Hewlett Foundation's Nuclear Security Initiative (NSI)

In 2015, we completed a summative evaluation of the Hewlett Foundation's sun-setting Nuclear Security Initiative (NSI). The evaluation sought to answer bold questions about how and where the Foundation's investments and actions made a difference to the nuclear field more generally, where meaningful progress occurred over the seven years of investment, and whether or how the Foundation could have exited better. The purpose was to inform and strengthen the Foundation's thinking regarding measurement and evaluation of policy-related initiatives, as well as those that are time-bound. 

The NSI evaluation relied on: in-depth interviews with a broad cross-section of actors in the field, including Foundation staff, grantees, funders, advisors, and experts; analysis of hundreds of grantee and program officer reports; and review of secondary data, including grantee and funder publications, websites, and selected articles and op-eds. Evaluation deliverables were intended to promote action and decision making, and included: a memo shared broadly with program and evaluation officers, the Hewlett Foundation's executive leadership and the Board of Trustees; a webinar for NSI grantees and the Foundation's funder peers; and a memo and presentation for Foundation staff highlighting recommended best practices for measurement, evaluation, and learning (MLE) in an initiative such as NSI.