Short Abstract

This panel explores how embedded learning partnerships shift evaluation from rigid frameworks to adaptive, trust-based approaches — supporting participatory design, real-time decision-making, and inclusive learning cultures across donor and grantee organisations.

Description

Evaluation is widely promoted as essential for accountability and learning. However, in practice, traditional approaches—often rigid, judgement-oriented, and externally driven—tend to reinforce a culture of compliance rather than curiosity. Many funders are now deliberately shifting towards a learning-oriented view of evaluation: seeing it not as a mechanism for judgement, but as a strategic opportunity to strengthen programmes. This shift is prompting greater demand for more embedded evaluation roles, where evaluators work as learning partners. This closer relationship helps funders and partners more meaningfully interpret evidence and make real-time, evidence-based decisions that support programme adaptation for greater impact. Such roles create the conditions for staff to engage openly with feedback and to view evaluation as a supportive, adaptive learning process rather than an accountability exercise that occurs at the end of the programme.

In response to this shift, Triple Line has been working with Porticus since 2023 as an embedded Learning Partner. This collaboration spans Porticus’ global education portfolio, engaging both programme staff and grantee partners to co-design programmes, facilitate learning processes and foster an organisational ethos of continuous learning, reflection and adaptation. The partnership aims to move all players; Porticus, Triple Line, and grantee partners, beyond compliance-driven monitoring and evaluation, to cultivate a culture of inquiry grounded in trust, curiosity and shared purpose.

Drawing on their experience, speakers from Triple Line and Porticus will share practical insights into how embedded learning practices are being integrated into day-to-day work at both programme and organisational levels. The session will explore participatory programme and MEL framework co-creation, iterative reflection tools, and strategies for embedding evidence-informed decision-making within complex systems. It will also examine the challenges of cultivating a learning culture within donor agencies and across grantee organisations—including navigating power dynamics and enabling genuine collaboration.

Importantly, the panel will include short recorded contributions from two grantee partner organisations working on the ground. These voices will highlight how embedded evaluative activities have supported their own learning and real-time decision making, and the challenges they have encountered along the way.

We argue that cultivating a learning culture demands a fundamental shift in how evaluation is conceived and practiced. Rather than focusing solely on metrics and outcomes, evaluative processes must enable collaborative sense-making, support emergent learning and be responsive to context. This approach not only strengthens programme effectiveness but also contributes to more equitable and inclusive development practice.