Multi Methods Assessment of Technical Assistance for Community-Based Food Access Organizations

Abstract

The U.S. foundations contribute billions of dollars each year to community-based organizations (CBOs). Showing the impact of the funding and return on investment within the communities served is beneficial to both funders and CBOs. However, often due to limited capacity for staff and resources, program evaluation can be challenging within CBOs, and technical assistance (TA) on implementing robust program evaluation and dissemination practices can build capacity. This study assessed the effectiveness and implementation of TA for evaluation and dissemination provided from June 2023 to July 2024 to UnitedHealthcare grantees implementing healthy food access interventions. The effectiveness of individual monthly TA meetings was qualitatively evaluated through post-TA interviews. TA implementation was evaluated through qualitative analysis by coding meeting notes according to the topics addressed: evaluation plan, evaluation measures, dissemination plan, and dissemination channels. A total of 41 individual TA meetings were conducted. Among the five interviewees, grantees mentioned changes to evaluation practices including developing an evaluation plan, refining surveys and cost-effectiveness analysis, and expanding data collection to include qualitative measures. There were fewer changes to dissemination practices, including expanding information in funder reports, adding one-pagers for referral partners, and creating internal quarterly reports. TA topics discussed included evaluation measures (n = 16 mentions), evaluation planning (n = 13), other content areas (n = 10), dissemination planning (n = 3), and dissemination strategies (n = 3). Findings illustrate that TA can positively impact grantees’ practices, especially on program evaluation. Overall, the partnership between the funder, TA providers, and grantees preliminarily shows the benefit of TA to support robust program evaluation.