The Walton Family Foundation is pleased to share the results of the most comprehensive survey of WFF grantees to date. The National Council for Responsive Philanthropy sent a survey to a total pool of more than 1,167 grantees and received 557 completed responses – a response rate of 48%.

Our leadership, especially our board of directors, believes wholeheartedly in learning and continuous improvement, and the survey results have provided us with the opportunity to better understand the needs of our grantees. Following are three key takeaways from the survey:

• Grantees have a strong overall perception of the foundation as an effective partner. Of all respondents, 94% found the foundation effective or very effective. Of those who provided a rating (78% of those surveyed), 98% felt that the foundation was somewhat effective or strongly effective in supporting underserved communities to achieve more equitable outcomes.
• A strong majority of WFF grantees agree with the foundation’s efforts to measure the effectiveness of our grant-making. Of those who provided a rating (79% and 80% of those surveyed, respectively), 93% said the outcomes measurement and reporting requirements were appropriate relative to the size of the grant, and 95% said the outcomes measurement and reporting requirements were appropriate relative to the size and capacity of their organization. The foundation prioritizes evaluation and learning, but we need to be very sensitive to be sure we are not creating too much of a burden for grantees with our evaluation process. We are constantly working to improve our processes so that we and our grantees can learn.
• The survey bubbled up interesting thoughts on how the foundation can further support our grantees. The top five areas cited by grantees where the foundation can make our partnerships more effective were: exposure and connections to other funding sources; networking and convening among grantees; grant cycle/length of grant; relationship with foundation staff; and grant size.

The foundation values the actionable findings of this survey, and we look forward to continuing and expanding upon our strong relationships with foundation grantees.