Annual Report.pdf

The 2018 Annual Report of the William T. Grant Foundation highlights the organization's persistence in supporting social science research to improve the lives of young people, despite challenges in measuring impact and opposition to evidence-informed thinking. The report emphasizes three reasons for persistence:

1. Points of light: Despite anti-science rhetoric, there are instances of agreement on the value of evidence for better decision-making, such as the passage of the Foundations of Evidence-Based Policymaking Act.
2. State and local leverage: Much of the leverage to improve policy and practice is at the state and local levels, where the foundation's grants can have a significant impact, as seen in the six Rapid Response Research grants awarded in 2018.
3. Long-term impact: Even if findings do not have a ready audience immediately, they will have one in the future, as seen in the foundation's historic contributions, such as The Forgotten Half report.

The report also discusses the challenges of measuring impact, the importance of cumulative effects from funded studies, and the need for continuous improvement and collaboration with other funders. The foundation's goals are to reduce inequality in youth outcomes and to identify, build, and test strategies to ensure that research evidence is used to benefit youth.