Data informs the outcomes we seek.

Insights gleaned from data are a powerful tool for understanding if an approach is working, or whether we need to reevaluate the strategy.

Quantitative and qualitative data provide a baseline of knowledge to help us continuously track progress toward our goals, strategies, equity, and systems change. Working alongside an impacted community to collect and evaluate data allows us to further understand an issue.

Our Approach to Evaluation

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.

Equitable Outcomes

We align our metrics of evaluation with our commitment to centering racial equity at all times in our work, and partner with the community to track and define success.

 

Research

We evaluate to understand current, emerging, and innovative programs–to identify evidence-based practices, and further scalable and sustainable solutions for impact.

Resources

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

Local Impact in Forsyth County

  • 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
    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.

Health Improvement in North Carolina

Events

  • 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.