The purpose of this evaluation is to determine whether and how intermediary organizations, that work in many different contexts and are supported by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), add value to the capacity of rural, faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) in their delivery of domestic violence programs. Intermediary organizations are strategic. Their objective is to provide FBCOs with technical assistance so they can build their service delivery capacity.
The evaluation will have baseline measurements, a process evaluation, and an outcome evaluation. The baseline measurement and the process evaluation were completed in the first two years; a pre-post outcome evaluation of the intermediary effects will be completed in the third year. The evaluations will be supported with two site visits to each intermediary, guided by research-based interview protocols, focus group sessions, the capacity assessment grid inventory, a sub-grantee data collection process supported with a written manual and monitored for quality by the AHP/Clemson/ICP evaluation team; and an analysis of the contextual environment of the intermediaries and the sub-grantees.
These data will determine the significant processes used by the intermediaries and the FBCOs in the delivery of rural FBCO domestic violence services and capacity building. The processes will be illustrated with logic models that draw the connections between process inputs and the portfolio of intended FBCO outcomes. The rich collection of data will provide for 'thick descriptions' of intermediary and subgrantee activities. The outcome analysis will examine the variation among the sites with case studies supported by appropriate data analysis to find patterns of intermediary capacity building assistance that result in successful FBCO outcomes.
The supplement award will allow for a follow-up period of at least 6 months for all funded organizations. It will allow researchers to assess the longer term impact on the communities in which subgrantees were allocated funding. In addition, the grant supplement will allow for a fuller and more complete understanding of the special challenges that faith-based agencies may have faced in participating in this initiative and understanding why a much greater proportion of community based as opposed to faith-based agencies were funded. The current purposes, goals and objectives of the evaluation as described in the initial application are unchanged.
ca/ncf
