Organizational Capacity-Building: Feasibility and Acceptability of the Mini-Grant Process (MGP)

Background and Purpose: Resource acquisition, implementation of evidence-based practices, and sustainability are critical capacities for organizations in an era of limited funding and mounting accountability for client outcomes. Unfortunately, limited research exists on specific models or processes of technical assistance that can help promote development of these critical capacities within substance abuse organizations. As such, the objective of this study was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a new technical assistance (TA) model, called the Mini-Grant Process (MGP), designed to build the capacity of nine substance abuse organizations to acquire a specific resource - grant funding – to support agency implementation of an evidence-based practice. The MGP consisted of three individual on-site TA meetings, three community of practice meetings, and ongoing TA as requested over a four month period. The MGP was designed for agencies who had applied for a state grant but were not initially accepted for funding. The goal was for each agency, through the MGP, to refine all aspects of their grant application to be suitable for funding. Each agency had to identify a three member team to participate. Methods: Two data collection strategies were utilized within this mixed-method study, including 1) documentation from all TA meetings and 2) a paper-and-pencil survey distributed to all agency team members (n=27) at the end of the MGP. Documentation from the TA meetings captured both quantitative data, including number of TA requests per site and participant attendance, and qualitative data related to the facilitators and challenges in implementing the MGP. The survey captured participants’ perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the mini-grant process and key aspects of the TA process they found helpful. All 27 participants completed the survey (66% female; 70.4% White). Quantitative data were descriptively analyzed. Qualitative data were inductively analyzed through first-cycle and second-cycle axial coding to differentiate and organize codes according to feasibility and acceptability of the MGP (Saldana, 2009). Results: Findings indicate that the MGP was feasible to implement, but challenges included the required time to make the on-site visits, variable levels of readiness among agencies, and the staff needed to support the 32 TA requests (M=3.5) made by the agencies during the MGP. Results also suggest that the intervention was acceptable to participants, with 96% of participants participating in all aspects of MGP. Key themes from the participant qualitative data revealed participants appreciated the variety of TA strategies (e.g., on-site meetings, community of practice meetings), the organization of the TA according to key aspects of the grant proposal, and the tools and resources provided throughout the process. Conclusions and Implications: Overall the findings demonstrate that the MGP was feasible to implement and acceptable from the perspective of MGP participants. Thus, brief strategies aimed at enhancing the organizational capacity of community-based organizations as well as state policies and funding to promote university-community partnerships are supported.  Continued research is needed to identify which TA models may be most effective in strengthening general organizational capacities among substance abuse treatment agencies.