| Who We Are | | | How We Work | | | Results | | | Grantee Portfolio | | | Funding Partners |
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Our Investment Approach | |||
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If due diligence proves positive, EMCF works with the organization to structure an investment that will best serve the grantee’s needs and advance the Foundation’s goal of reaching greater numbers of economically disadvantaged youth with programs of proven effectiveness. .
The Foundation makes unrestricted, multi-year, multimillion-dollar investments in organizations to help them develop their capacity to grow and serve more young people while maintaining or improving the quality of their programs and, when feasible, undertaking evaluations to prove these programs’ efficacy. In most instances these investments are made on the basis of a sound business plan, which the Foundation often underwrites the cost of developing.
In structuring its investments, the Foundation assesses an organization’s' stage of organizational development based on several factors, including the level of evidence demonstrating the impact of its program(s) and the grantee's organizational capacity:
Potential for Sustainable Growth
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| Early Stage: Organizations at this stage of development are at the base of EMCF's investment continuum. They have programs that – at a minimum –internal performance reporting suggests are quite effective. In many cases, they have not undertaken external evaluation to confirm their impact. Their leadership has a track record of managing growth successfully and a vision of further expansion. Though these organizations are financially sound, they lack a tested model for financial sustainability, and have various needs to address around organizational capacity.
Support provided: We connect Early Stage organizations with expertise on theory of change work, business planning and external evaluation, to help strengthen these organizations’ capacity and become Growth Ready. Growth Ready: These organizations, at a minimum, offer programs that meet our definition of demonstrated effectiveness – where independent, external evaluation has shown to have persuasive evidence of effectiveness but may not yet reach the level of scientific proof (such as randomized controlled trials ). They have demonstrated a capacity to manage growth, tested a financial model to support their core programs and developed a model to support additional expansion.
Support provided: Growth Ready organizations are on the path to Sustainable Growth but need to address specific capacity and program issues. To help them on their way, our support concentrates on advancing their evaluation status and strengthening their infrastructure.
Support provided: Our support consists largely of providing these organizations with growth capital to implement their expansion plans. In three instances we have helped raise additional growth capital from other funders.With significant investment, these organizations can expand dramatically and change the life trajectories of very large numbers of low-income youth. |
The Foundation’s investment objective is to enable grantees to reach the upper-right quadrant and become a Sustainable Growth organization with proven programs.
In order to track their performance and progress, grantees set milestones to which they are held accountable during the course of the investment. A Foundation portfolio manager oversees the relationship with each grantee, monitoring performance and providing assistance directly or through consultants. In addition to unrestricted grants, the Foundation often provides other supports that help grantees achieve long-term growth and sustainability, so the Foundation can make a successful exit from the relationship.
The framework above primarily applies to single-service organizations, as opposed to multi-service providers in a community. In addition, when the Foundation encounters an organization that shows promise but does not yet meet all the “Early Stage” criteria, it sometimes makes a small, short-term “marker investment.” This grant is designed to help the organization strengthen its program and its capacity, so it can reach the “Early Stage” level where the Foundation can consider making a larger and longer-term investment.
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In the Spotlight
EMCF Named Social Innovation Fund Intermediary
On July 22, 2010, the Corporation for National and Community Service announced it had selected the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation as of one of 11 intermediaries for the Social Innovation Fund (SIF). It has awarded the Foundation a $10 million federal grant to support youth-serving organizations with effective, evidence-based programs and a potential for substantial growth.
Highlights from the News
Mentor program aids at-risk kids in Prince George's schools (Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection)
The Washington Post, June 24, 2010
Proven sex-ed programs get a boost from Obama (CAS-Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program) All Things Considered, National Public Radio, June 6 2010
Read article
The Harlem Children's Zone Featured on CBS 60 Minutes
December 6, 2009
Nurse home visits for pregnant women could keep their children off the streets in years to come (Nurse Family Partnership)
Newsweek, September 12, 2009
