Measuring impact of support is challenging

HANDS-ON LEARNING: Genesis Center, located in Providence, operates workforce-development programs in health care and culinary arts. From left are student Diana Muentes, of Providence, volunteer instructor Sandy Yates, a retired nurse, and student Katherine Recio, of Providence. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
HANDS-ON LEARNING: Genesis Center, located in Providence, operates workforce-development programs in health care and culinary arts. From left are student Diana Muentes, of Providence, volunteer instructor Sandy Yates, a retired nurse, and student Katherine Recio, of Providence. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Collectively, Rhode Island’s largest corporations in the past year awarded several million dollars to nonprofits, for programs that address issues that include community hunger, educational needs, health disparities and access to affordable housing.

How do they know the dollars are being spent effectively? Generally, the first step is verification through documentation. While the intention isn’t to bury nonprofits in paperwork, recipients of corporate funds have to verify that the money reached the intended programs, or had the desired effect.

Before ever receiving a corporate grant, nonprofit organizations that seek outside funds have to make a case for their program or services, and document how the corporate dollars will make a difference.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, which operates the BlueAngel Community Health Grant fund, has identified childhood obesity as one of its primary focus areas. The health insurer awarded $286,000 in grants last year to initiatives aimed at addressing it.

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As applicants request funds, they will detail how many children a program will reach, and what the desired goal is, such as a reduction in body-mass index for a particular subset of participants, according to Carolyn Belisle, managing director of community relations.

One of its recent grant recipients, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, will receive $30,000 through the program this year to support its Healthy Foods, Healthy Families program, which is targeting 2,100 children and their families by offering nutrition-assistance vouchers.

Citizens Bank, which for more than 12 years has administered a philanthropic program called Citizens Helping Citizens, emphasizes community development, housing and homelessness, financial literacy and hunger through its corporate giving, according to Kathy O’Donnell, director of public affairs.

At Citizens, requests for grants are evaluated by public affairs staff to see how they fit in with corporate goals.

In January, the bank awarded $35,000 to Genesis Center in Providence, which supplies workforce-development programs for adults. The center serviced 700 people last year, in programs that include English-language classes and workforce-development in health care and culinary arts.

CVS Health Corp., based in Woonsocket, has charitable programs that are based on increasing access to health care for underserved populations, developing innovative approaches to chronic-disease management and providing health and wellness programs for children and adults.

The company evaluates effectiveness by measuring outcomes, according to Eileen Howard Boone, senior vice president for corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. All grantees are required to submit midyear or final evaluations to ensure the dollars are spent appropriately. “These evaluations also track the social impact the grant and the organization are able to achieve through our support,” Howard Boone said. “Lives touched directly and indirectly, expanded geographic scope, improvement in health outcomes, lower health care costs and other metrics are all used to track funding impact.”

Toymaker Hasbro Inc., which contributed $1.7 million last year in Rhode Island alone, through products and financial support, focuses on children and family needs. Nationally, the corporation provided $13.6 million in charitable contributions last year, according to a spokesman.

How does it measure effectiveness? Sometimes it’s not easy. The company participated in a pilot program, along with companies such as FedEx Corp. and The Coca-Cola Co., with the goal of developing a formal way to measure the impact of corporate giving, according to Brandon Keough, Hasbro’s manager for global philanthropy and social impact.

“We know it’s not easy to track social impact, and that’s why we work with organizations to set goals and metrics to use as guideposts,” Keough said in an email. •

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