A Brief Summary of the Key Findings of the Environment Program Evaluation

The Foundation retained Sarah Rang to conduct an evaluation of the Environment Program Environmental Contaminants and Children’s Health. Sarah reviewed the development of the Program in 1997 through the first four years to 2002.This is a brief summary of the key findings of the report.

“People see the Laidlaw Foundation as a proactive and innovative Foundation whose strength is its willingness to take risks and support policy work. The Foundation is widely respected among grantees, non-grantees and opinion leaders. It is seen as an effective catalyst of people, networks and organizations. Grantees spoke of the value of the “instant credibility” that a grant from the Foundation provided. This credibility helped in opening other funding doors, being seen as a “serious player” and helped foster other partnerships” (Executive Summary).

The Foundation has helped contribute to the following successes:

•     improved air quality;
•     increase in the involvement of physicians and medical officers of health on smog;
•     cleaner vehicle fuels;
•     increase in the number of children walking to school;
•     increase in the number of pesticide free lawns;
•     better information on pesticide reduced food and food safety; and
•     creation of three new organizations (Sustainability Network, Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network and the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment).

The Environment Program is not a traditional application driven program. For example, strategic decisions were made up-front to increase program capacity in both the health and environment sectors through Strategic Partner grants. To further enhance the intersection of the health and environment sectors, projects that develop these cross-sectoral links have also been supported. The Innovations Fund has allowed the Program to support both smaller grass roots organizations and to give support to small, timely projects that do not fit into the regular grant making cycle.

Program strategies that have been successful include; capacity building, developing networks and partnerships and increasing community engagement and advocacy.

The Program has tried to take a balanced approach of making effective change from contributing to policy initiatives as well as working at the grass roots level. The Program supports high profile organizations to work from the inside to change, direct and initiate policy and also supports community grass-roots organizations to make change in the community (i.e. individual, household, community changes).

Rang identifies the following as keys to the successful Environment Program:

•     an active, knowledgeable and connected staff;
•     intervention at critical points to create new organizations and partnerships;
•     a dedicated and experienced Environment Committee;
•     a good balance of policy and community projects; and
•     selection of projects with clear objectives and goals.

These attributes are those we wish to strengthen as we move forward with revised Guidelines and a continued focus on Children’s Health and Environmental Contaminants.

Sarah’s report identifies 30 recommendations for action. Many of these recommendations focus on process and will improve the ability to assess outcomes and evaluate projects. There should be a renewed commitment to evaluation as a tool to improve project and program planning.

•     Review Program principles and rationale (environmental contaminants, children’s health and community capacity building)
•     Review goals of the Program(fostering networks, developing co-ordinated strategies, taking an ecological perspective and achieving a better understanding of children’s health)

Process Recommendations:

•     Grantee Reports require formal reporting requirements that includes an evaluation component
•     All proposals must include a project evaluation plan
•     Review the allocation of grants between regular grants, strategic partner grants and Innovation grants. Review the purpose of strategic and innovation grants

New Directions to think about:

•     additional networking with other non-traditional groups such as labour, corporations youth and minorities
•     imbed ecological thinking into financial and economic systems, governance, corporate systems and everyday life