Conclusion

Closing a project obviously marks the end of a relationship. But it also marks a beginning, for ideas and lessons extracted from the now-closed project will be inserted into the continuous process of renewing the grantmaking program. All foundations should understand and appreciate the circular process illustrated by the programming wheel and explicitly take the time to fully harvest lessons and thoughtfully reflect on their meaning. Failing to embrace every function on the wheel, especially those of harvesting and reflection, is akin to making shrewd investments in the stock market and then refusing to cash the dividend checks. The wise elder said, “This, too, shall pass,” but it appears that this statement really is not true at all times and under every circumstance. At least one exception can be found in the work of programming: the lessons learned from projects never really pass away; they are “plowed back into the soil” to enrich the next crop of projects.