FOCUS St. Louis
Impact Fellows Evaluation
Project Date
Jan 2017 – Dec 2017
Type of Evaluation
Planning, Outcome
Setting
Community-based
Overview
FOCUS St. Louis is a leadership organization that prepares diverse leaders through experience-based leadership training, civic issue education and public engagement initiatives.
The Evaluation Center partnered with FOCUS St. Louis to assess the design, content, and implementation of its Impact Fellows program to identify strengths and areas for improvement. The findings were used to guide the refinement of the program prior to the launch of its second cohort in August 2017.
Project Description
Background
The FOCUS St. Louis Impact Fellows program is not a leadership program, but a leadership experience. It offers leaders the opportunity to work together to address a specific issue in the St. Louis region.
The first cohort, which began the program in 2016, focused on the topic of racial equity, using the Ferguson Commission’s report Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity as a framework for learning about racial equity and developing three separate group projects.
The 2017-2018 cohort explored the St. Louis region’s health care safety net through a racial equity lens, gaining a deeper understanding of how it is structured, funded, and implemented. The fellows completed projects in the areas of health care transportation, health care navigation, and health equity assessment.
Evaluation Center Activities
- Completed a review of comparable leadership programs to understand different models currently being used.
- Conducted post-program and follow-up interviews with Fellows, Impact Fellow staff, and community representatives.
- Developed the Impact Fellows evaluation plan.
- Reviewed existing survey data collected from Cohort One and shared it with FOCUS St. Louis.
- Developed new surveys for the Impact Fellows program, including a pre/post assessment and individual session surveys.
Our Products
- Interview guides
- Pre- and post-program surveys
- Pre- and post-session surveys
- Quantitative findings report
- Evaluation plan
- Final report
Funder
FOCUS St. Louis
Contact Person
