For
Funders

Although funders are generally acknowledged as important actors in the evidence ecosystem, there has been insufficient analysis of the how and why behind funders’ decisions. This article examines the decision-making of three funders in their support of relational approaches to improve the usefulness and use of research evidence. They compare their work across the disparate policy sectors of education and environmental sustainability in order to bridge the silos that have caused unnecessary duplication of work and obstructed advancements in research utilization.

Funders are naturally positioned to bring together leaders from different organizations for collaborative problem-solving, even in cases where those organizations compete with one another.

This document, by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, makes the case to funders to support collaborative work. The “Approaches for Funders” section offers some suggestions about how funders can support collaboratives, and discusses the importance of offering core support (see pages 23-25).

This interactive resource provides guidance to grantmakers for achieving better results among their grantees. The section on collaboration makes the case for why and how to support collaborative efforts through grantmaking

The William T. Grant Foundation’s Institutional Challenge Grant encourages university-based research institutes, schools, and centers to build sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations in order to reduce inequality in youth outcomes.

This Spencer Foundation research grant supports partnerships between researchers and a broad array of practitioners including “school districts, county offices of education, state educational organizations, universities, community-based organizations, out of school time providers, informal educators, other social sectors that importantly impact students’ lives.”

This NIJ funding program (now closed) outlined eligibility and criteria for researcher-practitioner partnerships in which individual researchers collaborate with justice system institutions to advance better criminal justice policy, practice, and research. The program encouraged the embedded researcher model, providing grants to individuals for new or existing partnerships.

The IES program (now closed) is intended to support research conducted by research institutions and state and local education agencies working collaboratively on problems of high priority for education agencies. The goal of the program is improvement of education outcomes for all students. Topical focus varies from one fiscal year to another.

This program aims to provide all U.S. students the opportunity to participate in computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) education in their schools at the preK-12 levels. With this solicitation, the NSF focuses on RPPs that foster the research and development needed to bring CS and CT to all schools.