With Whom Can Foundations Use the Tools?

Foundations can use these tools with:

• Prospective grantees, new grantees, or current grantees
• Advocacy organizations requesting general support, or organizations requesting support for a particular advocacy effort or campaign
• Organizations that have been engaged in advocacy for years, as well as those with relatively little experience

How Can Foundations Use The Tools?

There are a variety of ways for foundations to use the tools, ranging from an informal guide for internal discussions to a formal assessment of grantees.

Foundations can use the Advocacy Capacity Assessment Tool to:

• Assess the advocacy capacity of a prospective or current grantee and identify priority areas for capacity-building
• Work with a grantee to develop a plan for building its advocacy capacity and to evaluate progress toward meeting capacity-building objectives
• Become familiar with measures of an organization’s capacity to effectively engage in advocacy work
• Spark discussions among a foundation’s staff and board, as well as with grantees, about advocacy and building effective advocacy organizations
• Determine a prospective grantee’s level of commitment to engaging in advocacy, especially if it is a new strategy for the organization
• Consider the foundation’s overall strategy towards funding advocacy

Foundations can use the Advocacy Evaluation Tool to:

• Assess progress in meeting advocacy goals
• Help grantees develop long-term and incremental measures of advocacy success and progress
• Assist grantees in planning their advocacy efforts
• Help grantees identify and apply lessons learned from advocacy efforts
• Stimulate discussion among the foundation’s board, staff, and grantees about how to accomplish effective advocacy and techniques for evaluating advocacy
• Build realistic expectations for advocacy and advocacy capacity-building efforts funded by the foundation
• Learn new perspectives on an issue of importance to the community

How Can Grantees Use the Tools?

Grantees can use the Advocacy Capacity Assessment Tool   to:

• Assess their ability to sustain effective advocacy efforts -- their advocacy capacity
• Develop a plan for building advocacy capacity
• Determine appropriate advocacy plans based on the organization's advocacy resources
• Serve as a catalyst for discussion with board members and with funders

Grantees can use the Advocacy Evaluation Toolto:

• Assess progress in meeting advocacy goals
• Help develop realistic long-term and incremental measures of advocacy success and progress
• Identify and apply lessons learned
• Report to funders and others

Definition of Advocacy and Other Terms

The tools use the term advocacy to encompass a broad range of activities that can influence policy—from researching, organizing, and building communications strategies to lobbying, networking, and educating voters. Both tools cover administrative, legislative, nonpartisan election-related, and legal advocacy strategies, as well as advocacy capacity-building (see glossary). For more information about advocacy activities and about the legal rules see Investing in Change: A Funder's Guide to Supporting Advocacy published by Alliance for Justice. terms).

How Can the Results Help Funders Make Grantmaking Decisions?

Both the Advocacy Capacity Assessment Tool and the Advocacy Evaluation Tool can provide information to help make funding decisions, although in most cases neither tool will be the sole factor for determining whether to fund a particular organization or project. For example:

• A funder may choose to fund an organization that has limited advocacy capacity if the organization is focused on an issue that is a foundation priority and the funder wants to help build the organization’s advocacy capacity.
• A funder may choose to fund an organization that has few of the advocacy capacity measures in place but has savvy and skilled advocacy leadership. In this case, the funder may want to encourage the organization to build its advocacy infrastructure so it is less dependent on one person.
• A funder may decide to continue funding an organization’s advocacy effort even if past efforts were not ultimately successful but the organization is achieving incremental results and is learning from its experience.
• If an organization does not address an issue that is a foundation priority, the funder may choose not to fund it even if the tools suggest the organization has a strong advocacy capacity and has previously achieved positive advocacy results.

Who Fills Out the Forms?

Funders can use a "hands on" or " hands off" approach for completing the Advocacy Capacity Assessment Tool. For example, a funder can: sit down with the current or prospective grantee and fill out the tool together as part of a site visit or request that the grantee complete the tool as part of the application and reporting process.

Funders should request that the grantee fill out the Advocacy Evaluation Tool, Part 1 at the beinning of the grant period and Part 2 at the end. Some foundations may request use of Part 2 for multiple reporting periods.

Foundation Partners

Alliance for Justice appreciates the support and advice of the George Gund Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Alliance Healthcare Foundation, The California Endowment, and The Joyce Foundation. for making the electronic version of Build Your Advocacy Grantmaking: Advocacy Capacity Assessment Tool & Advocacy Evaluation Tool possible.

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