When Foundation Strategies Evolve

In Jim Canales’s blogpost last week, “A Time to Be Steadfast,” he noted that for us at Barr, the challenges and opportunities before us demand that we “hold tightly to mission, values and goals, but loosely to the strategies, tactics and approaches of any particular moment.”

We know that when foundations use words like “strategy review” or “strategy refresh,” it can raise concerns (and hopes!) and questions about what it means for organizations that receive their support. So as we’ve recently started to share strategy updates from our program teams (for example, “A Strategy Refresh for Barr’s Mobility Work,” with more soon to come), I wanted to take a moment to be transparent about our approach, and to try addressing some of the fundamental questions that might arise: How does Barr even define “strategy”? What does it mean to “refresh” a strategy? Why are Barr teams making changes now? What are the implications for grantees?

What does Barr mean by “strategy”?

While Barr may be among the larger private foundations, our resources are still limited – especially in light of our goals and the complexity of the issues we work on. That means we face difficult trade-offs and hard decisions. That’s where strategy comes in. Strategies are the frameworks for planning and organizing our actions and resources to achieve our goals.

How does Barr even define “strategy”? What does it mean to “refresh” a strategy? Why are Barr teams making changes now? What are the implications for grantees?

In my view, the fundamentals of strategy are consistent across a range of fields and work, with three basic components:

1. A clear, focused goal that’s specific enough to decide what’s in and (perhaps even more importantly) what’s out.
2. Resources identified and aligned around the goal. In philanthropy, we often think of grants as the primary resource. Yet we also consider other resources we can bring or enlist, such as relationships, convenings, technical expertise and assistance, learning and evaluation, and our voice and leadership.
3. Ways to gauge progress, learn what’s working or not, assess changes in the context and conditions, and use those insights to adjust - whether through smaller course corrections or larger shifts in strategy.

That general approach to strategy may be fairly universal. But at Barr, strategy work is of course also grounded in our core values. We start with striving for impact and embracing risk. Where current policy and practice are not bringing us closer (or fast enough) to our goals, we must be willing to take risks on new ideas and approaches. Knowing we are striving to tackle complex and systemic issues, we take the long-term view, often framing goals and strategies for six years or longer.

Just as importantly for us, strategy also requires humility and relationships rooted in trust. We know we need to develop strategies in collaboration with those actually doing the work. So we strive to listen to a range of perspectives, and to develop, assess, and evolve our work in partnership.

We know we need to develop strategies in collaboration with those actually doing the work. So we strive to listen to a range of perspectives, and to develop, assess, and evolve our work in partnership.

We undertake research, hold listening sessions, and test our ideas with grantees and others in our fields. Importantly, we enlist our trustees in the process for their critical questions and insights that sharpen our thinking and ensure our continued alignment with Barr’s values, mission, and goals.

Why is Barr now undertaking a number of strategy reviews?

As Jim said, having a steadfast, long-term focus doesn’t mean inflexibility. Strategy is not a “set it and forget it” kind of task. Rather, we need to be asking constantly: What have we learned? What worked well? What didn’t work the way we intended or expected? What has changed in the larger environment? What new ideas or opportunities have arisen? What are our grantees telling us? And what are we hearing from others in the communities we aim to support?

Most of Barr’s current strategies were launched around 2016. Since then, Barr has grown, implemented new initiatives, invested in learning and evaluation, brought on new staff with fresh perspectives, and sought to center racial equity more explicitly in our work. Even more has changed in our fields, where new leaders have stepped up, we’ve endured a global pandemic, and new opportunities and challenges have arisen.

What does this mean for current grantees?

As we consider the shifts we need to make, the value we place on relationships remains central. We know that uncertainty and the prospect of change can raise questions for our partners and we strive to minimize that by keeping the lines of communications open. We strive to be transparent about the process we’re going through, where we land, and why. For individual grantees, this may translate to continued funding, new or different funding, or an end to support that may have been sustained over many years. In the cases where we are winding down our investments in certain aspects of work, we strive to help each organization continue their success and impact beyond Barr support.

Barr’s mission speaks to a dual role we seek to play - as “stewards and catalysts.” We aim to both nurture community assets and help advance new ideas in the field. To do this means we need to use our resources wisely and make sound decisions in the face of challenging tradeoffs and a constantly evolving context. This stewardship requires clear strategies, ongoing learning and reflection, close listening, and strong partnerships to guide how we continually evolve to meet the challenges before us.

Stewardship requires clear strategies, ongoing learning and reflection, close listening, and strong partnerships to guide how we continually evolve to meet the challenges before us.

We are keenly aware that any impact enabled by our resources is the direct result of the energy, dedication, and work of our partners. Rooted in that understanding, we are committed to be open and transparent, and to work in partnership with those whom it is our privilege support. We look forward to sharing further updates in 2024 and always welcome your feedback and insights.

Published 01.16.2024