What’s the secret sauce that drives impact in philanthropy?
Sound strategy is a must. Without a clear idea of the problems you’re working to solve – and how you’re trying to solve them – real change is elusive.
But good plans only work when people put them into action.
Every member of our staff plays a critical role ensuring the successful execution of strategy. By building connections with grantees and foundation colleagues. By focusing on outcomes. By committing themselves to learning what works and what doesn’t. By creating a shared understanding of our strategy internally – and in the communities where we work.
This year, the foundation launched its first recognition program. It honors team members who contributed their own unique ingredients to achieve excellence in grantmaking. I’m excited to celebrate their success.
Jamie Jutila, Senior Program Officer, Education
Jamie was recognized for demonstrating strategic learning in grantmaking to support better outcomes for students at microschools and in nontraditional learning environments. Her work is helping ensure greater progress for at-risk learners at these new schools.
What inspires you in your grantmaking?
Jamie: Philanthropy can be a powerful lever for change and deeper learning. If done well, we set our partners up for success by helping them build capacity to tell their own impact stories.
This work puts us very close to families and teachers to find new ways to support all kids.
Why did you want to work in philanthropy?
Jamie: I grew up in Montana. I saw the power philanthropy and nonprofits can have in small, rural communities. It's always been important to me to work in a sector providing real value to communities. Nothing goes exactly the way you planned. That’s one thing I learned to appreciate about this type of work. It helps me stay flexible, curious and creative.
What are you looking forward to in your work over the next year?
Jamie: The things we’re learning in the microschool and personalized learning grant portfolio have been just incredible. This work puts us very close to families and teachers to find new ways to support all kids. We are starting to understand in tangible ways the most promising innovations coming out of this portfolio. It shows how powerful teachers and parents are as engines of innovation.
Bre’Anna Brooks, Program Officer, Environment
Bre’Anna was recognized for excellence in sharing our strategy to restore coastal wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta. Her work has increased awareness of how sediment diversion projects build new land and protect communities and nature on the Louisiana coast.
What inspires you in your grantmaking?
Bre’Anna: One of the most inspiring aspects of grantmaking to me is its collaborative nature. Whether I’m at a convening with 15 grantees or discussing the foundation's strategy with my colleagues, I get to work with really smart and passionate people. It is fulfilling to build relationships and projects that make a difference in communities and the environment.
Funders play an essential role in listening, connecting the dots and helping to drive meaningful impact.
Why did you want to work in philanthropy?
Bre’Anna: I’ve spent eight of my nine years in the environmental field, working in philanthropy on river and watershed issues. I sort of fell into grantmaking but have stayed because there are so many opportunities to create change. Funders play an essential role in listening, connecting the dots and helping to drive meaningful impact.
What are you looking forward to in your work over the next year?
Bre’Anna: I am excited to visit the Midwest, the Mississippi River Delta and communities across the Mississippi River Basin. The foundation’s Mississippi River team is exploring new partnerships and different approaches to community grantmaking. I'm looking forward to seeing those come to fruition.
Katherine Robinson, Program Officer, Home Region
Katherine was recognized as a leading collaborator for her work to improve educational opportunities in Northwest Arkansas. Her grants advance school choice by supporting schools like Hope Academy, which works with students who have experienced trauma. The grants also supported programs to improve access to career and technical education across the region.
There is nothing more inspiring than the educators, families and children our work seeks to serve.
What inspires you in your grantmaking?
Katherine: There is nothing more inspiring than the educators, families and children our work seeks to serve. I love learning from communities and fueling their good work.
Why did you want to work in philanthropy?
Katherine: I started my career working at a school serving first-generation school-going children in India. Parents used an inkpad to stamp their fingerprints on school documents. They lacked even the literacy skills needed to sign their name. As I taught my second graders to read and write, I became passionate about working to build a world where education functions to unlock the potential of individual learners. But also, entire communities. Philanthropy has allowed me to work in education at a systemic level. I can combine my analytically-oriented skillset and my passion for reimagining education.
What are you looking forward to in your work over the next year?
Katherine: I am looking forward to seeing high-quality career pathway programs expand to serve more students across Northwest Arkansas. Our partners have done some exciting field-building in this area over the last year. I expect to see some tangible benefits emerge in 2024.
Jill Ozarski, Senior Program Officer, Environment
Jill was recognized for focusing on outcomes by ensuring the foundation’s grantmaking was more inclusive of Hispanic and Latinx communities in the Colorado River Basin. A third of all Hispanics in the U.S. live in the Colorado River Basin or are served by the river. But their importance to the river and the region is not always reflected in philanthropy.
I get satisfaction from seeing exceptional leaders empowered to do what they do.
What inspires you in your grantmaking?
Jill: From the outside, it looks like the foundation funds organizations. But from the inside, we see it as funding exceptional people who can make a difference in the world. I get satisfaction from seeing exceptional leaders empowered to do what they do.
Why did you want to work in philanthropy?
Jill: The Walton Family Foundation is my first job in philanthropy. Before this I spent nearly 20 years with government and nonprofits as a natural resource conservation professional. I jumped at the opportunity to explore philanthropy. It offered a chance to learn again by sitting across the table as a funder, meeting with nonprofit leaders who needed capacity to make a difference in their communities.
What are you looking forward to in your work over the next year?
Jill: I look forward to seeing stream restoration projects break ground this year with the support of local ranchers, tribes, water providers and communities. So much of the Colorado River’s watershed is degraded to the point where it has lost its natural ability to act like a sponge and clean and store the mountain headwaters that become our water and food supply. However, the federal infrastructure dollars available since 2022 have opened up exciting opportunities to implement nature-based solutions and restore headwaters, wetlands and forests.
Paula Langley, Strategy, Learning and Evaluation Officer & Kay Contreras, Program Support Associate, Education
Paula and Kay were recognized for operationalizing excellence by strengthening the partnership between the foundation’s Strategy, Learning and Evaluation Department and the Education Program’s support team. Together, they launched new internal channels to improve real-time communication between the teams.
I'm inspired by working with other grantmakers who are passionate about creating new possibilities for students and families.
What inspires you in your grantmaking?
Kay: I'm inspired by working collaboratively with other grantmakers who are passionate about creating new possibilities for students and families.
Paula: I enjoy supporting my Education Program colleagues in their grantmaking around shared impact and equitable evaluation goals. I learn alongside grantees and our Education Program team to ensure rigor, quality and efficiency in our grantmaking.
Why did you want to work in philanthropy?
Paula: I bring an interdisciplinary lens to my work since I’ve worked as a teacher, nonprofit program manager and education researcher before joining the foundation. I believe philanthropy is uniquely positioned to strengthen educational equity and create collaboration across sectors.
I believe philanthropy is uniquely positioned to strengthen educational equity and create collaboration across sectors.
Kay: My entry into philanthropy was in 2018 as a yearlong fellow for the Denver Foundation. The fellowship allowed me to bring best practices from the private sector to the field to advance strategic initiatives across the education landscape, at scale.
What are you looking forward to in your work over the next year?
Kay: I’m looking forward to continuing to raise the bar on operational excellence and bringing my strong project management orientation to help elevate the impact of our work.
Paula: I'm excited to continue impactful grantmaking that benefits families and children while strengthening the partnership and learning between our Education Program and the Strategy, Learning and Evaluation Department.
