The Humanities and Liberal Arts Assessment (HULA) project (a research and consulting group led by Danielle Allen and based out of Harvard’s Project Zero) has developed new research methodologies for deepening our understanding of just how humanistic pedagogy works, what humanists expect it to accomplish, and what methods for assessing it might be.
 
For academics who are interested in studying philanthropy, our research might illuminate fruitful lines of inquiry into, for example, what types of humanistic craft practice are more likely to be funded and why. For philanthropists, our analysis suggests ways to both more effectively assess potential projects and to evaluate funded projects: by considering known mechanisms that humanists employ to achieve goals, philanthropists can more effectively consider if and how projects might achieve their stated purpose.