Learning and Evaluation

We learn alongside our grantee partners.

How we evaluate

In conventional philanthropy, foundations define success metrics and expect grantees to meet them. Headwaters takes a different approach. Our evaluation process focuses on shared learning, positioning grantees and the foundation as true partners.

We evaluate for three key purposes: accountability to the communities we serve, learning about progress toward the outcomes defined by our partners, and tracking long-term health metrics to assess the impact of our investments.

Through grantee reporting, we monitor indicators linked to these outcomes:

Increased capacity and leadership within the organizations and collaboratives we support.

Cultural and narrative shifts that frame health as a community responsibility rather than an individual one.

Underrepresented families engaging in policy advocacy.

A stronger environment for advocating for policies that reduce barriers to health.

Greater public and private funding to reduce barriers to health and wellbeing.

More services available to address social and economic barriers to health.

Stronger relationships and collaboration between organizations across sectors.

Each year, we publish our insights in our Evaluation & Learning Data Book. We invite you to explore what we have learned in the latest edition.

2023 Learning Book