Creative and Effective Institutions Award: Program Evaluation

As a fellow of the firm Slover Linett Audience Research, I am co-led a comprehensive evaluation of the MacArthur Foundation’s Creative and Effective Institutions Award. Continuing MacArthur’s tradition of encouraging creativity and building effective institutions to help address some of the world’s most challenging problems, these annual awards recognize exceptional Foundation grantees and help ensure their long-term sustainability. Our work comprises an inclusive assessment of the program’s impact to date by looking deeply at its structure, scale, and overall ability to stimulate meaningful organizational change within a diverse range of social sector organizations, operating in a wide range of contexts—from New York City to Lagos, Nigeria—and in issue areas including international human rights, environmental conservation, and affordable housing, among others. Our evaluation takes an in-depth look at the variety of ways philanthropic investments can stimulate the strategic use of creativity in service of enhanced organizational strength and effectiveness.