A Note about the Center for Effective Philanthropy's Grantee Perception ReportTM
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is dedicated to advancing environmental conservation and scientific research around the world, as well as helping to improve quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. To have the impact we seek, at a scale to make a real difference, we rely heavily on mutual engagement and collaboration with our grantees and other partners. For that collaboration to be effective, we need to understand our grantees’ perceptions about the Foundation and its approach. The input we gain by engaging the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) to survey our grantees helps us identify both what is working well and what needs improvement.
The Grantee Perception Report™ (GPR) is a confidential survey that covers a range of topics, including grantee perceptions of the Foundation’s impact in the fields it supports, the clarity and consistency of its communications, and the grant application and implementation processes. The results compare the Foundation to its peers, to the broader philanthropy field, and, in this most recent report, to the responses given by our grantees in 2008 and in 2004.
In this survey, CEP contacted 507 recipients of Foundation grants in 2010. Of those organizations, 331 responded to the survey, representing a response rate of 65% (this compares to 68% in 2008, and 79% in 2004). For most survey questions, we were able to compare responses to those from our 2008 and 2004 GPR. CEP conducted its research for this latest report in September and October 2011.
Among the findings, the report indicates significant improvement in grantees’ perceptions of:
- the helpfulness of the Foundation’s selection and evaluation processes,
- the Foundation’s impact on grantees’ fields, the state of knowledge, and public policy, and
- the quality of relationships between the grantees and the Foundation.
While we are gratified by these findings, grantees’ responses also indicate that the Foundation can still improve its streamlining of grantmaking processes, the facilitation of grantee-to-grantee collaborations, its management of staff transitions, and communication about strategic priorities. We appreciate that there are still important aspects of our work and relationships with grantees that can be enhanced, and are actively reviewing our processes to make changes in the coming year informed by grantee feedback.
Together with the results of a Staff Perception Report™ that CEP conducted in 2011 for the Foundation, these results give us important feedback to assess our work and impact.
We extend our sincere thanks to our grantees for their time and thoughtful responses to the Grantee Perception Survey, and to CEP for its continued work to improve the field of philanthropy.
Summary of Grantee Perception Report (2011)TM
Sincerely,
Steve McCormick
February 2012
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Summary of Grantee Perception Report (2008)TM