Community Building Some recent examples of Community Building projects can be found below. Networks for Rural Policy Development, The W.K. Kellogg Foundation. OMG conducted a three year cluster evaluation of grants to innovative local rural economic development organizations in Central Appalachia, national associations with rural policy interests, and media and communications organizations. WKKF piloted this Central Appalachian-focused cluster to increase its own and grantees' strategic communications capacities and their regional and national networks to effectively work in a policy framework. The evaluation incorporated surveys, qualitative interviewing, and a network analysis. In addition, OMG facilitated cluster-wide meetings to build the networks and share resources. Capacity Building, Southern Rural Development Initiative. SRDI, a collaboration of community-based institutions working together in the rural South to leverage financial capital and build the capacity of nonprofits conducting community and economic development, asked OMG to help its member groups build a shared understanding and approach to program evaluation. OMG staff used pathway mapping as part of a series of workshops that aimed to foster an understanding of basic evaluation concepts, help them think through theories of change underlying their work, and engage in peer learning and coaching. Evaluation of the Sustained Excellence Awards Program, The Fannie Mae Foundation. OMG concluded a three-year evaluation of the Sustained Excellence Awards Program which has provided grant and loan support to a group of ten well-established and successful CDCs across the country. The program support has enabled each CDC to move forward with specific housing and community development agendas while strengthening the capacity of their organizations and communities to sustain their visions and programs. The program has also supported a series of semi-annual meetings in which the CDCs shape an agenda that promotes cross-site information sharing and learning. OMG developed the overall evaluation framework for this program, conducted semi-annual site visits and interviews with the CDCs, and has tracked their progress both individually and together. Urban Vacant Land Study, Philadelphia Green, The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. As part of a larger study that framed the problems associated with urban vacant land and provided recommendations on new approaches, OMG conducted an examination of innovative methods for managing and reusing urban vacant land. The study included a national scan of private, non-profit and public responses to the growing dilemma with an extensive examination of government policies. The study promoted a new way of thinking about vacant land and attempted to redirect the conversation about the issue from "vacant land as a problem" to "vacant land as a resource," and was published in 2002 as a publication entitled: Old Cities/Green Cities, by the American Planning Association. Old Cities/Green Cities, Communities Manage Urban Vacant Land, The American Planning Association. Evaluation of the Prudential Neighborhood Partnership Initiative, The Prudential Foundation. OMG assessed a multi-year, place-based, initiative in five cities focusing on workforce development, child care, education, and children & youth programs. The evaluation examined the initiative's impact on five neighborhoods as well as the new strategic grantmaking undertaken by the Prudential Foundation. OMG has used Pathway Mapping to articulate each site's theory of change. The Pathway Maps have been used by Foundation staff as a planning tool and by OMG as a framework for its evaluation. Evaluation of the Rebuilding Communities Initiative, The Annie E. Casey Foundation. OMG conducted in a multi-year evaluation of the Rebuilding Communities Initiative, a national community development program funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The assessment examined the initiative on five levels - changes in the character and capacity of community institutional infrastructure; perceived changes in quality of life of the neighborhood; impacts on the target organizations involved in the initiative; changes in larger systems providing resources and services; and the role, performance and impact of the Foundation. Evaluation of CCRP, Comprehensive Community Revitalization Program. OMG staff conducted a multi-year evaluation of CCRP in New York. The assessment was designed to document the effort, and assess which strategies prove effective in moving toward comprehensive neighborhood revitalization. The final report summarized the achievements and challenges of this program and offered recommendations for future comprehensive community initiatives.