An Assessment of the Compassion Capital Fund:
Findings from a Retrospective Survey of FBCOs

Background

The Compassion Capital Fund (CCF), established by Congressional appropriation in 2002, is a key
component of President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The Fund is administered
through the Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within
the Department of Health and Human Services. The primary purpose of the CCF is to help faithbased
and community organizations (FBCOs) increase their effectiveness, enhance their ability to
provide social services to serve those most in need, expand their organizations, diversify their funding
sources, and create collaborations to better serve those in need.

A major component of the CCF program is the Demonstration Program. The CCF Demonstration
Program funds intermediary organizations that serve as a bridge between the federal government and
FBCOs. All CCF funded intermediary organizations provide grassroots faith-based and community
organizations with at least three types of capacity building assistance: training, technical assistance,
and sub awards.

Evaluating the CCF Demonstration

Consistent with the Administration’s emphasis on performance measurement, HHS has implemented
a comprehensive evaluation of the CCF Demonstration Program comprised of two longer-term
studies. The first is an outcomes study of FBCOs receiving intensive services from 44 intermediary
grantees funded between FY 2003 and FY 2005. This study utilizes a baseline survey administered at
the time of application for CCF services and a follow-up survey that will be administered
approximately 15 months later. The second study is an experimental impact evaluation and will
involve FBCOs applying for services from the ten intermediary grantees funded in FY 2006. FBCOs
will be randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. A baseline and follow-up survey of
both groups will be conducted to gauge the effects of CCF support.

To complement these longer-term evaluations, ACF also conducted a retrospective survey of a
sample of FBCOs that received support from intermediaries funded during the 2002 CCF grant cycle.
The purpose of this study was to provide some preliminary insight into the extent to which FBCOs
have succeeded in utilizing CCF resources to enhance their organizational and service delivery
capacity. Key findings from the retrospective study are summarized in this brief.