Report Evaluates Those Who Evaluate “Social Entrepreneurship”

Measuring Innovation: Evaluation in the Field of Social Entrepreneurship, by Mark R. Kramer, examines the ways in which grant makers who support efforts that encourage “social entrepreneurship” assess the success of their grantees. The report, based on research and interviews with people involved in such efforts, defines social entrepreneurs as nonprofit leaders and organizations that are breaking down barriers between the for-profit and nonprofit worlds and finding new ways to tackle social problems. It says that grant makers who support social entrepreneurs often work directly with recipients throughout a grant’s lifetime to see if their money is having the greatest impact, but do less evaluation after a grant ends. The report notes, however, that while that approach does not cost much in time or money, it may not be as reliable as formal approaches that foundations have been using for years. The report concludes with suggestions for how grant makers that support social entrepreneurship and more-traditional grant makers can learn from one another. The Skoll Foundation, in Palo Alto, Calif., financed the study.

Publisher: Foundation Strategy Group, 20 Park Plaza, Suite 320, Boston, Mass. 02116; (617) 357-4000; fax (617) 357-4007; http://www.foundationstrategy.com; 43 pages; free for download on the publisher’s Web site or by contacting the publishe.