
Learning
The mission of WFF’s Strategy, Learning, & Evaluation Department (SLED) is to engage WFF program areas, grantees, and philanthropic partners with rigorous and inclusive evidence that fosters continuous learning for transformative impact.
For more information, read WFF’s Approach to Strategy, Learning & Evaluation and Guide to Measuring Success.
Strategic Learning
Strategic Learning is the collection and use of data and insights to inform decision making about strategy, so that our strategies are nimble and evolve to reflect what we know, to accelerate the pace and maximize the impact of WFF and our partners.
For more information, read our Introduction to Strategic Learning at WFF and Guide to Strategy Micro-Shifts.
To support our strategic learning efforts, we’ve also developed a Before- and After-Action Review tool that you may find helpful as well.
Grant Evaluation
The Walton Family Foundation is committed to the practice of strategic philanthropy, including both structured planning as well as evaluation and learning. This approach informs all our grantmaking strategies and our efforts to learn from our own work and the work of our grantees. Through this approach, WFF and our grantees remain accountable for learning and strategic adaptation in service of social and environmental impact. Performance measures are an important tool for how we approach strategic learning and evaluation here at WFF.
We use performance measurement to help understand, learn from, and improve the Foundation’s strategies and the work of grantees. Grantees are responsible for generating a set of draft performance measures as part of the initial proposal development process. These draft measures are then reviewed by the grantee’s Program Officer, revised (as necessary) in collaboration with the grantee, and approved by the Strategy, Learning, & Evaluation Department (SLED).
We look forward to continuing to partner with our grantees to better understand the most effective ways of addressing the problems we seek to work on together. All Walton Family Foundation grant applicants are encouraged to review the materials below, which explain how to compose complete and useful performance measures that can help drive shared learning, strategic adaptation, and greater impact.

Once grantees register with the Metrics Bank, they may start customizing a selection of model metrics to reflect the nature of their work.
For more information, read the step-by-step guide or go straight to the Metrics Bank.
Please email info@metricsbank.wffmail.com with any questions.
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May 4, 2022A Guide for Grant Applicants to the Walton Family Foundation's Home Region Program
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May 4, 2022A Guide for Grant Applicants to the Walton Family Foundation's Environment Program
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May 4, 2022A Guide for Grant Applicants to the Walton Family Foundation's K-12 Education Program
Performance Measures
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.
Developing Good Performance Measures for K-12 Education Grants
Developing Good Performance Measures for Environment Grants
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May 10, 2019How meaningful accountability systems can strengthen foundation learning and improve impact
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April 20, 2018Partnerships between traditional public schools and charters yield success for students
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December 5, 2017To sustain and expand public school choice, more cities must adopt best practices
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December 15, 2016Hear an interview with Marc Holley on The Leaders' Table Podcast
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September 29, 2016Deciding whether to go with the flow or to deviate from the group
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January 27, 2016CREDO study finds most online charters have a negative impact on students' academic achievement
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January 4, 20165 grant performance measurement traps and how to avoid them
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April 23, 2015Our plan flopped. We didn't give up. We changed course.
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March 15, 2015Seeing what’s possible has compelled us to invest with increased urgency.
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March 7, 2014The framework and process for measuring results at the Walton Family Foundation
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December 31, 2014An Evaluation of the Walton Family Foundation’s Approach to Investing in New Charter Schools
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April 1, 2014Evaluating Efforts to Promote Shifts in Policy Requires Methods That Are Rigorous and Flexible
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October 1, 2013New political circumstances, growing popularity