Philanthropy Central

Many foundations have put funds into urban school reform. It seems clear that philanthropies are now re-assessing their strategies, looking under the hood and kicking the tires before they invest, and even demanding changes in governance and management as a condition to grantmaking. This paper proposes “Exploratory Case Studies” as a tool to improve philanthropic giving. It suggests that case studies can help funders target resources on districts with the greatest need while finding a better fit with beneficiary districts.
The paper examines the Annie E. Casey Foundation's exploratory case studies of San Diego and Denver. An appendix delves further into the San Diego case.