Researching Wealth Origins and Community Impact

Bush Foundation

Snapshot

Client Type: Private foundation
Focus Area: Wealth origins, equity, and philanthropic accountability
Engagement Type: Multi-method research and analysis
Key Challenge: Understanding how wealth accumulation and corporate history continue to shape equity and opportunity
Primary Outcome: A transparent, equity-centered narrative to inform philanthropic strategy and accountability

Key Takeaways

  • Examining wealth origins strengthens philanthropic transparency and credibility.

  • Community-informed historical research deepens understanding of equity and impact.

  • Clear synthesis and storytelling are essential for translating complex histories into action.

  • A private foundation sought to deepen its understanding of how its philanthropic resources were generated and how those origins continue to influence communities today. Recognizing growing expectations around transparency and equity, the foundation aimed to examine the intersection of wealth accumulation, corporate practices, and long-term community impact.

  • While the foundation had a clear mission for social good, it lacked a comprehensive, accessible account of how its wealth was built and the environmental and social costs associated with that process. Traditional philanthropic narratives often overlook these histories, limiting opportunities for accountability, trust-building, and more equitable decision-making.

  • Bridgepoint Evaluation designed and implemented a multi-method research process grounded in historical rigor and community voice.

    Key components of the work included:

    • Historical Analysis
      Mapping the origins of foundation wealth through corporate milestones, financial growth, and archival research.

    • Equity Lens
      Examining environmental and social impacts of wealth creation, with attention to disproportionate effects on marginalized communities.

    • Community Dialogue
      Facilitating conversations with community leaders and historians to validate findings and surface lived experiences often excluded from dominant narratives.

    • Synthesis and Communication
      Developing accessible summaries and visual materials to translate complex histories into usable insights for strategy and accountability.

  • The research produced a clear, transparent narrative connecting wealth origins to present-day community impact. Findings illuminated the communities most affected by historical practices and identified opportunities for the foundation to align its philanthropic strategies more closely with equity, responsibility, and responsiveness.

  • The study created a foundation for ongoing dialogue around trust, equity, and reparative action in philanthropy. By grounding strategy in historical understanding and community voice, the foundation was better positioned to act with greater intentionality and accountability.

  • Bridgepoint Evaluation was an excellent partner for our project. It required some deep, research work across files that were decades old, and research into the historical product line of a corporation, and they did a thorough job. We learned a lot more about the wealth origin for our Foundation and the impacts to the region.

    - Jackie Statum Allen, Grantmaking Director

About the Work

This engagement reflects Bridgepoint Evaluation’s work supporting foundations in using research, evaluation, and community dialogue to inform equitable strategy and strengthen accountability.