Regional Partnership Grants Cost Study Framework: Implementing the Cost Study Pilot
Evaluation Technical Assistance Brief
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Associated Project
Regional Partnership Grants National Cross-Site Evaluation
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau
Key Findings
This cost study enabled the development of processes to analyze the costs associated with implementing selected evidence-based practices in RPG. Key processes included:
- Conducting workgroup meetings with grantees to introduce and refine cost workbooks and staff surveys.
- Using staff surveys and time logs to allocate costs across program components based on how staff used their time to deliver program services.
- Making analytic adjustments to remove costs for evaluation services, estimate the value of donated space, and adjust to national averages.
The evaluation technical assistance brief describes the application of a cost study framework to provide benchmark cost estimates for two evidence-based practices (EBPs) commonly implemented by RPG projects. The brief highlights the four phases of study implementation—grantee recruitment, instrument training, data collection, analysis—and describes the activities conducted during each phase. Design strengths and limitations for this implementation of the cost study framework are discussed.
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