Themed Issue of The Foundation Review on Place-based Programming

Abstracts of up to 250 words are being solicited for Volume 7, Issue 3 of The Foundation Review. This issue, co-edited with the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, will be a themed issue on place-based programming. Both local and national funders have initiated efforts to improve conditions within a defined geographic area or community. These efforts may include grantmaking, advocacy efforts, and convenings, among other tactics. Historically, funders have used language including: comprehensive community initiatives, systems change, embedded funders, and collective impact to describe this work. We encourage authors to include their working definition of place-based programming in their submissions. This issue (which may evolve into two issues, depending on the response to this call for papers) will seek to build on the previous work of the Aspen Institute, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, and others, in understanding the current status and future directions for place-based programming.

Papers are invited on topics including, but not limited to:

• Strategies. What are the theories of change and ensuing strategies that have been show to effectively guide place- based programming?

• Roles. What are the roles of national and local foundations? How should they relate to government entities? What roles do intermediary organizations play?

• Issues and entry points. What differences, if any, are there in strategies or outcomes if a funder focuses on a specific issue (e.g., education, health) rather than a resident-determined agenda or a community development frame? What capacities need to be in place in the community in order to engage effectively in the change work? How are community capacities related to foundation entry points?

• Funding decisions. How does the place-based frame make a difference in what is funded?

• Funder capacity. What skills, structures, cultural norms, etc. are needed internally in order for a foundation to be effective in place-based programming?

Submit abstracts to submissions@foundationreview.org by December 1, 2014. If a full paper is invited, it will be due April 1, 2015 for consideration for publication in September 2015.

Abstracts are solicited in four categories:

• Results. Papers in this category generally report on findings from evaluations of foundation-funded work. Papers should include a description of the theory of change (logic model, program theory), a description of the grant- making strategy, the evaluation methodology, the results, and discussion. The discussion should focus on what has been learned both about the programmatic content and about grantmaking and other foundation roles (convening, etc.).

• Tools. Papers in this category should describe tools useful for foundation staff or boards. By “tool” we mean a systematic, replicable method intended for a specific purpose. For example, a protocol to assess community readiness and standardized facilitation methods would be considered tools. The actual tool should be included in the article where practical. The paper should describe the rationale for the tool, how it was developed, and available evidence of its usefulness.

• Sector. Papers in this category address issues that confront the philanthropic sector as whole, such as diversity, accountability, etc. These are typically empirically based; literature reviews are also considered.

• Reflective Practice. The reflective practice articles rely on the knowledge and experience of the authors, rather than on formal evaluation methods or designs. In these cases, it is because of their perspective about broader issues, rather than specific initiatives, that the article is valuable.

BOOK REVIEWS: The Foundation Review publishes reviews of relevant books. Please contact the editor to discuss submitting a review. Reviewers must be free of conflicts of interest.

Please contact Teri Behrens, Editor of The Foundation Review, with questions at behrenst@foundationreview.org or 734-646-2874.