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Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Category: Research Item

Sharing Power: The Landscape of Participatory Practices & Grantmaking Among Large U.S. Foundations

August 25, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic and fights for racial justice highlighted questions about whether mission-driven organizations can effectively deliver on their social impact goals without engaging with the communities that they seek to impact. Philanthropic foundations, in particular, have come under scrutiny amidst recent and growing concerns about their undemocratic nature and shrouded grant-making processes.

Philanthropic foundations in the United States hold significant power in the policy landscape, as they can both define societal challenges and determine the manner in which those challenges are addressed. The work of foundations is tax subsidized, but they are held to few standards of accountability, leading to increasing calls for foundations to shift their power to affected communities, to democratize decision-making through greater stakeholder participation, and to be more accountable to those whose lives they affect.

As part of the University of Washington Philanthropy Project, Evans School researchers Kelly Husted, Emily Finchum-Mason, and David Suárez sought to understand how large philanthropic foundations – with substantial assets and power – engage the people they serve in their governance and grant-making policies and practices. They launched a survey of the 500 largest private and community foundations in the United States between May and December 2020 to answer this question. These are their key findings:

  1. Many foundations solicited and incorporated feedback from grantees, community-based organizations, beneficiaries, and the public directly into decisions regarding governance and grant-making, but true decision-making power was rarely given to these stakeholders.
  2. The vast majority of foundations are using stakeholder participation as a way to increase their innovativeness and effectiveness rather than to share power, despite the fact that rhetoric surrounding these practices is focused on breaking down power silos.
  3. For the largest foundations in this country, the primary impediment to stakeholder participation was a perceived lack of time and capacity to implement, despite the sheer volume of assets that these foundations wield.

By learning more about grantmaking practices that are currently in place, the motivations for using these approaches, and the key challenges to incorporating stakeholder participation, researchers hope to lower the barriers that some foundations may face in making stakeholder participation an integral part of their governance and grant-making.

Greater accountability from philanthropic foundations represents an important step to a more equitable future. When large, powerful foundations listen to those they aim to benefit, they can more effectively direct their giving in ways that align with community needs.

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About the UW Philanthropy Project

The UW Philanthropy Project is a multiyear research program seeking to understand the many important roles that philanthropic foundations play in American society.

Evaluating Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Policies Potential for Violence Prevention

Fact Sheet Outlines Health and Safety Implications of EITCs

The federal earned income tax credit (EITC), the largest cash transfer program for low-earning workers in the United States, is an economic policy intended to reduce poverty. Each year, the EITC program provides earning subsidies in the form of tax credits to certain workers based on their pretax earnings, marital status, and number of children.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers with the University of Washington Department of Epidemiology and Evans School of Public Policy and Governance investigated the EITC program an its affects on the rates of multiple types of violence, including child maltreatment, suicide, and intimate partner violence. It is plausible that a tax credit for low-income families could affect violence by improving family income and economic security, which could then lead to less stress, material hardship, and exposure to neighborhood violence.

The results of this investigation are summarized in the EITC & Violence Prevention Fact Sheet.

Researchers find that a 10 percentage-point increase in the generosity of state EITC benefits was associated with:

  • a 9% decline in child neglect
  • a 5% decline in child maltreatment
  • a 4% decline in suicide attempts
  • a 1% decline in suicide deaths

(all per year)

Researchers did not find an association between EITCs and intimate partner violence, but they note some restrictions that make it difficult for victims of IPV to receive the EITC.

These findings have policy relevance right now because there are similar programs being discussed and expanded.  At the federal level, the stimulus package passed in February included an expansion of the child tax credit.  Like the EITC, that credit provides income support to low- and middle-income families.  The expansion was temporary but the Biden budget just released includes funding to make it permanent. At the state level, Washington finally funded our own EITC, the Working Families Tax Credit, after not being operational for many years.  There are other states that do not have an EITC or have an EITC program that does not benefit low-income families at the levels it could.

Through this investigation, researchers aimed to broaden our scientific understanding of the benefits of providing income support to low-income families, and hope that it will influence state and federal policymakers to think about the potential for providing income support.

This fact sheet was developed by Ali Rowhani-Rahbar (PI), Heather Hill, Steve Mooney, Frederick Rivara, Caitlin Moe, Nicole Kovski, Erin Morgan, and Kim Dalve. Funding for this research was provided by Cooperative Agreement Award U01CE002945 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read more at the UW Department of Epidemiology.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Low-Income Tenants’ Housing Security in Washington State

by Matthew Fowle & Rachel Fyall

June 30, 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic and related economic recession have had a substantial negative impact on low-income tenants’ housing security. A record number of households have been unable to pay their rent on-time. To stem the threat of eviction for non-payment of rent, governments have implemented eviction moratoria. This mixed methods study, in partnership with the Tenants Union of Washington State, draws on semi-structured interviews (n=25) and a survey (n=410) with low-income tenants to examine the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and eviction moratoria have impacted housing security in Washington State.

The study finds that the pandemic has led to downward residential mobility, increased rental debt, and poorer housing quality for low-income households. The pandemic has also exacerbated the negative impact of housing insecurity on health as tenants are spending more time in substandard housing that is harmful to their physical and mental health. Overall, households of color have been disproportionately affected by this worsening housing security, in particular Black and Latinx tenants. The eviction moratorium has likely been successful in preventing a surge in formal evictions during the pandemic. However, methods of informal evictions and forced moves, such as landlords changing door locks and refusing to renew leases, have significantly increased.

 

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Evans School researchers document approaches and challenges in ensuring access to small business grant and loan programs during COVID-19

This summer, Evans School Associate Professor Crystal Hall, and recent alumni Puja Kumar (MPA ’20) and Sehej Singh (MPA’20) will work with the U.S. Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) and Small Business Administration (SBA).  In this work, they will work with a set of local governments around the country to understand how they are incorporating considerations of equity into the design and implementation of their COVID-19 grant and loan programs for small businesses. 

New research by Prof. Ann Bostrom on the NHERI Natural Hazards Reconnaissance Facility (RAPID) published in Frontiers in Built Environment

Prof. Ann Bostrom has worked with Joe Wartman, Jeff Berman and the other co-authors on these teams to help develop the RAPID facility for disaster reconnaissance research from the time NSF awarded the funding for the RAPID in 2016, up to the point at which it began operations in 2018.

In Needs, Challenges, and Strategic Approaches for Natural Hazards and Disaster Reconnaissance the authors describe the vision for disaster reconnaissance research that guided the development of the facility. As the abstract notes in its conclusion, “Continued progress in natural hazard reconnaissance requires adaptation of new, strategic approaches that acquire and integrate data over a range of temporal, spatial, and social scales across disciplines.”

Another paper, Natural Hazards Reconnaissance with the NHERI RAPID Facility describes how the RAPID Facility is transforming reconnaissance methods following natural disasters in collaboration with the NSF-funded CONVERGE Center, by supporting and advancing the integration of data across disciplines, not only through advanced instrumentation and data handling, but also through considerations of data formats, ethics, and questions about appropriate standardization of disaster reconnaissance data.

Local Impacts of a Global Crisis: How Washington State Nonprofits are Responding to COVID-19

Mount Rainier on a sunny day

This report confirms what those working for nonprofits already knew: Nonprofits are being asked to do more and more with less and less. Funding is down 30% and volunteerism is down 30-50%. Yet the need for, and dependence on, nonprofits continues to grow. This trend must be reversed in short order if nonprofits are going to be able to serve long-term.

The research team would like to thank the staff of all the nonprofit organizations that took the time to complete this survey. We realize that the leaders and staff of these organizations are under incredible pressure to serve their communities during this tumultuous time with increasingly tightening resources. Finally, we want to thank the nonprofit leaders and staff who piloted our survey and provided insights on how to maximize the relevance of the survey as it relates to nonprofit management, governance, and policy.

 

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Erica Mills Barnhart
Associate Teaching Professor, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
Co-Director of the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits & Philanthropy

Continue reading “Local Impacts of a Global Crisis: How Washington State Nonprofits are Responding to COVID-19”

Caring for Washington’s Older Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Interviews with Organization Leaders About the State of Social and Healthcare Services

four seniors

This study was funded by the University of Washington Population Health Initiative’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Research Grant, along with matching funds from the University of Washington School of Public Health, School of Social Work, and School of Medicine, Department of Neurology. The authors thank Nancy Hooyman for reviewing a draft of this report.

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Clara Berridge, PhD, MSW
Assistant professor, School of Social Work

Carolyn M. Parsey, PhD
Assistant professor, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology

Maggie Ramirez, PhD, MS, MS
Assistant professor, School of Public Health, Department of Health Services

Callie Freitag, MA
Doctoral student, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Ian Johnson, MSW
Doctoral student, School of Social Work

Scott W. Allard, PhD
Daniel J. Evans Endowed Professor of Social Policy, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Executive Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant and costly disruptions to social service and health care systems. Eight in ten deaths from the COVID-19 virus in the U.S. have occurred in people age 65 and older (CDC, 2020). In addition to the mortality risk, the pandemic presents grave health and economic risks by disrupting services to older adults that prevent institutionalization, emergency room visits, and other negative health outcomes. This report examines how the pandemic has affected the operation of social service and healthcare organizations that support Washington’s 1.7 million older adults (60+), including 107,000 people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias (State Plan on Aging, 2018).

Drawing on surveys and interviews with 45 senior leaders of social services and health care organizations serving older adults throughout Washington State, this report identifies current challenges confronting service delivery and client care, as well as those that will persist to shape future strategy and planning. Several key findings and themes emerge relevant to policy and practice:

Senior leaders describe rapid declines in the physical and mental health and functioning of their older adult patients and clients as a result of the pandemic. Healthcare providers report that chronic medical conditions are often not being well managed, resulting in significant physical deconditioning, increased frailty, and heightened health risks.

Providers believe that a high number of older adults are not seeking care for existing or new conditions, which will have important downstream effects on the health of older adults. Care organizations are particularly concerned about people living with dementia because they are less active and engaged during the pandemic, leading to increased severity and frequency of delusions as well as worsening behavioral symptoms. Moreover, many vulnerable older adult population sub-groups may be falling through the cracks of Washington’s service systems, including those with low-incomes, those who are living alone or unhoused, Latinx immigrant and migrant older adults, people with limited English proficiency, and tribal elders.

Social isolation creates a “double pandemic” and is believed to exacerbate problems of dementia, depression, suicide risk, and disrupted care. Organization leaders described making inroads to address social isolation during the pandemic but also expect the problems created by isolation to persist for some time. Leaders want to see guidelines evolve from isolating in place to recommending ways to provide safe social interaction.

The pandemic is exacerbating service gaps and leading to caregiver strain in Washington. Demand for aging services during the COVID-19 virus remains steady and is expected to increase over time due to demographic trends and caregiver shortages. Family caregivers now have limited respite options and have to assume additional caregiving responsibilities because of service restrictions due to the pandemic.

A digital divide exists in many parts of Washington State, particularly for older adults of color with low incomes and those in rural communities, where unreliable and costly internet and cell phone services may negate well-intended telemedicine and videoconferencing efforts. Senior leaders report barriers to the use of digital tools and training among the oldest adults and those with sensory disabilities or dementia.

Social service and healthcare organizations serving older adults report urgent fiscal shortfalls and budget crises. Layoffs and furloughs have occurred in many organizations, with senior leaders emphasizing the need for additional public funds to prevent further layoffs and staffing shortages. In addition, organizations need assistance obtaining PPE and purchasing supplies or equipment to accommodate new service realities and to provide nutrition services.

Interviews identify several strategies for addressing the challenges of the pandemic and providing high-quality care to older Washingtonians:

  • Organizations leveraged targeted funding, partnerships, and transportation networks to enable delivery and drive through meals on a larger scale than previously possible.
  • Some in-person services and programming have been moved to virtual platforms, expanding their reach and capacity.
    Virtual support groups and activity-based socialization groups have been particularly successful.
  • Providing technology skills training to older adults through staff, peers, family members, and targeted tutorials has been effective for some.
  • Many organizations provide digital devices, particularly prepaid cell phones.
  • Organizations creatively adapted where trial and error showed that non-digital service delivery was needed, such as wellness and reassurance phone calls, care packages with pantry staples, outdoor distanced social events, and pod formation for limited social contact.
  • Existing and new partnerships have been leveraged to reach older Washingtonians in their homes. Collaborations formed to meet the crisis, however, could be expanded to better serve immigrants and older adults of color.

It is critical for public agencies and private philanthropy to ensure service providers in the aging network are able to continue supporting the needs of older Washingtonians. These service organizations play an essential role in alleviating loneliness and isolation, meeting nutritional needs, improving health outcomes, and enabling access to health care, long-term services and supports, care transitions, and housing. Current and future reductions in revenues from public and private sources jeopardize the sustainability of these critical organizations, particularly those serving older adult populations on fixed incomes.

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UW News: Turning hotels into emergency shelter as part of COVID-19 response limited spread of coronavirus, improved health and stability

Initial findings from the study of the hotel intervention, authored by Rachel Fyall, Evans School Associate Professor, and Gregg Colburn, Kennedy Associates Endowed Professor in Real Estate Studies at UW’s College of Built Environments, showed that it achieved its primary goal: to slow the spread of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness. Researchers found fewer clusters and outbreaks of COVID-19 among individuals who stayed in hotels than among those who remained in traditional, large-group shelter settings.

Evans School Policy Analysis and Research Group (EPAR) to partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to enhance overall evidenced-based decision-making for agricultural development.

Through a new project, the Evans School Policy Analysis and Research Group (EPAR) will partner with the Agricultural Development Team (AgDev) at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase the efficiency of, and maximize collective learning from AgDev’s evaluations of its investments.

The project entitled “Evaluating Inclusive Transformation in Agriculture” (EVITA), aims to develop a robust evaluation approach that will generate evidence of the impacts of AgDev’s investments. EPAR will provide technical assistance and tracking systems to systematically collect data from the evaluation process and evaluation findings. Specifically, evidence generated from these evaluations will provide new, primary information that can deepen knowledge on how and why impact may or may not be reached, where there are new opportunities or risks, what results are sustained over time, and where strategic shifts or intensifying existing efforts is required, thereby enhancing overall evidenced-based decision-making for agricultural development.

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