The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is excited to release an evaluation report, which assesses the efficacy and impact of the California Climate Investments Technical Assistance Program (CCI TA). This third-party evaluation was conducted by Harder+Company Community Research and ChangeLab Solutions. Through a robust survey and in-depth interviews with technical assistance (TA) providers and recipients, this evaluation sought to understand the experiences of TA recipients for the following California Climate Investments programs:
- Affordable Housing & Sustainable Communities Program
- The BOOST Program
- Climate Smart Agriculture Programs (Healthy Soils Program, the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program, and Alternative Manure Management Program)
- Low Carbon Transit Operations Program
- Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program
- Transformative Climate Communities Program
The evaluation report uplifts the strengths of the CCI TA Program to continue and replicate while also providing actionable recommendations to improve TA provision. The evaluation report is organized by the following key findings:
- Equitable TA provision requires adaptability and cultural competency
- Capacity building is a core driver of community change
- Community engagement sustains TA impacts beyond the application cycle
While this evaluation focused on the CCI TA Program, the lessons learned from this effort can inform technical assistance, capacity building, and the removal of structural barriers across many State programs and initiatives.
The evaluation report is accompanied by three video case studies, which highlight the ways the CCI TA Program helped bring meaningful investments to TA recipients. These video case studies feature AHSC, Climate Smart Agriculture, and TCC TA recipients.
Rosie & Charlie Lee | Peter Pallesen | Michael & Marisa Sigala
SGC and the evaluation team hosted a forum: Learning from the CCI TA Program Evaluation Findings on April 14, 2022. During the forum, the evaluation team presented on their findings. The event recording is available on SGC’s YouTube channel.