Executive Vice President—COO's Report
Foundation Performance Measurement: A Tool for Institutional Learning and Improvement
The Fund's Approach to Performance Assessment
Principles for Value-Added Grantmaking
1. Developing Sound Strategies
2. Capitalizing on the Fund's Comparative Advantages
3. Executing Strategy
4. Selecting and Positioning Grantees for Success
5. Contributing to and Monitoring Work in Progress
6. Communicating Results to Influential Audiences
7. Staffing to Accomplish Value-Added Goals
Learning From Experience

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3. Executing Strategy
Former Robert Wood Johnson Foundation president Stephen Schroeder, M.D., argues cogently that, in the end, "execution trumps strategy" in the foundation business.(2) Wise use of intramural resources lies at the heart of effective execution and enables value-added foundations to prove their mettle.

Start with planning grants. A planning grant can be a prudent safeguard against blindly leaping into new programs and projects. The Fund uses planning support to test the feasibility of potentially valuable, but risky, projects and to develop business plans for large undertakings.

Vigorously vet grant proposals. The Fund uses a collegial but rigorous process for vetting grant proposals brought forward by program officers. Its features include: 1) joint review by the foundation's executive management team; 2) independent rating by that team and by program officers of projects' risk/reward potential; 3) review by external consultants when necessary; and 4) critiquing by Board members.(3) The process keeps the Fund's executive management and Board in touch with all aspects of the foundation's work and builds the analytic skills of program staff. The emergence of widespread uncertainties about a proposal during the vetting process is a clear signal to probe further before proceeding.

Support only projects that make clear contributions to the program plan. Projects that have little synergy with other projects, are focused on second-order issues, or are of questionable timing should be set aside.

Carefully define the scope of a project. Fund staff and outside experts help sharpen project design and improve methodology. Research hypotheses need to be clearly stated, and the research design must be sufficiently robust to test the hypotheses objectively.

Assess the grantee's institutional capacity. Good intentions sometimes outpace an institution's ability to change or implement new programs, especially when bureaucratic and financial constraints are also at play. A management consultant may be able to help an organization set priorities and mobilize internal support.

Be skeptical about projections that innovations will spread easily. Clinical innovations do not typically sell themselves to the institutions that can benefit from them. In order to recognize the value of new methods, administrators and professionals often need strong support. Adapting a proven innovative model to local conditions is unavoidable, and is perhaps even essential to successful adoption by institutions. A charismatic founder may not be best suited for managing a successful replication effort.
 
 
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