Social change is a classic "wicked problem," meaning that social problems lack a clear definition and have complex interdependencies.The risk for social sector professionals is that if you fail to recognize these interdependencies, your programs may cause new, more damaging social or environmental problems.
FAS offers a way out of this bind. We help foundations plan effective social change by modeling the complex interdependencies between stakeholders within and across sectors. We enable you to move beyond evaluating grantees as discrete, autonomous entities and to see outcomes as dependent on the behavior of a complex system in which your grantees are embedded. By more accurately modeling your grantees' environments, you will be able to shape the conditions that will lead to the success of your grantees. This rigorous approach is critical to designing breakthrough funding, advocacy, and knowledge management strategies.
In addition to these services, FAS also offers organizational, major donor, and movement network strategy services to foundations and nonprofits. Our methodologies are based on the science of social network analysis and complexity theory, which offer a rigorous, science-based approach to planning for capacity growth and social change.
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