Digest: Studies, Books, Web Sites, and Other Publications

2005, 24 pages. Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, 1413 K Street, NW, 2nd floor, Washington, DC, 20005

Download pdf: Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

This report examines current topics in philanthropic evaluation and showcases innovative approaches to evaluation being used by grantmakers, both large and small. Through three essays and concise, informative case studies, evaluation is shown to be an opportunity to learn about one's grantmaking and to increase its effectiveness.

2005, 139 pages. Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Fieldstone Alliance Publishing Center, Saint Paul, MN, 55107

In this guide, York promotes the concept of "evaluative learning" to help funders use evaluation to build capacity and increased effectiveness in their grantees' organizations. Examinations of capacity building, organizational effectiveness, current and typical uses of evaluations, and the philosophy of evaluations lead to a step-by-step, soup-to-nuts guide to planning for and implementing evaluative learning.

April 2005, 6 pages. Wallace Foundation, Two Park Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, NY, 10016, 212-251-9700

PDF available for download at the Wallace Foundation website.

Wallace President M. Christine DeVita discusses the Foundation's experiences and early lessons in measuring its own effectiveness, as presented at the 2005 Council on Foundations annual conference. This straightforward approach and simple set of questions provides a useful resource for the small or family foundation wanting to address the question, "How are we doing?"

2004, 58 pages. Free Expression Policy Project, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law, 161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor, New York, NY, 10013, 212-998-6730, http://www.fepproject.org

Download pdf: http://www.fepproject.org/policyreports/InformationCommons.pdf

July 2004, 12 pages. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 3300, Miami, FL, 33131-2349, 305-908-2600

Download pdf: http://www.knightfoundation.org/dotAsset/221200.pdf

2003, 67 pages. Arts Policy and Administration Program, Ohio State University, 128 N. Oval Mall, Columbus, OH, 43210, 614-292-5356

Download pdf: www.culturalpolicy.org/pdf/MJWpaper.pdf

August 2004, 14 pages. The Urban Institute, 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC, 20037, 202-833-7200, www.urban.org

Download pdf: www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311043_Arts_Nonarts.pdf

March 2003, 126 pages. The Richard Driehaus Foundation, 203 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 1800, Chicago, IL 60601, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 140 S. Dearborn Street, Suite 1100, Chicago, IL, 60603

Download pdf: http://www.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7BB0386CE3-8B29-4162-8098-E466FB856794%7D/SMALL_BUDGET_ARTS_ACTIVITIES.PDF

2004, 176 pages. The Urban Institute, 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC, 20037, 202-833-7200, www.urban.org

Download pdf: http://www.urban.org/publications/411067.html

November 2004, 12 pages. Americans for the Arts, 1000 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20005, 202-371-2830, www.AmericansForTheArts.org

This study is based on data provided by twenty-six local arts agencies, and, in part, compares information from a similar survey of the same agencies done in 2003. It shows that, overall, their financial health continues to be tied to that of their local economies, and has slightly improved since 2003.