Cross-Cutting Functions & Systems
Five functions serve every pillar equally, reporting through the CEO rather than sitting inside any one pillar's budget or leadership line.
Placing these five functions outside pillar leadership keeps them from being pulled toward any single pillar's priorities: Research & M&E has to be able to report unfavourable findings about any programme, and Partnerships & Finance has to allocate donor relationships based on institutional strategy, not the loudest pillar. Reporting through the CEO — see Governance — is what preserves that independence.
Policy & Advocacy
Policy analysis and briefs, stakeholder advocacy campaigns, and legislative engagement that translate programme evidence into policy influence.
- Number of policy briefs adopted
- Stakeholder engagement events held
Research, Monitoring & Evaluation
Baseline studies, mixed-methods evaluations, and the real-time dashboards described in our measurement framework.
- Evaluation completion rate
- Dashboard uptime and usage
Partnerships & Finance
Donor relations, diversified revenue development, and financial management and compliance across all five partnership models.
- % funding diversification
- Timely audited financial statements
Communications & Knowledge Management
External communications, knowledge product development, and learning events that turn programme evidence into shareable institutional knowledge — see Insights & Publications.
- Media reach
- Knowledge product downloads
Operations & Human Resources
Procurement and logistics, staff recruitment and development, and the office and IT systems every pillar and function relies on.
- Staff retention rate
- Procurement cycle time