Many of our large research and analysis projects are intended to inform broad fields of human services by clarifying costs and financing issues, identifying innovatve approaches, and translating technical information into user-friendly formats to inform decision making.  The Finance Project also produces customized cost and fiscal analysis for individual clients and organizations. 

The Finance Project research and analysis capacity includes:

• Clearinghouses and Information Management - to design and maintain web-based clearinghouses that collect and  synthesizing resources on financing and sustaining programs and policies that improve the lives of children, families, and communities.
  
  
• Cost Studies - to better understand the costs of various types of investments in human services, including cost variations in program design and/or quaility and cost.
  
  
• Evaluation - to assess the impacts and effectiveness of state and community investments, ascertain lessons from implementation, and examine the sustainability of those investments.
  
  
• Finding Funding - to identify the range of funding sources that can potentially support an initiative and develop searchable database of funding information.
  
  
• Fiscal Mapping - to determine what funding currently supports a set of specified services, how those funds are used, and what opportunities exist to use funds more effectively. 
  
  
• Nonprofit Business Analysis - to help nonprofit executives and board members identify and understand their organization's fiscal health and readiness for growth or change.

The Finance Project also provides customized consulting and technical assistance and training services to build the capacity of leaders to effectively finance and sustain programs and supports for children, youth and families.