Fund What You Can Measure

Funders need ways to understand what their money supports. Measurement can help organisations learn, improve and explain progress. The trouble begins when measurement becomes the main filter for deciding what deserves support.

Caste discrimination, unequal access and social exclusion can take generations to change. Their causes are deep and their effects are not always visible within a grant cycle.

When funding rewards only easily measurable outcomes, organisations may adapt their work to fit the measurement system. The risk is that what is measurable becomes more important than what is meaningful.