RADical Hope Releases The Standards of Excellence

New York, N.Y. (September 16, 2020) – RADical Hope, a not-for-profit foundation that identifies, rigorously evaluates, funds and partners with exceptional youth mental health programs, today released The Standards of Excellence, a practical assessment tool aimed at identifying truly high-quality programs. With the support of leading scientists across the field, RADical Hope developed The Standards to address a pressing need in the foundation sector for a structured approach to program evaluation, using evidence-based metrics.

RADical Hope was founded by Pam and Phil Martin in honor of their son, Chris, who died by suicide in 2017 during his junior year of college. Chris was the grandson of Larry Bossidy, Honorary Chairman of RADical Hope. The Foundation seeks to bring the data-driven efficiency of the private sector into the not-for-profit field to hone and scale up best-practice programs that will improve and save young  lives.

The Standards of Excellence will enable philanthropists, foundations and investors to scientifically identify and fund not-for-profit organizations to help guarantee the optimal use of donated dollars.  The assessment tool summarizes a range of domains essential to a program’s success, including goals, objectives, organizational features, specific operational indicators and program content. This will make executive judgement of a program’s overall health and fundability easily apparent. Its content is generalizable and easily adaptable to the specific evaluation needs of other foundations.

The RADical Hope Standards of Excellence is available beginning today and can be requested here.  It includes four sections:

RH Tool #1: SCREENING CRITERIA: The aim of this section is to assess measures relating to the goals, culture and operational capacity of a program.

RH Tool #2: ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH CHECK: The aim of this section is to assess the fitness of the program’s organization, including quality of governance, financial health, management team and associate partners.

RH Tool #3: PROGRAM ACTIVITY ASSESSMENT: This section requires a more detailed examination of program content, impact, significance and outcomes to determine whether they are indicative of potential success. This information can form the basis for a more customized evaluation.

RH Tool #4: ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT: This section provides a structure for funded organizations to report on items detailed in Tools #1 #2 and #3.

“Chris’s life had enormous meaning, and the legacy of his compassion lives on through RADical Hope,” Mrs. Martin said. “The RADical Hope Standards of Excellence was initially designed to refine our own approach for investment, but when we saw what we had on our hands we realized how helpful it could be for donors and foundations all across the country so today we proudly share it. This is the first of many RADical Hope initiatives to come. Please stay tuned.”

About RADical Hope

RADical Hope is committed to breaking the grip of emotional isolation that is hurting so many young people. Pam and Phil Martin established the Foundation in honor of their son, Chris, who died by suicide in the Fall of 2017. Like many young people today, Chris experienced periods of profound emotional isolation and lacked the proper opportunities to express his struggles. Chris’s experience is at the core of the RADical Hope mission. To learn more, visit: www.radicalhopefoundation.org