On May 29th the Funder and Evaluator Affinity Network (FEAN), co-founded by Equal Measure president Meg Long, hosted the second virtual coffee breaks for members, with the intention of reflecting on the state of philanthropic evaluation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the conversation on the 29th was informed by the stark disparities and urgent need for change already thrown into relief by the pandemic, the horror of Mr. Floyd’s murder and growing protests about police violence against the Black community created an even stronger undercurrent of urgency to the discussion.
The clear message was a growing sense that we can no longer wait for bold action in our field. We are sharing the full presentation and notes here, where you can see some of the ideas for action suggested by the participants.
Following the discussion and subsequent events FEAN has been thinking even harder on the question of how it can best serve its members in this time of urgent need for change. At this moment, FEAN can make a meaningful contribution by continuing to provide a (virtual) space for funders and evaluators to gather, support one another, and listen and create solutions together, acknowledging that we do not have the answers but commit to participating in active listening from a place of curiosity and kindness and to identifying opportunities to support action from members that arise from this shared space.
With that in mind, two open forums were offered for FEAN members, or other funders and evaluators in the philanthropic sector on Wednesday, June 17 and Thursday, June 18. If you’re interested in joining future conversations, please join the FEAN mailing list.
below: New FEAN website
New FEAN Website Launches
Thanks to FEAN member Janet Camarena and the resources of Candid, we have launched a new FEAN website, hosted by Candid. The site will be a place for others to learn more about FEAN, sign up for the mailing list, and will be a platform for sharing out messaging and products from FEAN’s action teams and learnings from the FEAN membership. We invite you to visit the site and share it with others.
More Updates
New Blog Post: Tired Narratives about Talent in Evaluation
It’s Time to Let Go of Tired Narratives about Talent in Evaluation
by Clare Nolan, co-founder, Engage R&D
Over the past two years, FEAN co-convener, Engage R+D, has partnered with several organizations to dig into the apparent lack of diversity of the evaluation field while also understanding the ways that institutional and structural racism play out in our field. We invite you to reflect with us as you review this new blog post, first posted by the Center for Evaluation Innovation (CEI), and additional relevant pieces on this topic that will be released in the coming months.