 |
Reach practitioners through their organizations. The Fund has magnified the practical impact of projects by working with professional, organizational, and trade associations to engage members who might not otherwise be interested in a particular issue. |
|
Collaborate with organizations that are powerful agents of change. The Fund has had success in forging partnerships with organizations that are well-positioned to diffuse innovation. Examples include the National Academy for State Health Policy, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Health Research and Educational Trust, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the American Board of Internal Medicine, and medical professional societies. |
|
Commit to the long-term work of building a movement. Through the sponsorship of the Picker Institute, the Fund was instrumental in the emergence of the patient-centered care movement in the 1980s and early 1990s. Opportunistic support of selected projects in recent years has helped position the Fund to make another contribution through its new Patient-Centered Primary Care Initiative, focused on developing and using physician performance measures to encourage providers to be more responsive to patients' needs and preferences. The Fund has also contributed to the nursing home culture change movement and to a systemic shift in well-child care toward greater emphasis of developmental issues. |
|
Increase funding flexibility through the use of small grants. The foundation's Small Grants Fund provides a flexible mechanism for undertaking exploratory work, evaluations, or project planning. It thereby helps to improve the risk/return profile of the Fund's major grants portfolio, assists grantees in obtaining funding from other sources, and provides supplemental support for unforeseen follow-up work. Small grants have been particularly useful for commissioning expert analyses of Fund surveys, underwriting small research projects, and supporting meetings and conferences. |
|
Exercise caution in joining a large undertaking as a small contributor. For a foundation to have an impact under such circumstances, it must be perceived as adding significant value through the expertise, time, and energy of its staff. |
|
Be alert to the risks of projects whose success and conduct are contingent on government action. Turnover in government agency staffs and shifting policy priorities can delay or imperil partnerships with agencies. At the same time, the availability of foundation funds can help officials hold to a planned course. |
|
Enhance large undertakings with well-chosen add-on projects. The real payoff of a long-term investment is sometimes realized only with a final, relatively small and unplanned commitment. Communications activities and supplemental data analyses have been particularly useful in this regard. |
