Innovative Methods for Designing Actionable Program Evaluation.

CONTEXT: For most programs, whether funded through governmental agencies or nongovernmental organizations, demonstrating the impact of implemented activities is vital to ensuring continued funding and support.

OBJECTIVE: Program evaluation is a critical tool that serves the dual purpose of describing impact and identifying areas for program improvement. From a funder's perspective, describing the individual and collective impact of state-based programs can be challenging due to variations in strategies being implemented and types of data being collected.

DESIGN: A case study was used to describe the actionable, mixed-methods evaluation of the Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program (Core VIPP), including how the evaluation design and approach shifted to address evolving challenges faced by award recipients over time. Particular emphasis is given to innovative methods for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data for key state and federal stakeholders.

RESULTS: The results of the Core VIPP evaluation showed how this funding played a vital role in building injury and violence prevention capacity in state health departments, leading to a decrease in both intermediate and long-term outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: The lessons learned through the mixed-method evaluation of the Core VIPP informed the structure of the subsequent funding cycle (Core SVIPP) to include more prescriptive requirements for evidence-based implementation and a state support team structure for delivery of training and technical assistance.