Key Elements of Successful Applications

In reviewing applications from prospective grantees, the Stuart Foundation looks for a broad array of key elements. These are typical characteristics that encompass most projects, though the Foundation recognizes that each project may not have every element present due to the nature of its scope of work.

California and Washington System-wide Impact

• The Foundation places priority on those projects and programs that have had or could have broader impact on the education and child welfare systems in California and Washington.

Promising Practices in Education & Child Welfare

The Foundation believes that exemplary practices should inform and influence public policy. We specifically look for:

• Promising practices that take time for thoughtful development and evaluation before consideration of replication or expansion.
• A well-articulated work plan and budget that fits the project’s stage of development and allows time to ramp up a new program, make mid-course adjustments as needed, and gather and analyze data on program effectiveness.
• Expansion or replication of well-tested models of system reform and those practices that could have widespread portability to other settings.

In addition to these broader key elements, we specifically look for the following in education and child welfare projects:

• For education projects, the proposed work focuses on improving policies and/or practices that shape the educational experiences of students in school or school-related programs, rather than in programs designed to compensate for inadequate schooling.
• For child welfare projects, the proposed work focuses on improving policies and/or practices that benefit children and families in the child welfare system and formulating strategies for scaling up to create statewide impact.

Taking Risks

• The proposed project will support work that could not be done under existing circumstances.
• The Foundation’s funding will provide the opportunity to try something new, allow participants to work in new ways, develop new information and knowledge, and/or disseminate knowledge and tools that will significantly benefit children and youth.

Committed Partners

• Strengthening public systems is hard work and cannot be done in isolation.  For the Foundation’s most comprehensive projects and initiatives, we aspire for the work to value and build upon a wide range of partnerships.
• We look for evidence of public/private collaboration and cooperation. In these instances, projects and initiatives draw on the expertise, resources, and capabilities of each of the partners. Evidence of financial commitments from other public or private partners is particularly compelling.
• For the most highly developed and mature initiatives and projects, partners demonstrate their commitment and capacity by leveraging, investing, and aligning resources, funding streams, and coordinated services.

Clear Outcomes and Accountability

The Foundation expects to clearly find the following elements in proposed projects:

• Strategies incorporate and reflect learning from related projects and the research base.
• Existence of accurate baseline data on the defined problem.
• A statement of the anticipated impact and outcomes of the program and details on how progress will be measured.  It is essential to demonstrate how children, youth and families will benefit as a result of the work.
• A plan for sustainability after the grant has ended.