Articles & Publications

Shah argues that “if you want to achieve sustained social change on a large scale, the best way is to create better public policy”, describing the difference between direct action and policy action.

The authors discuss large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector coordination, yet the social sector remains focused on the isolated intervention of individual organizations.

GEO and Monitor Institute partnered to release Catalyzing Networks for Social Change, to explore what it takes for grantmakers to cultivate a network mindset, offer recommendations for how funders can effectively build the capacity of networks and identify five network approaches that are helping grantmakers and social change makers to harness the power of networks.

Many grantmakers are adopting a network mindset, going beyond the traditional constraints of stand-alone grants, initiatives or organizations.

This report, published with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, demonstrates how funders can improve their policy strategies by integrating some of the core elements of field building. It provides illustrative examples and identifies tools and best practices for funders to strengthen their fields of interest. 

Summary of findings of research exploring the rationale and strategies used by 18 of the country’s largest foundations for bringing communications to bear on policy work, the organizational models adopted for communications, and discussion of the issues and challenges communications leadership face in doing this work.

This article provides guidance on how foundations can frame, focus, and advance efforts to achieve public policy reforms. Five steps for developing public policy strategy are described and two tools developed specifically to support foundations during the strategy development process are presented.