Project Timeframe: 2010 to 2012

Initiated by the Environmental Health Investigations Branch within the California Department of Public Health, this two-year project was tasked with reducing exposure to harmful chemicals from eating San Francisco Bay fish. Project components included an extensive needs assessment, stakeholder advisory group development, mini grant awards to local agencies, and a comprehensive formative, process, and outcome evaluation.

IAI staff developed the evaluation design, including fidelity measures and outcome measures, conducted a formative evaluation of quantitative evaluation materials and a qualitative fidelity evaluation of program with stakeholders. Our staff also trained mini grant project staff on evaluation materials and methodology, conducted on-going fidelity assessment of mini grant activities, and analyzed mini grant project evaluation data. By project completion, our staff had developed meta-analysis of mini grant data, wrote the final evaluation activities report and presented findings at regional meetings. Our work increased the local capacity for evaluation, ensured the program met federal Environmental Protection Agency evaluation standards, and provided a blueprint for future activities.