Colorado Health Foundation Equitable Community-Designed Outdoor Spaces Grants Evaluation

Project Description

The Colorado Health Foundation contracted with Omni to evaluate their Equitable Community-Designed Outdoor Spaces funding initiative, which aims to support communities in leading the design of inclusive, welcoming outdoor environments. Omni conducted 11 interviews with leaders from funded organizations, visited two project sites, and facilitated focus groups with residents who participated in the community-engaged design process. The goal of the evaluation was to better understand both the community engagement strategies used and the impact of these spaces on those involved.

To ensure equity in data collection, Omni offered flexible scheduling to accommodate participants' diverse needs, and adapted engagement methods to be age-inclusive—incorporating PhotoVoice techniques to help younger participants express their experiences through images and discussion. The deliverables included a detailed report summarizing findings, along with two one-page tools designed to guide future grantees in their funding and community engagement work. Omni concluded the project by presenting findings to the Colorado Health Foundation team and facilitating a discussion on next steps for the funding strategy. As a capstone, Omni authored a blog post resource sharing its approach to equitable evaluation and key lessons learned from the project.