Know what your economic development program actually achieves.
Free, replicable tools that let local governments, CDFIs, nonprofits & other implementing organizations measure the outcomes of federally funded programs.
Federal dollars are tracked going out. Outcomes rarely are.
Most organizations that run place-based economic development programs can report how much they spent and on what. Few can say what that money achieved: how many jobs it created and sustained, how many storefronts reopened downtown, and what first- and second-order effects followed. Without that evidence, programs are judged on how fast they spend rather than what they change, and federal reviewers continue to flag the gap.
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
- Found that less public data exists on the outcomes and impacts of federal community and economic development investments, and recommended technical assistance on impact assessment for state and local recipients.Source: Treasury Office of Community and Economic Development
- Local implementers
- Implementing organizations in small and rural areas often lack the capacity (staff time, expertise, and budget) to evaluate their own programs, and funding decisions are often made without evidence of what works.
Every tool starts with a real evaluation
Each tool is drawn from a specific evaluation of a working program, so every method has been used in the field before it is offered to anyone else.
The first toolkit was built from an evaluation of a state CDBG microenterprise grant program, covering several funding cycles of grants to mostly rural, low-income business owners.
Evaluate a real program
A specific federally funded program is evaluated: its data, its participants, and its results.
Build tools for that program type
What worked becomes a questionnaire, an Excel analysis tool, and a standard operating procedure that any implementing organization running the same program type can use.
Release them for others to use
The tools are published here, free for any program to use and adapt.
Every program type includes
QuestionnaireCollects outcome data from the people and businesses the program served
Data analysis toolTurns survey responses and program records into charts, dashboards, and summary tables that show results at a glance, in Excel
Standard operating procedureStep-by-step guidance for running the evaluation each cycle and turning the findings into program changes
The toolkit
Each program type gets three tools: a questionnaire to collect outcome data, an Excel analysis tool to turn responses into findings, and a standard operating procedure (SOP) for running the evaluation and putting the results to use. Tools are added as each evaluation is completed, and all are free to use and adapt.
Available now
| Program type | Best for | Includes | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Direct Grant Capital Assistance to Micro & Small BusinessesGrants made directly to small and micro businesses. | CDBG microenterprise grants and other business grant programs for low- and moderate-income owners | 1.0 | Field-tested |
In development
Toolkits for these program types are being built from new evaluations. Request a pilot to have your program become the next one.
| Program type | Best for | Includes | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Direct Loan Capital Assistance to Micro & Small BusinessesLoans made directly to small and micro businesses, including microloans and revolving loan funds. | EDA revolving loan funds, USDA RMAP, SBA Microloan Program, CDFI small business lending |
| 0.0 | In preparation |
Business Training, Advising & Technical AssistanceTraining, advising, and incubation for people starting or growing a business. | USDA RBDG, ARC entrepreneurship, Small Business Development Centers |
| 0.0 | In preparation |
Workforce Training & Job PlacementTraining, apprenticeship, and job placement programs. | WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker training, CDBG job training, EDA workforce training grants |
| 0.0 | In preparation |
Commercial District & Main Street RevitalizationStorefront, facade, Main Street, and commercial corridor investments. | CDBG facade programs, Main Street and state downtown programs |
| 0.0 | In preparation |
Public Social ServicesServices for low- and moderate-income residents, such as childcare, senior services, food assistance, homelessness prevention, and case management. | CDBG public services, Community Services Block Grant, Emergency Solutions Grants |
| 0.0 | In preparation |
Economic Development Infrastructure & Public WorksPublic construction projects that help businesses locate, grow, and hire, such as roads, water and sewer lines, industrial parks, and broadband. | EDA Public Works, CDBG public facilities and improvements, ARC infrastructure grants, USDA Rural Development water and community facilities |
| 0.0 | In preparation |
Affordable Housing Development & RehabilitationRental housing development, homeowner rehabilitation, homebuyer assistance, and rental assistance for low- and moderate-income households. | HOME Investment Partnerships, CDBG housing rehabilitation, state housing trust funds |
| 0.0 | In preparation |
Pilot a toolkit for your program type
Organizations can use the existing tools on their own. If your program type does not have a toolkit yet, you can request a pilot: we evaluate your program and turn the results into the next toolkit.
Scoping call
We review your program, funder requirements, and the data you already collect.
Design the tools
We design a questionnaire, analysis tool, and SOP fitted to your program and the people it serves.
Run the evaluation
We run the evaluation and deliver a findings report, a research manual, and an SOP for your program.
Publish the new toolkit
The tools are standardized, validated, and published here for other programs of the same type to use.
About
Iris Kwafo-Mensah is an economic development practitioner and researcher. She is Economic Development and Finance Manager for the City of Gardner, Massachusetts, where she manages federal and state grant programs. Previously, as a consultant to Ghana's Ministry of Finance, she helped deliver more than $100 million in grants and loans to over 300,000 small businesses. She holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, where she was an Edward S. Mason Fellow.
Request a pilot or ask a question
Tell us which program you run, where, and what you would like to measure.
Email Irisyour.email@example.com