PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Boulanger Initiative

Boulanger Initiative: Building Accountability and Impact Through Strategic Evaluation

Boulanger Initiative

Team: John Carnwath

Image of Lili and Nadia Boulanger
Lili and Nadia Boulanger illustration by Chelsea Hill, courtesy of the Boulanger Initiative


In a period of rapid growth, the Boulanger Initiative (BI)—dedicated to promoting and raising awareness of music composed by women and all gender-marginalized composers—embarked on an effort to enhance its accountability and deepen its understanding of program impact as part of a new five-year strategic plan. Recognizing an opportunity to refine their approach, the leadership team partnered with WolfBrown to explore how they could better measure and communicate the effectiveness of their seven programs and prioritizing additional research and evaluation needs.

Together, WolfBrown and the BI team facilitated a series of collaborative staff meetings to clarify the Theories of Change underlying each program. This process provided valuable insights, helping to identify key points where targeted data collection could meaningfully assess progress toward short-, medium-, and long-term goals. With a clear and actionable evaluation framework in place, the BI team was able to prioritize their learning and accountability objectives while focusing their data collection efforts strategically. This approach ensures they can celebrate and build upon their successes while driving meaningful impact in the years ahead.