October 2026

By Nivedita Ranade, ETB Associate Program Director

What does it take to make culturally responsive and equitable evaluation not just possible but sustainable?

This question was at the heart of two presentations by the Expanding the Bench® (ETB): Regional team at the Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) IX conference last week in Chicago. Both explored how shifting power, strengthening relationships and rethinking traditional ways of working can help create more equitable evaluation ecosystems.

Creating Conditions for Culturally Responsive Work to Thrive

The first presentation was part of a symposium exploring what it takes to fund, evaluate, and sustain culturally responsive nonprofit work. Bringing together funder, evaluator, grantee, and field-building perspectives, the symposium examined how traditional philanthropic structures can create barriers for the very organizations working to advance equity.

Using Black-led organizations as a focused example, the session highlighted the importance of shifting power within philanthropy, honoring diverse forms of evidence, investing in sustainable organizational capacity, and strengthening the field of culturally responsive practitioners.

A central message emerged: Culturally responsive evaluation requires more than changing our methods. It requires changing the conditions under which the work happens.

Moving from Transactional Relationships to Shared Ownership

The second presentation focused on the relationships between funders and evaluators, who often share common goals but work in parallel rather than in true collaboration.

Drawing on Change Matrix’s Leading Through Change Framework™ and ETB’s Regional work, the presentation introduced a roadmap for building more collaborative partnerships through trust, shared learning, co-creation, and shared decision-making.

It challenged participants to think about innovation beyond new tools and methods, recognizing that meaningful innovation can also emerge from changing how we build relationships, navigate power, and work together.

Strengthening Our Evaluation Ecosystem Together

Together, these presentations reflect ETB’s evolving focus on strengthening the national evaluation ecosystem and regional microsystems. Rather than focusing solely on individual evaluators or organizations, ecosystem building recognizes the interconnected roles of funders, evaluators, nonprofits, communities, and other contributors.

Both presentations reinforced that advancing equity requires intentional investments in relationships, shared power, and the infrastructure that enables collective learning and action.

As ETB continues this work, we are carrying forward an important question: How can we move beyond individual efforts to collectively create the conditions for culturally responsive and equitable evaluation to thrive?

Coming in November: The ETB: Regional Playbook!

This question is also guiding ETB Regional work, where we are learning what it takes to build relationships, share power, and strengthen evaluation microsystems in different local contexts. This November, we’re excited to share more of what we’re learning through the release of the ETB: Regional Playbook!

Drawing on our experiences across the U.S. South, California, and Southern New England, the Playbook will offer a deeper look at the principles, practices, and lessons shaping our approach to place-based evaluation ecosystem building. Alongside these learnings, it will include practical tools and resources to support others doing similar work.

We invite you to explore these learnings, reflect on what they might mean for your own evaluation ecosystem, and consider how you can contribute to building a stronger, more connected, and equitable field. Stay tuned!