights the collaboration among civil society leaders to make necessary changes to Kosovo’s judicial processes during its nascent independence.

AKA|Strategy and NEXT: Transition Advisors conducted a review of the Culpeper Arts and Culture Grants from 2003 to 2013. The review of grantmaking is intended to provide an understanding of the Fund’s place in the field, the evolution of the program, the strengths and weaknesses its strategies and grantmaking, an assessment of the contributions of Fund's grantees to progress in the field, and possible approaches going forward. 

In 2013, staff initiated a project to assess the outcomes and impact of program-related conferences held at the Fund’s Pocantico Center during the period 1994–2012. Pocantico hosted a total of 1,015 conference, retreats, or meetings in those 18 years.

In June 2013, the RBF contracted with M+R Strategic Services to conduct an impact assessment of the Democratic Practice program's money-in-politics grantmaking. The purpose of the impact assessment was to step back after 10 years of grantmaking and  review the money-in-politics portfolio, including related transparency grants.

Discerning and communicating the impact of grantmaking and other programmatic contributions are essential to a foundation's mission as well as its commitment to stewardship, transparency, and accountability. A year after a committee of Rockefeller Brothers Fund trustees and staff was established to tackle this issue, their approach to impact assessment has been published in the report, Evaluating Program Impact.

The Story of Brownfields, written by Anita Nager, a recognized leader in the environmental field, documents the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s 14-year history of brownfield grantmaking and presents a narrative of the foundation’s choices, against a timeline its grantees’ activities and the brownfield remediation and redevelopment efforts of New York City and New York state.