Feedback Loops in Practice: A Case Study on Evaluating a Climate Collaborative

Abstract

Philanthropic support to address the climate crisis has grown substantially, yet it remains unclear how effectively philanthropies are learning from their investments, from each other, and from other actors about what generates meaningful impact. Evaluations have come under scrutiny, as conventional approaches often struggle to account for complexity and provide the timely insights needed for adaptive management. In this article, the authors present the learning journey of a complex, systems-focused climate philanthropy initiative that uses structured feedback loops as an evaluation design. They describe how these loops were implemented over a two-year evaluation; discuss the choice of complexity-aware methods; and analyze the relational and power dynamics navigated by the funder, regrantor, and evaluation team. The authors also reflect critically on elements that received insufficient attention, particularly the learning priorities of grantees and the implications of these gaps for collaborative learning. They conclude by offering a Three Horizons framing to outline pathways for the philanthropic collaborative to strengthen its learning practice.