Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO) 2025 National Study of Philanthropic Practice
Learning & Evaluation: Grantmaker Story | bi3 Fund — Meeting Partners Where They Are
The Cincinnati-based bi3 Fund grounds its work in trust-based and equity-centered philanthropy.
By simplifying grant agreements, removing performance metrics, and co-creating learning questions and outcomes with grantees, bi3 shifts the focus from compliance to learning. The fund also recognizes the value of grantee partners’ time, compensating community reviewers and focus group participants, and offering honorariums for board presentations. “Equity, to us, means meeting people where they are, reflective of the project’s size and the organization’s capacity,” said Zohar Perla, Director of Evaluation & Learning. “Once in partnership, we trust their knowledge of the community and our role is to help them reach their goals.”
