At the Barr Foundation, how we do our work is just as important as what we do. Candid feedback from grantees and potential grantees has helped us become more open to new ideas and new partners, build more effective partnerships, and ultimately, have greater impact.
Barr has utilized the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s (CEP’s) Grantee Perception Report (GPR) every few years to gather comprehensive, anonymous feedback, which has highlighted important areas for our focus and which we have shared publicly. However, that survey is a time intensive process for both grantees and Barr and is conducted only periodically. We want to ensure we are open to feedback at any time and hope to make it easy for our current and potential partners to provide timely feedback about their experiences interacting with the Barr Foundation.
We want to make you aware of several options for sharing feedback with us at any time:
- Talk with us directly. We are always open to direct feedback by email, in person, or by phone. This is the most helpful form of feedback as it allows more discussion and a fuller understanding of the concern. But we do understand that it isn’t always feasible and the power dynamics inherent in a funding relationship can make it difficult to provide candid feedback in this way.
- Use our Grantmaking Process Feedback form. Current grantees or organizations that have submitted proposals can use our Grantmaking Process Feedback form to provide comments on their experience. We want every organization or individual that seeks funding from Barr to feel that they were treated with respect and received a decision in a timely manner. Regardless of where you are in the process – whether you are currently receiving funding or not – we welcome your feedback. Each submission of this form is received and reviewed weekly by our Grants Management team, and this feedback is shared with our staff. Using this form, you can choose to include your contact information if you want us to follow up with you or submit feedback anonymously.
- Submit an anonymous public review on GrantAdvisor. We invite public reviews of the Barr Foundation on GrantAdvisor. Whether you have applied for a grant, received a grant, or interacted with our foundation in another way, this platform offers an opportunity to share an anonymous review based on your first-hand experience. As appropriate, we may also publicly acknowledge or respond to these reviews. We hope that this additional avenue for sharing feedback may help to level the inherent power dynamic between philanthropic organizations and empower those who seek funding to safely provide honest critique to help identify ways that Barr can improve and hold us publicly accountable for our decisions.
Humility is a core value of the Barr Foundation, and this includes respect for our partners and recognition of the privilege inherent in philanthropic work. Feedback is a critical complement to other sources of data on our effectiveness as we strive for excellence in all aspects of our work. We look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions.
