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An Evolution of Evaluation in Grantmaking With a Participatory Lens

sgEngage

We all want to know whether our work makes a difference. We offer some practical tips, some examples of funders doing this work, and some resources. And, the focus of MEL is generally on evaluating grantee projects or organizations, rather than on the grantmaker and its practices. But is this the right question?

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Grantmaking: What’s Participation Got to Do with It?

sgEngage

Lots of grantmakers are intrigued by participatory grantmaking. Participatory grantmaking invites to decision-making tables people who have historically been excluded. Why Would a Grantmaker Choose a Participatory Grantmaking Approach? So, what does participatory grantmaking look like in practice? Those at the top decide.

professionals

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The community approach to problem solving

Candid

Participatory grantmaking [i] is no longer new. To be clear, participatory grantmaking has never been new. One of the first projects I was assigned to after joining Candid (then Foundation Center) was the guide on participatory grantmaking, now a seminal work in the growing body of literature on participatory grantmaking.

Problem 119
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Adventures in Evaluating Participatory Exhibits: An In-Depth Look at the Memory Jar Project

Museum 2.0

Two years ago, we mounted one of our most successful participatory exhibits ever at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History: Memory Jars. Better yet, the graduate student who led this project, Anna Greco, documented the whole project and did in-depth analysis of the visitor contributions. What was it?

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The Johnny Cash Project: A Participatory Music Video That Sings

Museum 2.0

This question is a byproduct of the reality that most participatory projects have poorly articulated value. When a participatory activity is designed without a goal in mind, you end up with a bunch of undervalued stuff and nowhere to put it. The project is designed to scale. What's the "use" of visitors' comments?

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One Simple Question to Make Your Work More Participatory

Museum 2.0

Photo by CLoé Zarifian, MAH Photo Intern We're working with a guest curator, Wes Modes , on an upcoming experimental project at our museum. I'm sure you're thinking of a lot of steps to make this process work, and many more tasks will arise. How can people--staff, volunteers, community members--help make this project better?

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What I Learned from Beck (the rock star) about Participatory Arts

Museum 2.0

There are many artistic projects that offer a template for participation, whether a printed play, an orchestral score, or a visual artwork that involves an instructional set (from community murals to Sol LeWitt). One of the things I always focus on in participatory exhibit design is ensuring that everyone has the same tools to work with.