The US Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy has just released new research entitled, "How foundations use communications to advance their public policy work." The report addresses how foundations that wish to engage public policy are using communications as a core strategy in advancing their policy work.
Based on the experience of senior communications officers in 18 of the
largest US foundations, it explores the rationale and strategies for bringing communications to bear on policy work; describes the organisational models that foundations have adopted for communications; and suggests some of the issues and challenges most on the minds of communications leadership in foundations as they build communications capacity into their work.
This study reveals that communications, far from being an afterthought or occasional add-on, is at the very center of successful policy engagement for these foundations. The foundations interviewed make use of ten distinctly different strategies to boost their policy engagement through communications, and their activities clearly suggest that the days when foundations “spoke only through their grantees” are over.
The study also reveals the emergence of three structural models for communications staff: the advisory model, the embedded model, and the communications department. The majority of foundations studied (11 of 18) use the advisory model where the communications team advises the program staff both formally and informally throughout the grantmaking process. The interviews show that communications staff sizes are small, but that the full communications force for foundation policy work, including what consultants, partners and grantees do, is much larger
than their core staffs.
The study also reveals that communications strategy in support of policy
engagement has become a highly senior position, with many of those holding the top jobs recruited from either corporate communications or policy advocacy settings. Seniority notwithstanding, the visible backing of the CEO for communications is perceived as a prerequisite for achievng both program participation and results.
To read the report in full, visit:
http://cppp.usc.edu/research/FINAL-RP34-FerrisSharpHarmssen.pdf