The foundation encourages programs to work together and take advantage of synergies in various fields. In fact, more than 30 percent of our grants result from a collaborative process among program officers who reach beyond their own portfolios to form partnerships with colleagues and pursue broader goals.
This is a routine part of our grant-making approach, and we have established a set of working groups that regularly bring together staff from across our programs and offices to share knowledge, strategize about future grants and promote collaboration and fresh ways of thinking. These groups are set up around broad themes such as development finance, human rights, HIV/AIDS and K-12 education. Each group has members from each program area and region of the world where we work.
Recent cross-program work includes our ongoing efforts to help rebuild the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.