Current Focus
The mission of the Douglas B. Marshall Jr. Family Foundation is to support education and research on all levels. We are especially interested in funding projects that are:
- Evidence based, with rigorous research showing that they improve educational outcomes
- Cost-effective, so that the highest impact can be achieved at low cost
- Scalable in the long term, even if programs are currently at small scale
We also fund projects that contribute to developing the evidence base on what works to improve educational outcomes, including: applied research; development of new monitoring and evaluation methodologies; and measurement of educational outcomes at a large (national or state-wide) scale. Note, however, that we do not normally support individual research projects unless they have also received funding through a competitive process which includes review by experts in their field.
We expect the vast majority of our grants to support projects focused in developing countries.
When evaluating applicants, we prioritize organizations with a committed and effective leadership that our foundation could eventually support on multi-year projects (although an initial grant will normally be for a single year).
Our foundation funds both specific projects as well as core support for an organization or division within an organization.
These criteria serve as general guidelines, and we may make exceptions. All our funding decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
What We Look For
- Projects supported by evidence that they improve educational outcomes
- Projects that will contribute to the evidence base on what works to improve educational outcomes
- Applications that have clearly stated goals, with a credible plan for monitoring progress and evaluating impact, where appropriate
- Projects for which the budget is commensurate with the goals and activities
- Organizations and projects with strong leadership and management teams