Stanford University

In recent years, the philanthropic sector has shifted toward strategic grantmaking: articulating clear and focused goals; developing evidence-based theories of change to pursue those goals and measure progress; and creating feedback loops for learning and course correction along the way. With this shift has come the need for grantmakers to have broader skills—particularly the ability to assess the organizational health and capacity of the organizations they are considering supporting. The "Next Generation Grantmaker Handbook for Strategic Capacity Building" will integrate assessment of organizational capacity within the strategic grantmaking process. It will make available to the philanthropic field a set of practical tools, templates, and materials that have been tested and refined with grantmaking professionals. Among other things, practitioners using the handbook will learn when and how organizational capacity is strategic and work with grantees in more collaborative, problem-solving ways.