2005 · Study · English
Sustainability of Community Coalitions: An Evaluation of Communities That Care
Gomez, B. J., Greenberg, M. T., & Feinberg, M. E.
Gomez, B. J., Greenberg, M. T., & Feinberg, M. E. (2005). Sustainability of Community Coalitions: An Evaluation of Communities That Care. Prevention Science, 6(3), 199–202. doi.org/10.1007/s11121-005-0003-4
Summary
Early study of what predicts whether a Communities That Care coalition survives once start-up money runs out, based on 20 CTC sites in Pennsylvania that had received three years of state seed funding. Coalition processes during the funded period were assessed through interviews with coalition members and through ratings by the research team and by the state’s technical consultants; these were related to markers of sustained board activity after funding ended. Three early characteristics predicted later survival: members’ knowledge of prevention, the coalition’s internal functioning, and fidelity to the CTC model. The sample is small and the sustainability markers are limited, but the paper is one of the first empirical looks at coalition sustainability, and its message – invest early in member competence, working relationships and faithful use of the model – anticipates the larger Pennsylvania follow-up studies and remains relevant for European sites planning beyond their initial grant.