Two years into the implementation of the Sports Relief 2014 initiative (with a funding pot of GBP 20M through DFID funding of GBP 10M), Comic Relief contracted Nathan Associates to implement a preliminary monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) review of the grants portfolio to cover three key objectives: a) Mapping the total portfolio of grants and developing data aggregation protocols; b) Identifying cross-cutting learning areas; and c) Carrying out a review of grantees’ monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems.

Nathan completed a mapping exercise of total portfolio of grants and developed aggregation protocols for the overarching DFID logframe document at initiative level; identified cross-cutting learning areas/questions emerging from the work of the portfolio of grantees that were addressed over the life of the initiative; and carried out a review of grantees’ monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems suitability to support the overarching data aggregation.

Nathan also identified information gaps to be filled during the life of the initiative. We:

• Completed a mapping exercise of total portfolio of grants and developed aggregation protocols for the overarching DFID logframe document at initiative level;
• Identified cross-cutting learning areas/questions emerging from the work of the portfolio of grantees that were addressed over the life of the initiative;
• Carried out a review of grantees’ monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems suitability to support the overarching data aggregation; and identified existing information gaps to be filled during the life of the initiative.