Teaching Case-Writing Program
The goal of the Duke Foundation Program’s Teaching Case Writing Program is to create a library of decision-forcing case studies similar to those used at the Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government as well as other professional schools. DFRP teaching cases describe critical decision points in the lives of foundations, dramatizing the kinds of challenges, conflicts, and dilemmas foundation executives encounter in the real world. Through analysis and discussion of cases, students gain a clearer understanding of how, why, and to what extent foundation grantmaking strategies have succeeded or failed in their intended purposes.
Case Studies
Based on extensive research and, in most cases, in-depth interviews with key decision-makers, DFRP teaching cases introduce students to how foundation officers go about formulating strategy, setting objectives, selecting and implementing tactics, and assessing outcomes and impacts. DFRP cases center around such topics such as how philanthropic foundations seek and achieve impact; how they select and implement strategies for grant-making initiatives; and how they might improve strategy selection and implementation. Each DFRP case centers around a real-life individual to whom students can relate, and most cases involve events that happened within the last ten years, though some cases examine particularly significant foundation initiatives from the more distant past. The difficult choices, dilemmas, and uncertainties faced by foundation decision-makers as they tackle urgent social problems will provoke discussion, disagreement, and debate among students. DFRP cases motivate students to analyze complex situations using limited information, to examine their assumptions, to hone their critical-thinking skills, and to sharpen their ability to present and defend a point of view.
All DFRP cases are backed by documentary exhibits and by teaching notes that guide instructors through the intricacies of the narrative.
