Engage R+D

We’re proud to have partnered with Community Wealth Partners to document the journey of the Healthy Food Community of Practice. This case study and blog share how more than 50 organizations worked together to strengthen healthy food access during uncertain and challenging times, offering valuable lessons for collaborative systems change. Check out the blog: https://lnkd.in/eXix6hYH Read the case study to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eJnnArpx

We invite you to join us for a webinar, in conjunction with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), where we will share knowledge and tools from our field resource, "Fostering Participatory Learning Approaches in Philanthropy: A Guide for the Curious." The Guide is the first comprehensive resource for funders that focuses on practical tools, tips, and examples for integrating such approaches into a foundation’s practice. Participants will:   - Learn about a new tool to support foundation staff in fostering participatory learning; - Understand how participatory learning supports power sharing and joint decision making; - Reflect on how to start or continue work in participatory learning; and - Share and network with other foundation staff with similar goals   Register here (you do not need to be a GEO member): https://lnkd.in/eKVbpegT We look forward to seeing you there!   #Philanthropy #Evaluation #Equity

Excited to amplify this important work from Engage R+D! 🌟 Check out the 'Ripples of Influence' field resource, created in partnership with RWJF and 8 national advocacy organizations. Learn about building #NarrativePower, elevating #Caregiver stories, and fostering a strong narrative change ecosystem. Valuable insights and considerations for funders and practitioners await! 💬✨ Explore the full report here: https://lnkd.in/efxVjEmH #NNCG #NNCGisWE #consultants #Leadership #Grantmaking #Philanthropy #NNCG #DiversityInLeadership #Leadership #Repost #MemberRepost #InfluencerRepost #EngageRD

We invite you to join us for a webinar, in conjunction with Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), where we will dive into knowledge and tools from our field resource, Fostering Participatory Learning Approaches in Philanthropy: A Guide for the Curious. We will explore how foundation leaders in various roles—including executive leadership, program officers, evaluation and learning officers, and operations staff—can foster power sharing and community engagement in philanthropy through participatory learning and evaluation efforts.   Register here (you do not need to be a GEO member): https://lnkd.in/eKVbpegT We look forward to seeing you there!   #Philanthropy #Evaluation #Equity

Irvine’s #JustProsperity initiative was built upon a history of grantee listening and represented a significant deepening of this practice. The initiative engaged grantees early in the landscaping and strategy development, which, over time, gave grantees increased visibility into our internal considerations and decision-making process. What made this engagement different, and what conditions contribute to authentic, reciprocal grantee-funder relationships? Engage R+D spoke to our staff, Design Circle members, and external consultants, identifying 10 key insights. These include: - Be open, honest, and transparent about power dynamics and expectations  - Demonstrate full commitment at every level of leadership   - Provide a “through-line” with clear goals, objectives, and feedback loops   - Create conditions and support for ecosystem actors to build relationships across differences Check out the learning brief to learn more: https://irvine.ly/4dVa5Hj 

In our latest Meet Our Partners Blog, Krista Scott of RWJF offers her perspectives on how emergent #learning and #evaluation support the Value of Caregivers initiative, a multi-year effort to shift narratives about the value and critical importance of #caregiver roles in the US. She also shares how the initiative is advancing #equity for families by facilitating narratives that elevate the culture and history of collective care practices. https://lnkd.in/gYiEeqPc #narrativechange #storytelling

Engage R+D is honored to have supported the The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Starting Smart and Strong initiative over the past decade, helping to advance early childhood development in Oakland, Fresno, and the Franklin-McKinley School District. Working with dedicated leaders like Katie Harkin, MPA, Bernadette Sangalang, and Meera Mani, we’ve seen firsthand how a responsive, community-centered approach can create lasting change. 🎉 Read reflections from our Co-Executive Director, Clare Nolan, and Managing Director Pilar Mendoza on this journey, insights gained, and lessons for funders and evaluators of similar efforts ⬇️

It’s a wrap! Much gratitude to the American Evaluation Association community for an inspiring #Eval24 #AEA24. So many wonderful sessions and #connections over the last few days and #Portland didn’t disappoint! #evaluation #learning Engage R+D Pilar Mendoza Clare Nolan Meghan Hunt Giannina Fehler-Cabral, PhD Rami Arafah

Join Sonia Taddy-Sandino, Jennifer Ho, Jennifer Ito, and Virginia Mosqueda Villa Saturday morning at #AEA24 as they share their experiences incorporating diverse voices in evaluation. https://lnkd.in/gVDwxeUq

Who's joining us tonight at the Expanding the Bench celebration at #AEA24? In partnership with RWJF and Informing Change, we're exploring what equitable and culturally responsive evaluation approaches look like in our work. Here's a sneak peek below.