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Just the facts ma’am

As entities that provide financial support to the nonprofit sector try to get more bang for their buck they are taking a closer look at evidence-based programs/

practices (EBP). They want to see what works.

It is not enough to show what works, however; it is just as important to show how something works, said the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit advisor and resource for mission-driven organizations and philanthropists.

A paper published by Bridgespan, What Does It Take to Implement Evidence-Based Practices? A Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Shows the Way, illustrates how a federally funded program shows promise as a model of support for EBPs.

The federally funded Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP), which has awarded $75 million in competitive five-year grants to nonprofit and public agencies across the country, was the focal point of the report, demonstrating the ways by which grantees were able to succeed through carefully managed support.

They found that doing what works involves funders nurturing an ecosystem of support for implementing EBPs.

That means: Identifying EBPs that warrant replication; Matching EBPs and implementation; this involves more research; Finding local agencies capable of implementing EBPs; Funders who can combine monitoring and support to ensure fidelity; Purveyors who are fully prepared to support other EBPs; and, A feedback loop between implementation and purveyor that supports continued improvement.