In the last few years, approaches to learning and evaluation have been changing, especially amongst funders.
New practices are wide-ranging. For example, they include accepting reports that grant-holders have already produced for other funders, creating online learning sessions for grant-holders, and having more robust and honest conversations about impact.
These ways of learning and evaluating are a positive step forward, as we unlearn bureaucratic and extractive practices. We hope that they help to reduce the frustrations and uncertainties that we know have often been felt by applicants and grant-holders.
I have a job I love. It is open to exploring, supporting and sharing learning, both within the Corra Foundation and with the people and partners we work alongside. We aim to be progressive in our evaluation and learning practices, and I have been privileged to be able to connect with people who have similar roles, including through the Funder Evaluation and Learning Group (Scotland).
This group offers a space to share, discuss, and potentially influence practices on funder evaluation and learning. It emerged because of a desire by a small group of funders to streamline and co-ordinate the evaluation support they offered to grant-holders.
While we still look at how our evaluation support to applicants and grant-holders is relevant and proportionate, the focus of the group has naturally evolved over time. It now creates a broader space for conversations and peer support to navigate many of these new practices.
For me, this group reflects the ethos of the Funders Collaborative Hub: a collective purpose, an openness to listening and a willingness to share.
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People in learning and evaluation roles have a unique position within funders. Our work can feel uplifting, but it can also be difficult and isolating. Our remit is often to question the 'why’, which means we sometimes need to challenge the status quo. Having access to a group of peers who can provide guidance and reassurance helps a lot.
As a group, we openly share and discuss our own approaches to learning and evaluation. We also signpost and connect each other to knowledge, tools, resources and other networks that can help both our own organisations and those we support and work alongside.
We create the space to explore insights from different perspectives, connecting our work to the wider Scottish, UK and global contexts. This can challenge our assumptions and help us find where there are similarities, contradictions or emerging opportunities.
For me, the Evaluation and Learning Group (Scotland) is a group that reflects the ethos of the Funders Collaborative Hub: a collective purpose, an openness to listening and a willingness to share. If you are interested in finding out more or connecting with us, you can do so through our page on the Hub.
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