At Climate Breakthrough, Impact and Learning (I&L) is the heartbeat of progress. Not all bold efforts we bet on will thrive and, therefore, we embrace the potential for failure. What sets us apart is how closely we engage and work with our awardees in defining their progress and tailoring tools to match the magnitude of their endeavors. We are guided by the following principles.
Learning Orientation
Our I&L activities do not just generate data. They paint a vivid picture of what leads to success and what we can learn through shortfalls to inform strategic adjustments—not only for our awardees but also our operations as a philanthropic organization.
Grantee-Centered Approach
I&L at Climate Breakthrough prioritizes trust-based relationships with awardees. We focus on equipping awardees with the data and information they need to iterate on their strategies. We aim to minimize burden and allow for efficiency.
Diversity of Evidence
Our I&L activities are not confined to a single mold; we acknowledge a diversity of evidence, including the validity and value of quantitative and qualitative data, short term implementation markers, and indicators of long-term impact. We understand that awardees’ complex initiatives can be hard to measure and evaluate.
join the community
We are working to reshape the evidence, knowledge, and learning ecosystem in climate philanthropy as founding members of the Climate Strategy, Monitoring, Impact, Learning, and Evaluation (SMILE) community of practice.
Climate SMILE brings together impact and learning professionals from nearly 50 major funders worldwide to provide infrastructure for collaboration and learning exchange, support member capacity, and push the frontiers of current thinking and practice. For more information, email Olivia Deich at olivia@climatebreakthrough.org