Walter & Elise Haas Fund: Grantee Perception Report

Monroe Elementary School PTA, Lisbon Street Mosaic Mural

We are proud of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund’s long history of building respectful and effective relationships with our grantees. While the grantor/grantee relationship can be complex, both staff and trustees are guided by a deep understanding that our work as funders has little or no meaning without the incredible efforts of the nonprofit organizations to which we provide resources.

As a grantmaking institution, we think it is important to gather feedback periodically from our grantees to gain insight on their perceptions of the Fund, and to solicit input on how we might continue to improve our work. Thus, early in 2007 the Fund engaged the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), an independent nonprofit organization, to conduct an anonymous survey of our fiscal year 2006 grantees. The decision to survey the Fund’s 2006 grantees was based on the fact that the Fund had experienced a shift in executive leadership in late 2002, and had adopted a new strategic plan in 2003. Staff and board felt that this was an appropriate time to step back and formally check in with grantees on the Fund’s performance.

Grantee Perception Report

The Fund is pleased to share the results of this survey with our grantees and the broader nonprofit and philanthropic communities. The executive summary of the report, which has been presented to the Fund’s trustees and staff, is now available on-line as a PDF. What is distinct and particularly meaningful about CEP’s survey approach is that it provides comparative data from thousand of grantees from more than 120 foundations surveyed over the last five years. Thus, the Fund has been able to evaluate its survey results relative to all of the foundations in CEP’s database, as well as a cohort of similarly sized, regionally-focused funders.

Overall, the survey found that the Fund’s staff is well respected by grantees. In addition, a number of indicators reflected the Fund’s ability to influence a field or public policy disproportionate to its relatively modest grantmaking budget. Specific highlights of the Grantee Performance Report include the following:

The Fund received high ratings from grantees for its impact and understanding of grantees’ fields, local communities, and of grantees’ own goals and strategies.
The Fund received the highest rating in its comparative cohort for advancing knowledge and effecting public policy in grantees’ fields. Examples of some of the grantees’ comments included: the Fund is a “leader,” a “great source of information,” and that program staff are “experts in their fields.”
Grantees are typically very satisfied with their experiences with the Fund’s staff, offering especially positive ratings for responsiveness, fairness and clarity of interactions with the foundation staff.
The Fund received very high ratings for the non-monetary assistance grantees receive.

The survey also pointed out the Fund’s lean staffing, and grantees’ desire for even more interaction. This will always be a delicate balance: While the trustees appreciate how valued the program officers are by grantees, they also remain committed to keeping administrative costs in check.

Of note is that the Education program area received somewhat lower ratings than the other program areas on a number of indicators. This is attributable to the difficult transitions that occurred in 2006 as a result of a program officer’s serious illness and subsequent death. The Fund has appreciated the understanding grantees had of this very sad situation. Also, the survey pointed out the uniqueness of the Creative Work Fund, a program managed by us and supported by several other foundations.

Overall, trustees and staff found the Grantee Performance Report to be a very useful and informative tool. The findings have informed our discussions and continued to shape our practice. We are grateful to CEP for this work, and look forward to conducting a second survey in a few years.

Click here to download the Executive Summary of Grantee Perception Report for the Walter & Elise Haas Sr Fund. (PDF)