Barr's ongoing efforts to improve how we work, in response to grantee feedback.
At the Barr Foundation, we aim for excellence in every facet of our work. How we do our work is just as important as what we do. In 2017, Barr participated in the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP)’s Grantee Perception Report (GPR). This area of our website shares the feedback we have received in our most recent grantee survey, the steps we have committed to take, and updates on our progress in real-time.
Read our blog, "The Value of Constructive Feedback," to learn more about why we seek and share candid input from grantees.
What we Heard in 2017
Access our results from the 2017 GPR Report and Grantee Focus Group:
Our Response
We know our effectiveness depends on quality relationships. Based on the feedback we received, we are working to improve the experience of our grantees, with a particular focus on investing our time in strengthening relationships with our partners.
To learn more about our approach and response to the 2017 GPR feedback, read "Typical Isn't Good Enough."
Grantmaking Process Improvements
- Summer 2018: Barr Foundation staff experienced a simulated grant application process in order to better understand what we ask grantseekers to do, where the process adds value, and where it can be streamlined. We then formed a staff working group to take the next steps on recommendations from grantees and staff.
Proposal and Reporting Process
- Fall 2018: We developed a guide for writing outputs and outcomes to make reporting more straightforward.
- Ongoing: We are working to make our proposal and reporting processes more flexible and responsive to our partners' workflow and needs.
Learning and Evaluation
- Spring 2018: We launched a new Impact & Learning section of our website, complete with a knowledge center and updates on our ongoing evaluations.
Communications
- Fall 2018: We revised grant communications to make them more human and welcoming in tone and content.
- Ongoing: We are working to clarify, on our website and through conversations with grantees, the goals of our strategies, how our grants align with those strategies, and how our grantees' work relates to other organizations we support.
Next Steps
- Prerna Sekhri, who joined Barr in November 2018 as manager of program operations, will lead continued improvements to our grantmaking processes in collaboration with Barr staff and grantees.
Past Feedback
Below, explore grantee feedback from the past ten years.