“We believe that to serve our community well, we must truly understand how our partners experience working with us. This survey was an important step in listening with intention, learning from feedback, and improving how we carry out our mission that La Porte County residents are healthy and well.”
— Eric DeWald, HFL President & CEO 

At Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL), we are committed to continuous improvement. That means not only assessing the impact of our grantmaking but also reflecting on how we partner with grantees through our community investments. We want to better understand the perspectives of our grantee partners across the foundation’s work. That’s why, as part of our strategic planning process that began last fall, we engaged with the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) to conduct HFL’s first Grantee Perception Report.    

The Grantee Perception Report (GPR) is a confidential survey that captures feedback from grantees on their experiences with a funder during a particular moment in time. For the 2025 GPR survey, grantees with an open grant in 2024 were invited to participate. By inviting candidness, we can gain valuable insights into both our strengths and areas where we can improve. This feedback will help us sharpen our practices, strengthen relationships, and ensure that our support makes a meaningful difference in the health and wellness of our community members. 

We owe tremendous gratitude to the 69 grantees who provided feedback to CEP. Thank you for your time and insights. Your feedback was used by CEP to compare our results to more than 350 funders and a custom cohort of 17 funders that share one or more factors with HFL, including that they were formed out of the sale of a hospital or health plan.  

You can read the entire GPR report on our website (link below), but here are some key learnings we’d like to share:   

Where We’re Doing Well 

HFL received positive ratings across many areas of the survey. Notable strengths included: 

• Positive community impact, including on grantees’ organizations, fields, and local communities 

• Meaningful funder-grantee relationships 

• Clear communication 

• Streamlined grant application process 

• Providing assistance beyond the grant through capacity building, educational opportunities, and our Conference & Learning Center 

Opportunities Ahead 

The GPR also pointed to opportunities for growth. CEP recommends we 

• Foster deeper relationships with first-time grantees 

• Strengthen reporting processes to better reflect the specific work funded and, where possible, allow more flexibility for different project types 

• Provide more opportunities to exchange ideas with grantees on how to evaluate the results of the funded project/program.  

• Deepen our understanding of our grantees’ organizational contexts and challenges 

• Consider staff capacity needed to maintain positive ratings 

• Over the past year, HFL has taken steps to increase our staff capacity, starting with supporting a team member to assist with grants management and hiring our first learning & evaluation manager who will join the team in October. 

Click here to view our full 2025 Grantee Perception Report.  

Moving Forward Together 

Thank you again to all of our partners who participated in this comprehensive survey. We are grateful for the time and thoughtfulness that went into every survey response, and we are committed to turning this feedback into meaningful action. Also, please know you can reach out to us at any time with comments, questions, or concerns at contact@hflaporte.org or 219.326.2471. 

It is a privilege to work in partnership with you toward a healthier La Porte County.