Cathy Casserly was an Education program officer and director of the OER Initiative at the Hewlett Foundation from 2001 to 2009. It was during this time that Hewlett, along with several other foundations, began to fund the nascent field of open educational resources (OER) — openly accessible, editable, downloadable curriculum resources for learners across the …
It has not been my usual practice to write annual letters—they feel at odds with the foundation’s commitment to “operating in the modest, low-key style of our founders.” But after a year as tumultuous and unsettling as 2017, a few words seem appropriate. Not to cheerlead or sound a clarion call to the barricades; everyone…
Our appearance—the sliver of ourselves that is most readily perceived by the outside world—can lend others to make assumptions, both consciously and unconsciously, about who we are and what we believe. And yet so much of who we are comes from the parts of ourselves that are not observable—our lived experiences, our histories. Each of …
Diversity, equity and inclusion are powerful words. Historically, each brings forth memories and events that affected millions of people, inspiring them, breaking their hearts, or shaping their lives in deeply profound ways. The meaning of these words is embodied in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which was echoed across America as…
Angela Haydel DeBarger recently joined the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation as an education program officer, where she supports organizations working to build rigorous and open academic content, critical thinking, and collaborative learning. We spoke with her about her work at the foundation, and the connections she has been exploring between deeper learning and open educational resources. …
Launched in 2014, the Hewlett Foundation’s Madison Initiative focuses on strengthening democracy and its institutions – Congress, in particular – to be more effective in a polarized age. The initiative is nonpartisan in its approach and supports organizations across the ideological spectrum – think tanks, advocacy groups, academic researchers and civic leadership organizations – who…
For nearly a decade, the Hewlett Foundation’s Education Program has focused its investments on supporting an education system that provides all students the conditions, care, and learning opportunities to flourish in their lives and careers. We recognize that the students farthest from opportunity are often the ones who receive the least resources. Moreover, even when …
Hez Norton served as a director of TSNE MissionWorks What’s Next: Leading a Thriving Transition, a program that supports long-time nonprofit leaders to prepare their organizations and themselves for their departure and ensure ongoing sustainability. Applications for 2018’s cohorts are now open. The Hewlett Foundation has supported What’s Next in California in partnership with other …
Kelly Born is a program officer with the foundation’s Madison Initiative, which seeks to strengthen democracy and its institutions – especially Congress – to be more effective in a polarized age. Her grantmaking includes support for nonpartisan organizations focused on media, research and reform related to campaigns and elections, from advocacy groups that push for …
Editor’s note: Ruth Levine, director of the Hewlett Foundation’s Global Development and Population Program, delivered these remarks on November 8, 2017, at the close of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation’s (3ie) London Evidence Week, which included a series of public events focused on the importance of using evidence to inform international development research, policies…