By: Melissa Howlett, Chris Beauboeuf, and Alice Opalka

This brief explores how shifting an evaluation from a traditional policy and advocacy framework to a power-building framework reshaped what was measured, recognized, and valued. Drawing on ORS Impact’s evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Policy Department’s ballot measures portfolio, it examines how a power-building lens brought outcomes such as organizational capacity, coalition strength, and community power into sharper focus. The brief offers practical insights for funders and evaluators seeking to better understand, assess, and support power-building efforts.