Area 3: Sustaining the Program

Award Criteria » Application Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria for Communities in Action » Area 3: Sustaining the Program

Describe your program's sustainability plans. Discuss how you fund your asthma program. Additionally, discuss how you evaluate cost savings and return on investment. Explain how you use these results to drive program improvement and sustainability. Project future funding for your program over the next three to five years.Examples of qualitative returns on investment include non-monetary returns such as reduced health disparities, stronger community relationships, or public relations or competitive advantages.

Area 3. Sustaining the Program (15 points)

Application GuidelinesEvaluation Criteria
  • Describe current and long-term funding sources, revenue streams, and in-kind services that sustain your program’s or your partners’ activities, in particular environmental management and educational efforts aimed at persons living with asthma.
  • Discuss your relevant partners’ reimbursement policies for asthma care services, in particular for environmental management and educational efforts aimed at persons living with asthma.
  • Discuss your program’s or your partners’ methods for tracking program-wide costs and cost savings.
  • Describe cost savings or return on investment attributable to your program or your partners.
  • Describe how environmental management contributes to these cost savings or returns on investment.
  • Discuss how your program or your partners use results internally (e.g., to drive program and partner improvement and support planning) and externally (e.g., to attract funders and supporters).
  • Long-term strategies for sustaining the program or partners are in place.
    • Example: Distinguishing Program Feature: A concerted effort to create, market or negotiate revenue streams that ensure sustainability after outside funding lapses.
  • Mechanisms are in place to sustain (for the long-term) program components, in particular environmental education and education (e.g., reimbursement policies).
  • Analysis of costs or return on investment is a routine part of the asthma program.
  • The program or partners have achieved cost savings or positive return on investment compared to a baseline measurement.
  • The program or partners make a concerted effort to attribute the contribution of environmental management to cost savings or return on investment.
  • Cost savings data are shared and used internally and externally.