Meeting Reports

Bringing Strategic Clarity to Your Grantmaking: Crafting and Using a Theory of Change (PDF)

At its 2006 conference, GFE offered a special "conference study group" – an intensive program track for grantmakers seeking to understand how to achieve greater strategic clarity by developing and using a theory of change. This report captures key highlights from the program.

Making the Most of Our Investments: How PK-3 Alignment Can Close the Achievement Gap from the Start (PDF)

In May 2006, GFE convened grantmakers, educators and researchers for a member briefing -- Making the Most of Our Investments: How PK-3 Alignment Can Close the Achievement Gap from the Start -- to examine the rationale and promising approaches for aligning education from Pre-K through grade 3. This report from the briefing demonstrates the need for aligning education in the early years, outlines the elements of an aligned PK-3 system and highlights promising grantmaking strategies.

Relationships, Respect and Revitalization: A Guide for Native American Education and Philanthropy (PDF)

In February 2006, a GFE member briefing -- The Education of American Indians: Promoting Successful Programs and Strategies -- brought together grantmakers, American Indian educators, directors of innovative Native educational programs and scholars to discuss cultural and educational issues in Indian Country and appropriate strategies for grantmaking. This report from the briefing provides an overview of contemporary topics in Native education as well as a set of strategies grantmakers can employ to make funding decisions in early childhood education, K-12 education, tribal colleges and universities, post-secondary education and graduate school, language and culture, and teacher training.

Foundation Strategies for Influencing Education Policy (PDF)

For its 2005 Education Grantmakers Institute at Harvard University, GFE organized "Foundation Strategies for Influencing Education Policy." This report sumarizes the institute's key presentations, discussions and debates. It covers these topics: Why engage in policy change?, tools and skills for education advocacy, philanthropy and the political process, and planning and evaluating education policy initiatives.

A New Bet for Better Schools?: Diversifying Philanthropic Strategies to Improve Student Learnings (PDF)

Can we get the schools we need from the schools we have? That provocative question shaped a two-day meeting organized by Grantmakers for Education and The Philanthropy Roundtable in 2004 to investigate the effectiveness of creating new schools as a strategy for improving public education. The report summarizes key findings and questions from the meeting.

Building Capacity in School Systems (PDF)

In collaboration with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and Stanford University's Center for Social Innovation, GFE convened foundation representatives at Stanford's Graduate School of Business in May 2003. The report examines strategies for building the capacity of school systems and attempts to respond to the unique challenges grantmakers face when reforming large and often bureaucratic school systems.

Strategies Achieving Results: Convening Proceedings (PDF)

This report documents the key findings from a February 2004 convening of grantmakers and policymakers concerned with improving the educational achievement of Latino students.

Summit Offers Lesson Plan for Improving Teacher Quality (PDF)
This report documents a January 2004 seminar that examined the role of education organizing in school reform, particularly in improving teaching quality.

Fixing urban school systems: Can philanthropy make a difference? (PDF)
This report shares key findings from a member briefing on grantmaking in urban school systems convened during February 2003.

More Change, Less Charity: Strategic Support of Washington Schools (PDF)
This report documents the key findings from a seminar of educators, community leaders, philanthropists and policymakers. (2002)