Research Question(s) or Purpose: The purpose of the project is to evaluate OCF’s Regional Action Initiative (RAI), which is a new model for transferring grant decision-making power to eight Leadership Councils across Oregon. NPC will assist OCF in evaluating this model and its ability to: (1) create beneficial, long-lasting change in communities and foster innovation throughout the process; (2) increase LC and OCF awareness of regional needs; (3) increase citizen engagement in philanthropy and awareness of OCF; (4) strengthen LCs and improved regional and intra-LC ties; and (5) leverage resources for the initiative. The evaluation will also contribute to OCF’s capacity to conduct its own evaluation activities over time.
Project Design: The evaluation is both formative and summative in that it assesses progress and feeds the information back to OCF and the Leadership Councils on an ongoing basis to promote continual program improvement, and evaluates the efficacy of the RAI model at the end of the project. Data collection includes key stakeholder interviews, Leadership Council biannual progress reports, grantee progress reports, and end-of-project surveys.
Funding Source: The Oregon Community Foundation
Start Date: May 2009
Project Team
Principal Investigator
Project Coordinator
Reports and Publications:
Herrera Allen, T., & Mackin, J. R. (October 2016)
Central Oregon Community Schools Outcomes Report 2015-16
Portland, OR: NPC Research
Report /