Capacity-Building and Technical Assistance in Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV Prevention Programs at HudsonPride Connections Center

 

Community-based organizations (CBOs) regularly design/adapt and implement programs and policies that promote health.  However, these organizations are often ill equipped with the resources to effectively monitor and evaluate (M&E) these activities.  Challenges in staffing (e.g., limited staff to plan and implement evaluation activities), expertise (e.g., developing and validating reliable methods and instruments for M&E) and funding for evaluation activities (e.g., smaller grants) often limit the kinds of M&E approaches CBOs can take.  Nonetheless, strong skillsets in M&E are critical in order for organizations to maintain objectivity in evaluating implementation, quality and program effectiveness. Moreover, generating thorough evaluation data is important for sustainability in funding. For agencies that are funded primarily to implement effective or evidence-based interventions (EBIs), designing and implementing evaluation activities that go beyond those required by funders could lead to increased agency stability and longevity.

 

The purpose of this project is to support a capacity-building (CB) and technical assistance (TA) initiative with HudsonPride Connections Center (HPCC).  Using elements of the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Model as a framework, CUNY School of Public Health (SPH) faculty and students will work with stakeholders at HPCC to enhance skills in M&E methods for HIV prevention programming.  This project also aims to increase institutional ability in assessing needs, capacity and agency/community strengths for future programming.

 

Funding Source:  CUNY School of Public Health, Division of Public Health Practice & Community Engagement

Principal Investigator:  Nicholas A. Grosskopf, EdD, MCHES

Partnering Agency:  HudsonPride Connections Center
Status:  Funding Ended December 2015; Data Analyses Continuing