The Walton Family Foundation’s Strategy, Learning & Evaluation Department (SLED) engages program staff, grantees and philanthropic partners with rigorous measurement and evaluation practices that help us understand progress, foster continuous learning and inform decisions.

Strategic Learning

The Walton Family Foundation is a learning organization. We use data, evidence, experience and insights from grantees and partners to understand what is working, what is changing and where we may need to adapt. This learning happens within individual grants and across strategies, helping us reflect on progress, test assumptions and turn insight into action. Because good strategy is not static, we collect and use information over time to make our grantmaking more responsive and effective.

Performance Measures and Grant Evaluation

The Walton Family Foundation is committed to strategic philanthropy, including structured planning as well as evaluation and learning. This approach informs all our grantmaking and efforts to learn from our own work and the work of our grantees. It helps the foundation and grantees stay accountable in service of social and environmental impact.

We use performance measurement to understand, learn from and improve the foundation's strategies and the work of grantees. Grantees are responsible for draft performance measures as part of the initial proposal development process. These are reviewed by the grantee’s program officer, revised (as necessary) with the grantee and approved by the Strategy, Learning & Evaluation Department (SLED). As grants close, grantees may be invited to participate in a 60-minute reflection and learning conversation. Here's a brief explanation about what to expect: What to Expect When You're Expecting a Grant Evaluation.

We know our grantees are closest to the challenges they seek to overcome. We believe learning alongside them is the most effective way to achieve long-term progress. We encourage grant applicants to review the materials below, which explain how to compose performance measures that drive shared learning, strategic adaptation and greater impact.

Performance Measures Videos

Performance measures play an important role in grantmaking – to help grantees and the Walton Family Foundation understand if goals have been achieved during the grant period. In these videos, grantees will learn how to establish performance measures, which can determine the success of project and provide valuable learnings along the way.

WATCH: Developing Good Performance Measures for Education Grants

Developing Good Performance Measures for K-12 Education Grants

Performance measures play an important role in grantmaking – to help grantees and the Walton Family Foundation understand if goals have been achieved during the grant period. In this video, grantees will learn how to establish performance measures, which can determine the success of project and provide valuable learnings along the way.

WATCH: Developing Good Performance Measures for Environment Grants

Developing Good Performance Measures for Environment Grants

Performance measures play an important role in grantmaking – to help grantees and the Walton Family Foundation understand if goals have been achieved during the grant period. In this video, grantees will learn how to establish performance measures, which can determine the success of project and provide valuable learnings along the way.

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