Embracing causal pathways to engage new voices: One foundation’s journey

Abstract Information: Some funders in the philanthropic ecosystem have become more comfortable thinking causally during the strategy design and sensemaking stages of their work. They do the research, identify promising strategies, articulate potential outcomes from implementation of these strategies, invest, and then stay laser focused, with their evaluators, in tracking these outcomes. Not surprisingly then, while analyzing results they tend to assume cause and effect relationships between the strategies implemented and changes observed. As philanthropy increasingly grapples with the complex, underlying, and interconnected nature of the systems we work in, and make commitments to advancing equity, it is imperative to broaden our aperture, engaging grantees and communities in strategy design and analysis. What if we expanded our gaze to study not just what changed, but to understand, especially from the perspectives of others in the system, affected by and influencing the strategies, how and why change takes place in dynamic and emergent contexts? In this session, a team of evaluators and funders representing the Causal Pathways Initiative (CPI) and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation will partner to discuss the opportunity and value proposition for using causal pathways to amplify new voices, surface deeper understanding, and push the boundaries of what gets privileged and used as knowledge and truth by funders and those impacted by and/or influencing the strategies. We will describe the growing suite of methodologies appropriate for work in complex settings in partnership with communities, that support systematically testing and challenging assumptions, generating evidence about the necessary conditions for change and system drivers, and exploring alternate change pathways. One foundation team will share their journey, emerging lessons and challenges from embedding causal analysis into strategy design. How causal pathways mapping formed the basis for development of a theory of change and learning agenda, and the commitment and focus it required. Bringing a wide array of grantee voices into the room – from nonprofits, to advocacy and policy analysis shops, to state government partners – they will share tools used to make their thinking visible, check assumptions, and glean evidence on complementary change pathways. This session will conclude by seeking participants’ reflections on how to mitigate common challenges experienced – such as, the time and effort required, and working within tight grantmaking structures that seldom incentivize learning – and collectively strengthen field use of innovative methodologies that deepen learning by bringing in new voices.