8. Learning within the Foundation

Building a culture of health requires that different actors and actions be connected within communities. This type of connection is required at all levels of the system, including within the foundation. Teams need to know what each other is doing, where the opportunities for collaboration or enhancement lie. You have an opportunity to share information with each other regarding the communities and partners with whom you work. By doing so effectively you will share the knowledge you are amassing as well as the practices you are employing to have impact. u Promote learning among different teams. Program staff need to be able to talk with one another to break down silos, learn from one another, and discover, collectively, the levers for change. To do this, program staff will have to speak truth to power in the context of philanthropy, as the culture of philanthropy doesn’t support this currently. u Create spaces and systems for teams to come together in learning and sharing. Just as we encourage retreats for our grantees, we need to create spaces for ourselves to learn from and share with each other. This could (and should) be on a consistent basis, and it can also happen as a deeper, more expansive retreats, away from the office, where people have an opportunity to get out of their everyday spaces and think in new ways together. Engage in deep conversations for learning at RWJF -across teams, across issue-areas. Be in relationship. u Align your community engagement efforts. If different teams or consultants are working in the same communities, align them in their efforts. Create the systems for such alignment to be possible. u Pursue excellence over perfection. Begin somewhere and follow what works. Iterate on what doesn’t work. Trust that if you are in partnership with other staff and with communities, that you can find the best answer together. This recommendation applies both to learning within the foundation as well as to community engagement. We cannot let perfect be the enemy of the good, and we can do excellent work, even when imperfect.