January 12, 2026

Many efforts have tried to find, create, use, and share evidence about programs and practices to inform decision-making. However, too often, both in the past and present, the way evidence is funded and used complicates efforts to improve the well-being of people and communities.

Recognizing that there are many different forms that incentives for evidence creation and use can take, this convening brought together practitioners and leaders in the evidence ecosystem from government, nonprofits, philanthropy, and academia to discuss how we can better design and encourage constructive evidence production and application. 

Convening participants examined how evidence is used – and misused – in policymaking and implementation, to surface practical ways to strengthen the credibility, usability, and adoption of evidence in real-world decision-making environments.

Read the convening report for more details.

February 8th to 9th, 2024

Initiatives to reduce data-related barriers for nonprofit organizations are proliferating. There is a growing body of evidence regarding the impact and lack of impact of such initiatives. In light of this, organizers saw reason to bring people together to think more broadly about the role of evaluations in the social services ecosystem and the conditions in which they take place. This convening was organized to spur a discussion about the underlying incentives and disincentives that shape how evidence is created, used, and shared in the social services ecosystem.

Read the convening report for more details.