Home > How We Work >
Learning and Evaluation
Our approach to learning and evaluation focuses on using data as a tool for collaboration, reflection, and continuous improvement. We see learning as a shared process — one that helps strengthen our work and deep our impact alongside community partners.
Leveraging data to advance health equity.
We use data to understand the Foundation’s impact and evolve our work based on what we are learning. We know we can only achieve our mission by listening, learning, and evolving our strategy in partnership with the communities we serve. This fundamentally shifts how we approach data to more deeply explore broader questions that support shared learning across partners – helping us understand what is driving change and how underlying systems are shaping progress.
We are grounded in the belief that health equity is both a process and an outcome. As an outcome, health equity is achieved when all Central Texans have a fair chance to achieve optimal health and there are no longer predictable differences in health status due to ethnicity, race, age, ability, or geography. This definition requires us to examine how inequitable systems influence the outcomes we measure and the progress we monitor.
As a process, equity means meaningfully involving those most impacted by health inequities in creating solutions. This commitment challenges us to reconsider traditional evaluation methods and recognize when we should move beyond approaches that center the Foundation’s perspective in favor of those rooted community experience, insight and leadership.
Our Work
Research
Community-centered research to more deeply understand the context in which we are working and the communities we serve.
Evaluation
In-depth equitable evaluations to learn with our partners about what’s working and evolve our role to have greater impact.
Impact Reports
Reports to community synthesizing Foundation-wide progress and actionable insights towards our goals.
Learning and Evaluation Team
Our Work
Research
Community-centered research to more deeply understand the context in which we are working and the communities we serve.
Explore findings from Foundation led research on our Research & Insights page.
Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)
This region-wide report helps the Foundation gain a deeper understanding of the context in which we work and the communities we serve. It is not intended to measure our impact, given the many complex and dynamic factors influencing health across the region. Instead, it serves as a “vital sign” for the region—providing insight into emerging trends, needs, and opportunities.
Our Work
Evaluation
In-depth equitable evaluations to learn with our partners about what’s working and evolve our role to have greater impact.
Evaluations are the primary tool for learning with program partners and grantees about what’s working and how we can ada pt our work to have a deeper impact moving forward. Findings from past evaluations can be found on our Research & Insights page.
Our Work
Impact Reports
Reports to community synthesizing Foundation-wide progress and actionable insights towards our goals
Annual Databook
A snapshot of progress on implementation and impact across the goals of the strategic plan including an investments dashboard, outcomes for programs operated by the Foundation, and a synthesis of findings from in-depth evaluations on grantmaking.
Lookback Reports
A summary of impact and strategic insights over a three-year period.
We engage community throughout the evaluation process—from design to dissemination. We believe the people most affected by health inequities are experts in the systems and conditions shaping their lives, and we actively seek their insight as we develop evaluation questions, methods, and approaches.
Explore
-
-
Insights
March 03, 2026
-
Insights
March 02, 2026
-