LEarning and Impact

Why Data Matters at the Trust

Data informs the outcomes we seek.

At the Trust, the use of quantitative and qualitative data provides a baseline of knowledge to help us continuously track progress. Insights gleaned from data are a powerful tool for understanding if an approach is working or whether we need to reevaluate the strategy.

Supporting impacted communities’ efforts to collect and evaluate data allows us to collectively understand issues more deeply. Using data throughout our processes enables us to work thoughtfully for racial equity and systems change.

Our Approach to Evaluation

There are multiple inputs for data evaluation throughout our grant cycles. This is an ongoing process that we use to assess past and current work and plan future grantmaking efforts.

Our Evaluation Framework is guided by three fundamental principles: learning, equitable outcomes, and research.

Learning

We assess the impact of our grantmaking and adapt our goals, approaches, and priorities to ensure our work leads to racial equity and systems change. This includes conducting surveys to better understand the conditions grantees and communities of color experience and the impact of efforts over time. Examples include the Healthy Places NC 10 Year Evaluation Report and the CEP Grantee Perception Report.

Equitable Outcomes

We align our metrics of evaluation with our commitment to centering racial equity. We partner with communities and grantees of color to track and define success, often using population data tracking to show race/ethnicity data points. We also support community data cohorts in their efforts to access and understand data through projects like the Data Resource Library.

 

Research

We evaluate to understand current, emerging, and innovative programs–to identify evidence-based practices, and further scalable and sustainable solutions for impact. In addition to our own analyses, we support grantees in their research efforts. Recent research areas include Medicaid expansion implementation in rural NC; incidents of ACES in Eastern NC; the impact of Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care; and access to pre-K in Winston-Salem.

Data Resource Library

This Data Resource Library offers health-related data tools and examples from local NC partners and state and national sources to help develop the data needed to advocate for change. Our goal is to support NC organizations working for equitable health outcomes and access to quality health care.

Visit the Library

Research and Evaluation Reports

Review these reports from the Trust and our partners around key issues we are working to collectively advance.

Health Improvement Program

Equitable Access to Care

  • In-Person Marketplace Enrollment Efforts in North Carolina
    Published by: UNC and The Urban Institute
    Summary: This dashboard visualizes Federal Marketplace and Medicaid enrollment data across the state. People can use the information to learn more about counties with high rates of unenrolled individuals who are eligible for Marketplace insurance plans.
  • Providing Insights About NC’s Asian Population
    Published by: UNC and The Urban Institute
    Summary: This report examines the trend of social, economic, and health related outcomes among Asian residents in North Carolina.
  • Providing Insights About NC’s Immigrant Community
    Published by: UNC and The Urban Institute
    Summary: This study identifies key data indicators to paint a picture of North Carolina’s immigration and Hispanic/Latinx populations. Compiled data is related to the characteristics of NC’s foreign-born population at state, local, and county levels. This supplement is designed to more effectively contextualize and distinguish outcomes between urban and rural immigrant communities.

Equitable Health Systems

Healthy Places NC

  • Healthy Places NC 10 Year Evaluation Report
    Published by: Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
    Summary: This report offers key findings about what the Trust and Healthy Places NC counties accomplished over this initiative’s 10-year life span.

Local Impact Program

Great Expectations

  • Educational Equity Through High-Quality Pre-K
    Published by: The Pre-K Priority
    Summary: This report addresses the urgent need for Forsyth County to adopt a formal community plan for establishing a high-quality Pre-K system. Key considerations include funding, addressing inequities, and how to provide quality programming.
  • Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care Study
    Published by: MDC
    Summary: Researchers surveyed 1,200+ parents and 300+ caregivers in Forsyth County to learn about informal childcare. This report helped the Trust better determine how to support informal caregivers and the families they serve.

Inclusive Economy

  • Inclusive Economy
    Published by: UNC Chapel Hill School of Government
    Summary: The Trust engaged ncIMPACT Initiative to identify core challenges and develop recommendations on how we can help build a more inclusive economy in Forsyth County.

Webinars

  • Healthy Places North Carolina (HPNC) eLearning series
    Published by: UNC School of Public Health
    Summary: Watch these e-learns that serve as a prerequisite for the UNC School of Public Health’s workshop series, which uses datasets from the Trust’s Healthy Places NC initiative. They are designed for anyone who wants to learn more about collecting and analyzing North Carolina public health data in support of healthy thriving communities. Here you can find short video tutorials on basic data concepts, accessing and evaluating data, and basics of surveying.