Browsing by Subject "Evaluation"
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access 2022 ALA-CORE National Binding Survey: Report of Findings(2023-02-01) Chapman, Joyce; Doyle, Beth; Ellenburg-Kimmet, Tanya; Coulbourne, Mark; Brim, RichendaThe American Library Association (ALA) Core Preservation Administration Interest Group (PAIG) held a Symposium on the Future of Library Binding1 in 2022. Following the symposium, the ALA Core Library Binding Practices Survey Team2 (hereafter, “Team”) was convened to explore issues that arose during the symposium. The Team members volunteered to create a survey on current library binding practices to gain a better understanding of who is using library binding as a preservation and access method, how they are using such services, and the challenges that face the community.Item Open Access A case study analysis of a participatory process in fisheries management(2008-12-05T18:29:57Z) Vasquez, MelissaThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the experiences of participants in a participatory process in environmental management and to examine relative contributions of process features and the achievement of social goals to participants perceptions of their experience. I examined the case of the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission Sea Turtle Advisory Committee, an ad-hoc advisory committee composed of scientists, fishermen, and managers convened to develop solutions to reduce sea turtle-fishery interactions in North Carolina inshore waters. I conducted semi-structured interviews with participants about their experience on this committee. I recorded and transcribed audio of the interviews and coded participant responses using NVivo software. Most participants categorized their experience as positive overall, citing the achievement of social goals rather than the production of substantive recommendations. Participants were most satisfied by the level of motivation of their fellow participants, but least satisfied by the lack of responsiveness from the lead agency, the Marine Fisheries Commission. The committee’s achievement of its goals was further hampered by poor facilitation, which resulted in confusion about the goals and scope of the process. Despite significant setbacks, all committee members responded that they would consider participating in a participatory process again in the future.Item Open Access A Progress Evaluation of National Geographic’s Geotourism Program(2012-04-25) Nystrom, Joel; Brouwer, Susannah; Torres, Hannah; Stern, TamarNational Geographic’s Geotourism Program is a sustainable tourism initiative designed to ease the negative impacts of mass tourism through a branding opportunity and grassroots structure that empowers local stakeholders to showcase regional and cultural identity. While previous studies on National Geographic’s Geotourism Program have investigated the potential and achieved successes from certain perspectives, the Geotourism charter mandates that program evaluation should consider all stakeholder interests (Boley 2009, Leonard 2011). This study contributes to a comprehensive evaluation by analyzing progress from a previously unexplored perspective: that of the participating sites in two regions: Sierra Nevada and Crown of the Continent (COTC) region. Quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments gather information from participating sites that then is evaluated by indicators in three categories: social, environmental and economic. Social impact proves to be the strongest success of the project as participants are encouraged to learn about the assets of their region, and share regional information with visitors. The study also reveals that participants who buy into the Geotourism Project by educating visitors and incorporating it into their business planning documents recognize the greatest degree of project impact. Analysis of the results yields recommendations for how stakeholder education and involvement, impact measurement, and project positioning can be more effectively integrated into each destination’s strategic plan.Item Open Access An Evaluation of the Solar Award in Taiwan(2008-04-24T20:30:04Z) Cheng, MuhanThe Solar Award in Taiwan is an annual contest that encourages professionals and students to submit innovative design projects that utilize solar photovoltaic material. Entries range from architectural and construction projects to the design of products such as toys and racing cars. In this study, we collected the direct feedback from the contestants as part of a program evaluation project. A questionnaire was designed to capture the perceived benefits of the contestants' experience in the Solar Award. Further, Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was used to estimate the economic value of those benefits. The web-based survey was completed by 135 previous contestants. Out analysis indicated that they expressed a mean willingness to pay of NTD 2511 (USD 85) as a registration fee. An aggregated value of NTD 3.3 million (US110, 000) was estimated to represent the use value of this event. We concluded that the Solar Award brought significant knowledge improvement and commercial opportunities to the contestants as well as positive effects on their perception of renewable energy. In addition, we found that there was an increase in the number of contestants that became practical users of solar PV following the contest. We also noticed that different occupational groups perceived and valued the contest experiences differently.Item Open Access Assessing the Evaluation Methods of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Latin American Compact Projects(2020-11-20) Norman, SavannahPor décadas, agencias de desarrollo internacional se han esforzado para remediar los desafíos globales del desarrollo. Una de estas agencias es el Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Este trabajo explora la programación del Millennium Challenge Coporation a través de sus evaluaciones. Específicamente, este trabajo evalúa la solidez técnica de las evaluaciones de los proyectos hondureñas, nicaragüenses, y salvadoreños del MCC, y también lo que los hallazgos y la solidez de estas evaluaciones significan para futuros proyectos en la región. A través de un análisis de documentos, este trabajo encontró que la evaluación promedia fue sólida técnicamente, como uso métricas consistentes, apropiadas, y objetivas. Sin embargo, la estructura de las evaluaciones varió según el autor y la agencia propietaria. Evaluaciones externas no directamente contradijeron los hallazgos de las evaluaciones financiadas por el MCC. Las evaluaciones no fueron inclusivas a los destinatarios originarios de la programación del MCC, los grupos beneficiarios. Entrevistas con los autores de las evaluaciones confirmaron estas conclusiones. Las implicaciones de estos hallazgos incluyen la importancia de procesos de desarrollo que son culturalmente competentes, inclusivos, multifacéticos, y que asimilan el aprendizaje de proyectos ya-completados. Los hallazgos de este trabajo se aplican al proceso de desarrollo y evaluación de Latinoamérica.Item Open Access Assessing the Evaluation Methods of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Latin American Compact Projects(2020-11-20) Norman, SavannahInternational development agencies have, for decades, worked to remedy global development challenges. One of these agencies is the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). This study explores the MCC’s Latin American programming via its evaluations. It specifically assesses the technical soundness of the MCC’s Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador evaluations, as well what the findings and soundness of evaluations mean for future projects in the region. Through document analysis, this study found that the average evaluation was technically sound, as it employed consistent, appropriate, and objective metrics. However, evaluation structure varied according to author and proprietor agency. External evaluations did not directly contradict the findings of MCC-sponsored evaluations. Evaluations were not inclusive to the intended recipients of MCC programming, beneficiary groups. Interviews with the authors of evaluations confirmed these findings. The implications of findings include the importance of culturally competent, inclusive, and multi-faceted development processes that assimilate learning from prior programming. Findings are applicable to development and evaluation processes in Latin America.Item Open Access Caught in the Middle: Multilateral Development Bank Responses to Environmental Performance(2011) Buntaine, Mark ThomasSince their creation, the multilateral development banks have accumulated performance records that include both substantial successes and stunning failures. Nowhere have their performance records been more mixed and controversial than with respect to environmental management issues. The multilateral development banks have financed projects that are widely considered to be environmental disasters, but have also financed projects that successfully included best practice environmental mitigation measures. They have wasted hundreds of millions of dollars financing unsuccessful environmental protection programs, while at the same time they have supported programs that contributed to the rapid development of environmental management capacity in less-developed countries. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore when and why monitoring and evaluation can prompt the multilateral development banks to move away from poor performing projects and towards high performing projects.
This type of performance-based allocation has been repeatedly highlighted as a key element in the successful delivery of development assistance. To test when the multilateral development banks practice performance-based allocation, I assembled a team that coded environmental performance information from 960 project evaluations, 174 program evaluations, and 74 civil society complaints. I use the resulting data to model when four multilateral development banks - the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and African Development Bank - make performance-based allocation decisions about environmentally-risky and environment-improving operations. In addition, I visited the headquarters of each of these organizations and conducted interviews with 54 staff members about the processes that are in place to use monitoring and evaluation information as part of decision-making.
I find that the establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems at the MDBs has not created incentives for staff to practice performance-based allocation. Instead, performance information influences allocation decisions when it helps MDB staff approve future projects more quickly. It does so by helping staff identify development projects that are likely to face significant delays due to the inability of the borrowing country to manage negative environmental impacts and to identify the borrowing countries that are likely to successfully implement environment-improving operations.
Item Open Access Evaluating and comparing in-person and virtual experiential learning programs for improving STEM career readiness of students from underrepresented communities(2021-04-19) Jahn, JoThe demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workers in the U.S. has grown 24% in the last decade, but only 16% of STEM workers come from Hispanic and African American populations. Because of this disparity, there is a need to direct underrepresented students to STEM careers. The HackBio outreach program in Durham, NC introduces underrepresented high school students to STEM careers and human-environment interactions through experiential learning. The program also provides Duke University undergraduates with opportunities to serve as mentors to the high school students. Historically, HackBio has been an in-person event, but, in 2020, a virtual program was developed due to the pandemic. This program evaluation used pre- and post-event surveys to determine if the high school participants learned about pathways to STEM careers and human-environment interactions, and whether undergraduate mentors improved their leadership and mentoring skills. The evaluation also compared in-person and virtual events. I analyzed survey responses using thematic coding and one-sided t-tests. Both the in-person and virtual event significantly increased high school students’ knowledge of and confidence in environmental hazards in their community and increased their preparedness for the college application process and understanding of STEM research. I also found that undergraduates gained leadership, public speaking, problem-solving, and facilitation skills.Item Unknown Evaluating the Impact of the North Carolina Art Therapy Institute’s Newcomer’s Program(2019) Tran, TraRefugees and asylum seeking children (Newcomers) enter the U.S.A. with little psychosocial support, despite having consistently higher rates of mental health problems. Art therapy has been seen as a potentially powerful intervention that can be implemented in high income countries with marginalized communities. Given art therapy’s un-centering of English, this mental health intervention is widely used within civil society but has not been rigorously evaluated. This study adds to the growing literature that examines the impact of art therapy interventions for Newcomer populations. We evaluated the impact of the North Carolina Art Therapy Institute’s (ATI) Newcomer’s Program, to inform further implementation of the Newcomer’s Program. In addition to the evaluation, we wanted to compare two forms of implementation, an intense weeklong “summer camp” program vs. a semester-long school-based program. This study used a mixed methods approach to assess the impact and value of the Art Therapy Institute’s (ATI) Newcomer’s Program in Durham, NC with Newcomers aged 4-14. The study, conducted in Fall 2018 in Durham, NC, compared two styles of implementation, a summer camp program (Number of youth = 31) and a school-based program (Number of youth =53). The number of hours of therapy remained consistent between programs (hours = 10.5) to allow us to compare. Qualitative data was collected after each implementation of the Newcomer’s Program with parents of refugee youth (N=2) and therapists (N=5). We found that the Newcomer’s Program had modest impact in reducing hyperactivity and inattention in both arms, and had statistically significant increase in prosocial behavior for the school-based program. Despite the modest impact observed, interviews with therapists and parents highlighted implementation challenges and non-quantifiable impact. This study has highlighted the need for further examination of the positive effects of art therapy interventions with Newcomer populations.
Item Unknown Evaluation of Environmental Behavior Change Methods at Duke University(2011-04-29) Marturano, Alissa; Wang, Ning; Kumar, VarunDuke University is a leader in initiating programs geared towards campus sustainability. This project aims to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of several campus sustainability programs including Green Devil Challenges and Eco-Olympics run by Sustainable Duke and related student groups in creating sustained environmental behavior change in the areas of energy, waste and water management. There are three analysis contained in this report. First, results from Green Devil Challenges were assessed statistically to quantify the actual behavior change achieved by these programs. Second, a three-part survey and a thorough qualitative analysis were used to see if freshman students improved their personal environmental behaviors after participating in a month long energy, waste, and water reduction Eco-Olympics competition. Third, we deployed a quantitative analysis and econometric program evaluation techniques to analyze students’ historical electricity consumption data from 2001 to 2010 to illustrate the effectiveness of Eco-Olympics competition. The analysis of Green Devil Challenges answers Sustainable Duke’s specific questions in Challenges design and implementation. The key findings from Eco-Olympics evaluation indicate that assessed initiatives have been successful in creating an overall positive behavior around campus towards sustainability, but also identify areas which need attention for an all-round focus towards environment and an effective implementation of sustainability.Item Open Access Evaluation of Tiger Conservation in India: the use of comparative effectiveness research(2010-04-25T19:59:48Z) Post, GeraldTigers, the largest of the felids, are now a globally threatened species with only approximately 3000 wild tigers surviving. India contains about 60% or 2000 of the animals, yet despite aggressive conservation efforts the number of tigers is declining. The causes of the decline are prey depletion, habitat destruction and poaching. Over the past 30 years of tiger conservation efforts in the various protected areas within India, success has been incredibly variable, with few documented cases of parks were the numbers of tigers have risen, but many more cases of parks where tiger populations have plummeted. There are very few scientific papers that assess the effectiveness of conservation efforts and when it is considered, implementation rather than outcome is evaluated. Recent literature suggests that evaluating outcomes in more predictive of conservation success. This thesis attempts to use comparative research effectiveness techniques, a methodology used to evaluate medical therapy effectiveness, to evaluate tiger conservation in India. Various tiger conservation experts were polled and a list of 7 successful protected areas—Kanha, Corbett, Pench, Kaziranga, Bhadra, Bandipur, and Nagarhole—and 5 failed protected areas—Palamau, Dampa, Panna, Sariska and Namdapha—were generated. A list of variables that could impact outcome at these protected areas was generated and included biologic (tiger density, prey density, area of the reserve, the presence/absence of a biological corridor), geographical (the Indian State the reserve is in eco-region of the reserve), economic (number of tourists, revenue from tourism, forestry, funding per sq km) and socio-political factors (human population data, presence/absence of a “conservation hero”, Park Management Effectiveness Rating, poaching). The factors that were positively correlated with success included tiger density and the presence of a biological corridor. Population density and level of funding did not correlate with success or failure. Many of the successful reserves were in areas of high human population density and many of the failures were in areas of low human population density. Although not statistically correlated, the presence of a “conservation hero” was seen in 5 of the 7 successes but in only 1 of the failures. The lack of correlation between many of the independent variables evaluated and success or failure of the tiger reserves has revealed that tiger conservation can be successful despite factors such as high human population densities and only average funding to the reserve. Comparative effectiveness research techniques can be used to evaluate conservation outcomes.Item Open Access Evaluative Methods for Community Truth and Reconciliation Commissions: A Case Study of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission(2013-04-26) Jasper, DanielTruth and reconciliation commissions (TRC’s) are increasingly being used as a form of restorative justice at the national level. Arising out of post-conflict societies, TRCs saw a particularly significant increase from the late 1990’s onwards. TRCs may have real utility at the local level as well. Today community-based TRCs have been implemented in at least nine states in the U.S. The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission holds the distinguished honor of being the first of its kind in the country. What is not well understood, however, is the impact TRC’s have on the communities in which they serve. This study seeks to explore what evaluative methodology or combination of methodologies is best suited to capture a TRC’s impact, and what practices future TRC’s might employ to ensure evaluations are conducted in a systematic and sensitive manner. Understanding why evaluations of truth commissions are important may be obvious to some or something never considered by others. Regardless of one’s stance on evaluation, there are several reasons why evaluation should be considered among future truth commissions. Firstly, evaluations can help cement a community’s commitment to the truth and reconciliation process by continually confronting the public with assessments on the progress of their objectives. Secondly, evaluations allow donor agencies and non-governmental organizations to understand their contributions and give them an understanding of the lessons learned. Finally, at a broader level, public policy experts seek the best avenues to approach societal issues and, as truth commissions continue to make their way onto lists of alternatives to retributive justice mechanisms, understanding their impact is of critical importance to those who consider their use. Evaluations allow community expectations to be set at an appropriate level, and will allow policy makers to anticipate any gaps that may exist after a TRC has completed its work. Because every TRC seeks to address a different conflict, I examined this issue through the lens of one truth commission, the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC), in order to orient the research in a specific context. In order to assess methodological strategies for evaluations of community-level TRC’s, I surveyed the existing literature on empirical research and transitional justice mechanisms, as well as, the literature surrounding the GTRC. I also conducted ten in-depth interviews with practitioners who were involved with the GTRC in order to gain first-hand insight into the best possible means by which to understand the impact of the GTRC. Interviewees consisted of three advisors, four commissioners, the GTRC Public Hearings Coordinator, the GTRC Executive Director, and the Vice Chair of the Commission Selection Panel. Through analysis of the interviews I conducted and supplementary material, I found that each methodology that I examined (quantitative, qualitative, and narrative) were applicable and desirable in the evaluations of truth commissions. Despite considerable controversy over some methodologies, in particular quantitative methods, each methodology was considered as an effective measurement of impact by a number of practitioners. In this regard, I find that there is nothing inherent in the truth commission process that excludes quantitative measurements from being an effective tool of analysis. However, I also found that overreliance on any one method could severely damage a truth commission’s assessment and that a quality evaluation of a truth commission must include elements of each methodology. The principle recommendation put forth in this paper is that community truth commissions should include an evaluative team in the structure of their commission. The imbedded evaluation team would allow researchers to witness discussions surrounding the objectives of the commission, which will help clarify what indicators can serve as a proper form of assessment. A common criticism of current evaluations is that researchers are measuring truth commissions against indicators that the commission did not seek to address. In this regard, an evaluative team that remained a separate division of the commission would allow the researchers to understand the process without compromising their independence.Item Open Access Green Plus - Beyond Certification(2011-04-29) Noyes, CatherineThe mission of the Institute for Sustainable Development’s Green Plus program is to democratize triple bottom line sustainability by making sustainability education and practices more accessible to small enterprises across the United States. This impact assessment examines the success of Green Plus in fulfilling its mission by analyzing qualitative interviews from ten participating organizations in different industries and areas of the country, survey results from more than 30 current Green Plus participants, and the results of a survey of a control group of comparable small enterprises not involved in the program. The impact assessment indicates that participants have made significant improvements to their sustainable practices and policies over their tenure in the program, and that participants are generally satisfied with their involvement.Item Open Access Multitasking and Heterogeneous Treatment Effects in Pay-for-Performance in Health Care: Evidence from Rwanda(Economic Research Initiatives at Duke (ERID) Working Paper, 2015-08-01) Sherry, TB; Bauhoff, S; Mohanan, MPerformance-based contracting is particularly challenging in health care, where multiple agents, information asymmetries and other market failures compound the critical contracting concern of multitasking. As performance-based contracting grows in developing countries, it is critical to better understand not only intended program impacts on rewarded outcomes, but also unintended program impacts such as multitasking and heterogeneous program effects in order to guide program design and scale-up. We use two waves of data from the Rwanda Demographic and Health Surveys collected before and after the quasi-randomized roll-out of Rwanda’s national pay-for-performance (P4P) program to analyze impacts on utilization of healthcare services, health outcomes and unintended consequences of P4P. We find that P4P improved some rewarded services, as well as some services that were not directly rewarded, but had no statistically significant impact on health outcomes. We do not find evidence that clearly suggests multitasking. We find that program effects vary by baseline levels of facility quality, with most improvements seen in the medium quality tier.Item Open Access Proposed Method to Evaluate the Impact on Health Outcomes of Capacity Building for Maintenance and Repair of Medical Equipment in Rwanda(2012) Penumetcha, Neeraja RajuIt has been shown that training biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) improves healthcare, but it is unclear if capacity building for repair and maintenance of medical equipment leads to improved patient health outcomes, and whether that relationship between equipment service and health can be measured.
Health indicators are identified that may be used to measure an impact on patient health outcomes of Engineering World Health's biomedical equipment repair and maintenance training program in Rwanda.
Fieldwork was conducted for 9 weeks in country to identify these indicators. Providers and administrators in twelve hospitals in Rwanda were interviewed about patient health outcomes, equipment use, and procedure preference based on equipment availability for selected clinical focus areas. Equipment availability and status were also surveyed. From the existing literature, expected health outcomes were compared between procedure preferences to estimate how patients would be affected by the availability of functional medical equipment.
Neonatal jaundice treatment with phototherapy lamps, neonatal thermoregulation with incubators, and oxygen provision for acute respiratory management were identified as areas where the relationship between equipment service training and health could be measured. It is recommended that some of these areas be studied in the field to confirm and quantify the connection.
Item Open Access Strategic Evaluation of TB CARE SMS System in Cambodia(2013) Drew, AllysonBackground
This retrospective study examined the impact of a USAID-funded and FHI 360-implemented pilot project entitled "TB CARE SMS System" in Cambodia. The primary objective of this study was to compare the "sputum submission to treatment delay" (SSTD) before and after the TB Care SMS System was initiated in December 2011 in the health clinics in Cambodia that correspond to the Kampong Cham Referral Hospital (RH) and Chamkar Leu Referral Hospital. The secondary objective was to capture the impact and limitations of the pilot TB CARE SMS System from the perspective of the healthcare workers and Community Directly Observed Therapy (CDOT) Program workers who use it on a daily basis.
Methods
A time-series regression analysis was used to measure the effect of the pilot project on SSTD. Measuring the secondary objective was conducted with in-person interviews with health center and CDOT workers who have used the SMS system, at 5 health centers (HCs) that use either the Chamkar Leu RH or Kampong Cham RH lab.
Results
With a total of 85 patients used in primary analysis, it appears that the pilot TB Care SMS System did not have the expected impact on the period that the sputum was sent to the lab for testing until the time the patient started treatment (SSTD).. However, measuring the date from when the sputum labs were sent to when the lab results were received by the HCs, we did not find a statistically significant reduction in delay either, though the trend was in the expected direction, with an apparent reduction of 1.70 days. In the secondary objective, all of both HC staff and CDOT workers believed the new SMS system was better than the original paper-based system.
Conclusions
The results show that the TB CARE SMS System demonstrated no statistically significant impact on SSTD, in the limited 6 month timeframe. However, it is an overall success from the perception of the users.
Item Open Access SUPPORTING INDICATOR-BASED MANAGEMENT: USING A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM TO ASSESS THE INFLUENCE OF LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS ON STREAM TURBIDITY IN THE LONG ISLAND SOUND WATERSHED(2007-05) Anson, RobieOfficials with the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) are presently reviewing the suite of indicators used to assess and report on Long Island Sound’s ecological health and the programmatic success of the LISS. As part of this evaluation, managers seek to determine whether there are environmental variables that offer valuable information on ecosystem condition but that have not historically been tracked, or have not been utilized to their fullest potential. This paper reviews the use of ecological indicators by the LISS, explores the literature documenting relationships between land use/land cover and water quality and documents the use of a geographic information system (GIS) to perform an analysis of the impact that land use/land cover, slope and soil characteristics have on turbidity within the Long Island Sound (LIS) drainage basin. This paper then compares two models’ ability to predict turbidity: the first model includes information on land use/land cover, slope and soil characteristics while the second accounts for soil characteristics. Although the land use/land cover-based model outperforms the soil parameters-based model in predicting stream turbidity, neither model’s predictive ability is sufficiently strong to accurately forecast turbidity in the study area. These results are contrary to those documented in previous investigations. Further examination should be undertaken to determine whether an alternate methodology or inclusion of other relevant parameters would yield a more robust turbidity model.Item Open Access Sustainable Food Sourcing in Higher Education: Definition and Goal-Setting for Duke University(2014-04-18) Anderson, KathrynFood production is one of the most impactful parts of human’s footprint, both on our environment and our social structure. Knowing this, many colleges and universities are enacting sustainable purchasing guidelines and procurement goals in dining services to decrease the negative externalities of food consumption on campus. This study used semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and collection of material culture to evaluate Duke University’s current sustainable food procurement initiatives and to research how peer institutions create and track progress towards sustainable food goals. Based on this research, I recommend a definition of sustainable food for Duke University in six product categories. I also give broad guidelines for “best practices” in setting and maintaining sustainable sourcing goals in dining services.Item Open Access The Support for People Community Programs Evaluation Project(2014-04-25) Childers, DarrylPOLICY QUESTION How should Triangle Community Foundation (TCF) evaluate effectiveness of the strategy implemented through the Support for People portion of its discretionary grantmaking, and how should that evaluation be implemented? EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Triangle Community Foundation (TCF) is located in Durham, NC and serves a four county area. TCF assets of more than $175 million are spread among over 750 funds. The Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations that total about $14 million a year. The amount that is available for the Foundation’s discretionary grantmaking, however, is less than $1 million a year. TCF has created a Fund for the Triangle, meant to attract donors to give more to the Foundation’s discretionary grantmaking efforts, with the rationale that these dollars will be used in a more strategic way. In order to support the claim of the discretionary grantmaking being a way to have a more strategic impact on the community, the Foundation needs a way to evaluate and continually improve the effectiveness of this new approach. Additionally, given that discretionary grantmaking still has a limited pool of resources to draw from, it is even more important that TCF’s staff is able to maximize the impact of their grants. Based on interviews with experts in the field and TCF stakeholders, including Foundation staff, board members, and grantees, the researcher was able to identify an evaluation framework [pgs. 19] that will support the Foundation’s strategic plan. These interviews also provided insight into the challenges and benefits of evaluation that the researcher should consider in designing the framework [pg. 11]. These efforts resulted in an evaluation vision and framework for the Foundation’s discretionary grantmaking activities. This vision [pg.18] and framework are aligned with the values of the TCF strategic plan, and encourage positive funder-grantee relationships, and continuous learning on the part of all stakeholders. The framework begins with the recommendation that TCF staff create a theory of change for the discretionary grantmaking, and present that theory of change to grantees in one-on-one meetings or to the entire cohort in a group presentation. If the Foundation chooses to present the theory of change in one-on-one meetings, TCF staff could use the opportunity to complete the next step in the framework, getting feedback from current grantees individually. The framework continues by following the timeline of the current grant cycle, providing the vital information (the evaluation question, data collection method, main activities, person(s) responsible, date to be completed, and frequency) needed to complete each step. Each step of the framework is described in more detail in the pages that follow the framework tables [pgs. 21]. This vision and framework represent a first step of evaluation planning for the new grantmaking approach. The dates in the timeline, for example, will need to be adjusted as more information is available. Other parts of the vision and framework will also need to be adjusted and improved upon as the Foundation moves forward and learns from its grantmaking activities.