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The Promise of Community-Based Grantmaking
for Health and Social Justice |
Decades of experience, science and community practice have shown that concerned citizens can become effective change agents and improve their community. Neighborhood groups, community coalitions, and advocacy organizations across the country have helped increase immunization rates, reduce substance use, increase school success, and reduce poverty. Many foundations are trying to replicate these successes in their own community. Foundations engaged in "community-based grantmaking" face three major challenges:
First, community problem solving and effective advocacy require very capable community partners. The capacity of community groups to assess, analyze, intervene, evaluate and sustain their work is the corner stone of success and not easy to insure.
Second, evaluating community coalitions and advocacy groups has been challenging and requires a unique set of skills, tools, and approaches.
Third, many foundations are looking for productive ways to connect grantees in hopes that these connections will help them identify common challenges and foster creative solutions.
CSG specializes in supporting and evaluating communty advocates for health and social justice. For more than a decade CSG has provided foundations with the tools they need for effective community-based grant making. Examples of this work, the tools CSG has developed and some of our success stories are highlighted here.