Program Development and Existing Program Evaluation

Overview

<p>The Foundation funds two types of projects:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Program Development.</strong> Goal: Develop and test the feasibility of new programs for promoting positive cognitive and/or achievement outcomes for children (birth through 18 years) from underserved groups and/or low-resourced communities (minority ethnic groups, low-income families). Duration -- up to one year. The Foundation favors projects that: Represent strong collaborative relationships between researchers and practitioners, and other community stakeholders as appropriate, and where the community/population being studied is represented in the project's leadership team; Develop programs consistent with strength-based approaches rather than deficit models; Leverage other funding; Develop programs that, in addition to showing promise of being effective, show promise of being affordable, accessible and sustainable. Consider the specific and unique assets and needs of children from underserved populations and/or low-resourced communities (e.g., minority ethnic groups, low-income communities). Concerning race and ethnicity, the Foundation seeks to increase understanding of what works best for children from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds (e.g., African American, Latino, Native American).</li> <li><strong>Existing Program Evaluation.</strong></li> <ol> <li>Primary goal: What works: Evaluate the effectiveness of programs designed to promote positive cognitive and/or achievement outcomes for children (birth through 18 years) from underserved groups and/or low-resourced communities (minority ethnic groups, low-income families).</li> <li>Secondary goals may include: What works for whom, under what conditions: Investigate variations in program effects; that is, test for moderation effects that inform whether program effects are stronger for certain groups and/or under certain conditions than other groups or conditions.</li> <li>Reasons for effects: Investigate mechanisms through which effects occur; that is, test for mediation effects that inform why the program is effective.</li> <li>Cost-benefit analyses: Compare the total costs of the program with its estimated monetary benefts to determine the net cost or benefit associated with the program.</li> <li>Duration -- up to three years. Note that on rare occations, the Foundation funds robust longitudinal studies of longer duration. The Foundation favors projects that: Represent strong collaborative relationships between researchers and practitioners, and other community stakeholders as appropriate, and where the community/population being studied is represented in the project's leadership team; Evaluate programs consistent with strength-based approaches rather than deficit models; Projects for which operational funding for the program is already secured so that funding from the Foundation is used only for evaluation activities;</li> </ol> </ol> <p style="padding-left:30px">Evaluate programs that show promise of being affordable, accessible and sustainable; Projects that employ randomized control designs (including wait-list control designs when assignment to wait-list condition is randomized). Comparison group designs may also be employed when strong efforts are made to control for potential confounding variables (e.g., due to selection effects).</p> <p style="padding-left:30px">The Foundation rarely funds evaluation projects that employ neither randomized control nor comparison group designs; Projects that evaluate effects on measurable child outcomes. Consider the specific and unique assets and needs of children from underserved populations and/or low-resourced communities (e.g., minority ethnic groups, low-income communities). Concerning race and ethnicity, the Foundation seeks to increase understanding of what works best for children from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds (e.g., African American, Latino, Native American).</p>