The Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (C.A.R.E.)

The Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (C.A.R.E.) is a tax-exempt registered 501(c)(3). The work of the nonprofit organization is to help build capacity for community-based organizations (health, human service and education-based programs) both in a specific geographic region and nationally to more effectively utilize data and research to drive their program design and delivery. The benefits will be felt as organizations begin to focus more on program improvement through the development of applied research skills and adoption of evaluation frameworks. C.A.R.E. seeks to dramatically improve the outcomes and efficiencies of the organizations it supports, ultimately leading to stronger organizations that can have more of a transformational and social justice impact on the members and communities they serve.

The mission for C.A.R.E. is to support public and non-profit organizations in program evaluation capacity building through the provision of culturally responsive educational services towards their meeting the public good and promoting social justice in vulnerable client populations.

Description of Services

C.A.R.E. provides low cost, on-site and web-based educational training to individuals, groups, organizations on how to effectively and scientifically self-evaluate their health (e.g., community public health services, mental health , adult day health care, veterans care homes, hospitals, etc.) human service (e.g., social services programs, public child welfare, private adoption agencies, elder adult care, veteran service organizations, regional centers for the developmentally disabled, programs for children and youth with disabilities, domestic violence shelters, human rights advocacy organizations, criminal justice, etc.), and education-based programs (K-12 public and private schools, institutions of higher education, vocational training programs, etc.).

Services to organizations include:

1.    Two one-hour free consultation services provided by C.A.R.E. founders and consultants to organizations will be rendered with recommendations for developing internal evaluation capacities. Additionally, a toolkit of materials and a brief written summary of recommendations are provided to the recipients.

2.    On-site organizational trainings are provided to participating agencies. These consist of a half-day workshop or a full-day. Example of educational trainings include, the development of a SWOT analysis (i.e., to empower organizations to utilize their own internal strengths and assets towards evaluating their programs and not rely on external evaluators through the identification of organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and a program logic model (i.e., service inputs, outputs, and desired outcomes with measurable indicators) among many other elements. The content of the training are determined in alignment with identified agency needs.  

3.    C.A.R.E. convenes regional learning events or ‘communities of practice’ in partnership with other organizations and individuals to share best practices in evaluation capacity building.

• Regional ‘communities of practice’ are organized and provided at low or no-cost by location and by identification of mutual interests by various organizations in particular topics with regards to evaluation practices. These events will take place quarterly for a full or half- day and be advertised through social media. 

4.    Free webinars by expert volunteer speakers are provided through C.A.R.E. to agencies, groups and individuals in order to raise awareness of the utility of community participatory action research principles and culturally relevant practices in evaluation towards improving inclusivity of all stakeholders in program evaluation practices.

5.    Written reports and publications are written and disseminated by C.A.R.E. to support scholarship around effective community-based evaluation capacity building.  

Advantages to the Client & Community

C.A.R.E. provides a resource to the community that is in great need and usually comes with a high cost. The focus on building internal capacity and training helps organizations become less reliant on expensive external evaluators. The minimal investment for the organization will allow for future evaluation work to be conducted internally, which will save on financial costs and empower the agency to be self-reliant. The training content developed by the C.A.R.E. consultants are uniquely tailored to the needs of public and community-based organizations.  The content is a result of many years of experience in conducting applied research and through extensive graduate studies.  Additionally, the founders and consultants are highly client-centered and believe in a participatory and emancipatory approach to evaluation that empowers clients and stakeholders to find their ‘voice’ and thus promote a social justice perspective to client services and evaluation work. 

Funding

C.A.R.E. seeks donations from foundations, government (city, county, state and federal), individual donors, and corporate sponsors. In-kind contributions are also sought out. Direct support to organizations include customized trainings and facilitations for a nominal fee to be paid by the participating organization in order to cover material costs.  C.A.R.E also utilizes volunteers to help support regional learning events or other activities/services. 

Sara Schwartz, PhD

Sara L. Schwartz is a Clinical Associate Professor in the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She earned her Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2001, a PhD in Social Work Research from Portland State University in 2007 and a completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship with the Mack Center for Nonprofit Management and Leadership in the Human Services at the University of California Berkeley School of Social Welfare in 2009. Sara is an interdisciplinary scholar whose interests include philanthropy, HIV/AIDS, aging with hemophilia and generational trauma. Outside of her academic work, Sara serves on the Board of Directors of the National AIDS Memorial and is the Vice President of Research & Evaluation at Kramer, Blum & Associates in San Francisco.

Kristen Zaleski, PhD LCSW

Kristen Zaleski PhD LCSW is a nationally-recognized author, researcher, and psychotherapist on trauma related disorders and an expert on sexual trauma within both civilian and military culture. Dr Zaleski is the author of two books, multiple research articles, and is a consultant and trainer on trauma disorders and survivorship to entities such as Facebook and the U.S. Department of Defense. Dr. Zaleski is Clinical Director of the Mental Health Collective after a decade-long tenure at University of Southern California as Clinical Associate Professor for the Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work. Dr. Zaleski continues to be affiliated with USC as an adjunct professor and Founding Director of the USC Keck Human Rights Clinic which is a pro-bono organization offering forensic evaluations for survivors of international human rights abuse.

Matthew Smith, PhD

Matthew Smith currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students at CSU Dominguez Hills. In that role, he oversees eight Student Affairs departments designed to enhance student learning and development through co-curricular experiences. Additionally, Matthew currently serves as the Principal Investigator for the CSU Young Males of Color Consortium.

Bryan Jebo

Bryan serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor.  He has been with the organization for over 20 years. 

Marcia Joppert, MBA, MPA - ISCTE

Marcia Joppert has 33 years of experience in consulting and project management. She is the current Director of the Brazilian Evaluation Network, Member of the Editorial Board of the Brazilian Evaluation Journal. R&O Associate of The Evaluators’ Institute.

Gena Foster, MD

Gena Foster is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Medical Oncology at Yale School of Medicine in the Department of Immunobiology.