Organized Religion Portfolio Evaluation and Strategic
Review
The James Irvine Foundation
2000-2005
Contact: Barry Cohen
Rainbow Research provided strategic review and evaluation of the James Irvine Foundation’s Organized Religion portfolio, which supports faith-based community organizing and civic engagement in California. The goals of the Initiative were to improve the performance of and climate for faith-based civic engagement projects in California, and to refine effective evaluation strategies and tools for that context.
Initially, Rainbow performed a retrospective assessment of strategies and accomplishments since the portfolio began in 1996, and worked with foundation staff and grantees to generate a theory of change, with short-term and long-term outcomes, for the portfolio looking forward. Along with the theory of change, we developed an evaluation framework to specify possible indicators for tracking progress toward the anticipated outcomes. In addition, Rainbow assessed the contributions faith-based institutions can make in the field of civic engagement particularly for new residents, poor people, people of color and others marginalized or alienated from civic participation.
In the final phase of the project, Rainbow provided evaluation technical assistance to 19 faith-based groups serving mainly African American and Latino communities in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. We worked with the grantees, including a number that focused on leadership development, to build their evaluation capacity through assistance we provided in collecting, analyzing and using evaluation data. In addition, we conducted evaluation retreats for cross-project learning, reflection and capacity building, and generated individual and collective reports sharing lessons, findings and key stories.