KF’s research is different from most other research organizations, both in method and in output. We don’t do carefully controlled experiments on a community; we think with members of a community (or institutions) who are trying to solve a problem out of their own self-interest. We trade what we have learned for what they are learning, and both benefit.
Learning Exchanges
KF learns by exchanging ideas and experiences with people and organizations who are trying to do something in their own communities out of their own self-interest. We believe this is crucial to the integrity of the research, as well as its sustainability and relevance to others.
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Through Networks
The Kettering Foundation is part of a large network of networks—citizens, communities, groups, and institutions around the world—and conducts research by partnering with others in this network. Nongovernmental organizations, institutions of higher education, and government agencies in more than 70 countries have been involved.
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What KF Does & Doesn't Do
KF is not a grantmaker. We do not provide funding for projects or experiments, no matter how worthy—we only try to learn with people who are engaged in experiments out of their own self-interest in order to harvest insights that might have broader applicability.
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