Question
Setting funding priorities by asking the community what they need
At Catalyze, we believe individuals and communities are the experts in their own lives. To help our clients improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) community members across the Omaha-metro area through future grant funding, we partnered with The Improve Group to gather direct input from community members. In this strengths and needs assessment (SNA), members of the LGBTQIA+ community shared their input on strengths to amplify, needs to address, and sub-populations (e.g. people of color, youth, etc.) to focus on for future funding.
Change Making
Engaging with the community as members of the community
Community members shaped funding recommendations by mapping out parts of town, completing surveys, and participating in community-led discussions in LGBTQIA+ champions’ homes. This approach allowed us to provide our client with clear, actionable funding priorities that came directly from the community itself. Community representation on research teams means the results are accurate, nuances are understood, and the community is invited to be part of the solution