SHOFCO Awarded $1.3 Million

Article By Peter Brach, Founder of Propel Philanthropy

My fund provided two matching Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) grants to SHOFCO. Our portion was $39,000, which went toward hiring experts for this initiative. M&E-designated funds enable nonprofits to undergo rigorous processes to report their outcomes accurately. These reports can increase the confidence of foundations and private donors, leading to funding for the nonprofit being reviewed. When you read about the impact achieved on a nonprofit’s website, you want to feel confident that what you read represents what happened.

SHOFCO’s Chief Advancement Officer, Katherine Potaski, reported that Mastercard Foundation was impressed with the M&E outcome statements she provided and was awarded a $1.3 million grant. While it’s impossible to attribute this sizable grant to the earlier M&E funding definitively, there’s persuasive evidence to suggest a connection: Beyond their initial interest in SHOFCO’s M&E reports, Mastercard Foundation later partnered with the organization to conduct additional M&E work.