The Robertson Foundation takes a targeted, businesslike, results-oriented approach that is modeled more closely on private equity investing than on traditional philanthropic grant making. As a result, before the Foundation considers specific grants, its program staff, assisted by relevant experts, regularly conducts a data-driven scan of the area of interest to:

• Develop an understanding of the issues that need to be addressed,
• Survey the organizations that operate in the area,
• Identify approaches being tried in the field and their degrees of success, and
• Assess whether significant and measurable results can be achieved by the potential Robertson grantee.

Leadership at the grantee or partner organization plays a critical role. In every grant the Foundation makes, the implementation of the agreed-upon plan is monitored and the corresponding results are reviewed on a regular basis by the Foundation's program staff.