Foundation Strategies to Inform Federal Policy in the United States

A Study to Support the Evaluation of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Promoting Equitable and Sustainable Transportation Initiative

Using philanthropy as a strategy for federal policy reform in the United States is not a new concept. Yet, little has been done to assess exactly why foundations choose to engage in federal policy reform efforts, what strategies they use when doing so and, perhaps most importantly, whether any connection can be drawn between particular influencing strategies and their ensuing results in terms of federal policy change.

Questions exist as to the ideal leverage that foundations can and should exercise in the policy reform space, and what forms of strategy can have the most impact across a spectrum of outcomes that range from raising awareness and knowledge levels to inciting action and, ultimately, to winning political commitments in Washington.

This scan, undertaken to draw correlations between strategies and outcomes within theories of change for policy reform, examines select examples of what has prompted foundations to invest in federal policy endeavors, what methods they have applied and what results these methods have achieved. The scan includes a review of extant published and gray literature, a review of a number of foundation websites, and interviews with a select number of foundation representatives.

Key Questions:

1. Why do foundations engage in federal policy reform efforts?
2. What strategies do foundations use in federal policy reform efforts?
3. Are there connections that can be drawn between particular influencing strategies
   and results in terms of federal policy change?
4. What examples exist of federal foundation policy initiatives and their results?