This section includes publications and reports about the Compassion Capital Fund. The primary purpose of the CCF is to help organizations 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.

If you are interested in capacity building resources, please visit our Resources section.

Demonstration Program:

Research Brief - Building Non-Profit Capacity: Findings from the Compassion Capital Fund Evaluation (PDF 220KB)

Findings from a Retrospective Survey—An Assessment of the Compassion Capital Fund (HTML), with corresponding data charts (HTML)
The Administration for Children & Families (ACF) 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.
PDF (232 KB) and data charts (359 KB)

Assessing Changes in Nonprofit Capacity—Outcome Study of the Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program (PDF 218KB)  This report presents the key findings from the Outcome Study, which collected information from nonprofit organizations receiving technical or financial assistance services from 44 intermediary grantees initially funded in the 2003, 2004, and 2005 CCF grant cycles.  A baseline survey for the Outcome Study was completed by 1,221 organizations selected for services by the intermediaries in fall 2005.  A total of 835 organizations completed the follow-up survey. Information from the baseline and follow-up surveys allows us to describe the extent of changes in organizational and service delivery capacity reported by the organizations over the 15-month period. Technical Appendix Report (PDF 650KB)

Improving Capacity among Nonprofits—Impact Study of the Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program (PDF 529KB) Previous studies by Abt Associates and other researchers have measured changes in outcomes before and after capacity building assistance.  However, such before/after designs do not establish the causal effect of capacity building assistance.  To address this gap in knowledge about the effectiveness of capacity building assistance, ACF contracted with Abt Associates to conduct a rigorous random assignment study of the impacts of capacity building assistance provided to nonprofit organizations through the 2006 grant cycle. Analyses of study findings indicate that the CCF Demonstration Program had a significant impact on multiple areas of organizational capacity. Technical Appendix Report (PDF 3.15M)

Targeted Capacity Building Program:

An Assessment of the Compassion Capital Fund Targeted Capacity Building Program: Findings from a Retrospective Survey of Grantees (HTML) This report summarizes key findings from a survey conducted for ACF by Branch Associates, Inc. to provide information about the extent to which Targeted Capacity Building program grantees who received funding in the program's first three years (FY 2003, 2004, and 2005) succeeded in utilizing CCF resources to enhance their organizational and service delivery capacity. The survey was conducted among a sample of 337 mini-grantees. The survey was conducted from June through September 2007, which was approximately two to four years after the award of the CCF grant to the grassroots organizations, depending on the year they were funded.