GRANT DESCRIPTION

To support a major civic engagement initiative, Crossroads Charlotte, to address issues concerning access, inclusion, equity and trust in the community and to support the community’s participation in charting its future through a series of scenario planning efforts.

ASSESSMENT PURPOSE & APPROACH

Key Questions

• What has been the impact of Crossroads Charlotte on community engagement and social capital, particularly in regard to promoting greater access, inclusion and equity?
• What major strengths and opportunities emerged from the Crossroads Charlotte experience that could be assets for future community engagement efforts in the city?
• What lessons from the community engagement work in Charlotte could be applied to other communities?

Approach: The retrospective evaluation consisted of a review of grant documents and extensive interviews with the Foundation for the Carolina and Community Building Institute staff, faith based leaders, presidents of neighborhood groups, community advocates and government representatives. To support ongoing strategy and assessment discussions, the assessment partners conducted three community learning sessions in 2010 focused on Crossroad Charlotte’s theory of change, governance and operational structure.

Assessment Partner: Community Science

PROJECT FINDINGS

The assessment and learning process, which was launched in 2010, was recently completed. Findings will be shared in the summer of 2011.