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Learning and Evaluation

We learn alongside our grantee partners.

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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.

Together with our grantees, we learn around these outcomes:

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Engaged Families

Parents, caregivers and youth are empowered to change the policies and systems that impact their health.
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Strong Organizations

Nonprofits are equipped to effectively engage youth and families in advocacy to improve health outcomes.
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Supportive Ecosystem

Culture and narratives prioritize the health of families and are receptive to their needs.

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.