Did I m
Mae Hong, April 15, 2015
fal· la· cy
ˈfaləsē
noun
a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument.
"the notion that the camera never lies is a fallacy"
synonyms: misconception, misbelief, delusion, mistaken
impression, error, misapprehension,
misinterpretation, misconstruction, mistake
•
•
LOGIC
a failure in reasoning that renders an argument invalid.
faulty reasoning; misleading or unsound argument.
"the potential for fallacy which lies behind the notion of self-esteem"
Fairy Dust
“You’re so vain,
you probably
think this song is
NOT about you.”
Grantee.
Funder.
“I made a
‘bad’ grant”
“I made a
grant badly”
ad·jec·tive \ˈa-jik-tiv also ˈa-jə-tiv\ n.
any member of a class of words that
modify nouns and pronouns, primarily by
describing a particular quality of the word
they are modifying
ad·verb
\ˈad-ˌvərb\ n. any member of
a class of words that function as modifiers
of verbs or clauses
The Observer Effect
FUNDER PROTECTION PROGRAM
“More Money?!
But you didn’t do anything!”
Note: Funder’s identity concealed for her own safety.
The Ask: $100,000
The Actual: $25,000
Verdict:
The “Helicopter” Funder
Note: Funder has been relocated to an undisclosed location
far, far from reality
Verdict:
“bad,
bad
grantee!”
Note: Funder has sequestered himself in an alternate universe
where he is the King.
Terms of the
grant agreement
• 3-year grant of $ 225,000
• Year 1:
$100,000 to serve 85 families
• Year 2:
$ 75,000 to serve 85 MORE families
• Year 3:
$ 50,000 to serve 85 MORE families
Grantee “Performance”
Year 1 results: 65 families
76%
of original goal
The Ripple Effect
Year 1 results:
65 families
Year 2 payment:
Year 2 results: 58 families
Year 3 payment:
76%
of original goal
76%
68%
of original goal
68%
Year 3 results: 54 families
TOTAL:
177 families
69% of original goal
68%
of original goal
Verdict:
But they all had their reasons
“But that’s not
our role”
“We want to be close to the
work so we can be helpful”
“We hold our grantees
accountable”
GRANTS
Made
BADLY
“Our grantees should
be sustainable”
“Is your work
‘sustainable?’”
• Is
“We
will continue to develop our staff and
board’s ability to fundraise and diversify our
revenues, including building relationships with
other funders, as well cultivating support from
corporate sponsors and individual donors. Our
special events continue to increase in revenue,
and the board is leading the effort to explore
earned income through program fees and the
door-to-door sales of inspiring macaroni
artwork made by the children in our extended
learning program.”
“We will leave you
alone and bother
other people.”
Source: Vu Le, Blue Avocado: “The Sustainability Question: Why is it so annoying?”
“Our grantees should
be sustainable”
“We need to fund
our grantees to
thrive”
Source: Vu Le, Blue Avocado: “The Sustainability Question: Why is it so annoying?”
“Here’ s 50
metres, the rest
is up to you”
“Here’ s 200
metres”
(and then lets go of the other end)
Fairy Dust Sprinkle #1:
Evaluation
What’s your
favorite color?
Fairy Dust Sprinkle #2:
Exceptionalism
Fairy Dust Sprinkle #3:
Innovation
Howard, Ron, dir. Apollo 13. Prod. Brian Grazer. Imagine Entertainment, 1995. Film. 28 May 2013.
DeWitt
Jones
No Bad GRANTS
only bad
grant makers
Epilogue:
A Tale of Two Giraffes
Waldemar Neilson
An
Alternative
View of
Giraffes
Mark Ishaug