Bridgespan: Case Studies

	The Annie E. Casey Foundation
	Aspire Public Schools (2006)
	Aspire Public Schools (2008)
	The Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans
	Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools
	The California Endowment
	Communities In Schools
	Communities of Opportunity
	Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
	Expeditionary Learning Schools/Outward Bound
	Great Valley Center
	Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
	Growth of Youth-Serving Organizations
	Harlem Children's Zone
	Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection
	Houston's Kids
	The Justice Project
	Larkin Street Youth Services
	MY TURN, Inc. (2005)
	MY TURN, Inc. (2007)
	National Academy Foundation
	The National Council of La Raza
	National Council on Aging
	Natural Resources Defense Council
	Nurse-Family Partnership
	Our Piece of the Pie^® (2006)
	Our Piece of the Pie^® (2008)
	The Steppingstone Foundation
	Tiger Foundation
	VolunteerMatch
	YES Prep Public Schools


	Case Studies
	The Annie E. Casey Foundation—Answering the hard question: “What difference are we making?” How can a foundation better evaluate the difference it's making in the world, when its grantee portfolio is diverse—and it's the grantees who actually deliver? Aspire Public Schools: Building the Organizational Capacity for Healthy Growth Two years into an aggressive expansion plan, the leaders of Aspire Public Schools found themselves overtaxed and concerned about maintaining quality outcomes. This case study follows their efforts to strengthen their organization so that it could meet both the immediate and longer-term demands of growth. Aspire Public Schools: From 10 Schools to 6-Million Kids What will it take to transform education in California? The Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans: Focusing for Impact Why did AAMA’s leadership decide to expand some but not all of the organization’s programs? Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools: Achieving Strategic Clarity Of all the things BayCES could be doing to raise student achievement, which ones should it do? The California Endowment: Sharpening a Foundation’s Grantmaking without Limiting its Mission When a foundation’s mission is extremely broad, how can it avoid the “mile-wide, inch-deep” syndrome, and direct its efforts to achieve the greatest possible impact? Communities In Schools: Propelling a National Network to the Next Level How did CIS mobilize the power of its diverse affiliate base? Communities of Opportunity: Making Opportunity Knock – A Strategy for Transforming San Francisco’s Southeastern Neighborhoods City agencies, community-based organizations, and private philanthropists put their heads together to ensure that the residents of San Francisco’s disadvantaged southeastern neighborhoods will share in the benefits of economic redevelopment. Edna McConnell Clark Foundation: A New Approach at an Old Foundation This Harvard Business School case study profiles how EMCF transformed its grant-making theory and practice to focus on institution and field building. Purchase this case study from Harvard Business School Publishing. Expeditionary Learning Schools/Outward Bound: Staying True to Mission How did ELS’ leadership respond when they learned that too few schools were reaching the level of excellence the organization’s mission demanded? Great Valley Center: Measuring for Mission GVC management needed a simple yet systematic method for determining whether they were on track to achieve their ambitious goals. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Helping Donors Make a Difference How can donors know if they are directing their charitable donations to address the community's greatest needs? Growth of Youth-Serving Organizations A study commissioned by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Read how 20 U.S. youth-serving organizations navigated the rewards and challenges of growth. Harlem Children's Zone: Learning to Grow with Purpose HCZ offered many programs. Which ones would ultimately have the greatest impact on its mission. Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection: Using Data to Discover What’s Possible This Rochester-based nonprofit feared local opportunities for funding and partnerships were becoming tapped out, but were they? Houston’s Kids: Collaborating Across Sectors in Times of Crisis and Beyond Houston’s partnerships, formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, can provide a model for other cities’ efforts. The Justice Project: Using Strategic Planning to Increase the Impact of Advocacy How did this advocacy organization use strategic planning to clarify its direction without stifling the flexibility that is so central to its success? Larkin Street Youth Services: Sustaining Success Why do some organizations succeed year after year, while others are unable to sustain outstanding results for more than a year or two at a time? MY TURN, Inc.: Building on Success (2007) After successfully completing a three-year growth plan in two years, this community-based youth development agency was primed for more. What were the right next steps? MY TURN, Inc.: Preparing for Regional Growth (2005) MY TURN’s management needed a clear strategy for guiding regional growth. National Academy Foundation: Reinforcing Core Programs How does NAF’s work helping pockets of high-need public-school youth mesh with the national trend toward district-wide school reform? The National Council of La Raza: Unleashing the Power of an Affiliate Base How could NCLR’s national office and affiliates work together to make the greatest progress possible toward Hispanic American equality? National Council on Aging: Widening the Net for Medicare Drug Benefits How did NCOA help benefit enrollment agencies and funders use their resources in the most effective ways? Natural Resources Defense Council: Problem-Centered Strategy What happened when NRDC decided to make global warming its number one priority? Nurse-Family Partnership: Organizing for National Expansion How could NFP make its proven model available to every low-income, first-time mother in the country? Our Piece of the Pie^®: Making the Biggest Difference in Hartford How did OPP turn the expiration of its largest contract into the springboard for greater impact? Our Piece of the Pie^®: From Data to Decision-Making Data should be a source of strategic value; here's how one youth-serving organization made it so. The Steppingstone Foundation: Managing Growth How a Boston educational-services nonprofit is realizing its own potential for growth so that its scholars can realize theirs. Tiger Foundation: Profile in Engaged Philanthropy What happened when the same approach that created a pioneering hedge fund was applied to the work of a foundation? VolunteerMatch: Balancing Mission and Margin Earned-income ventures can be tricky; how did VolunteerMatch tackle the challenge? YES Prep Public Schools: Honing the Pathways of Growth YES faces numerous options for growth. Which ones should it pursue?

	"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
	-- Margaret Mead

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