Evaluation

Episcopal Health Foundation conducts evaluation for two primary purposes. First, as an institution of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and a public charity, EHF strives to be transparent about and accountable for the use of the abundant resources entrusted to the Foundation. Second, the Foundation wants to learn from its previous experience about how to improve its work and increase its impact going forward. The annual evaluation report supports both purposes. For the past four years, EHF has evaluated its investment portfolio and presented these results in a yearly evaluation report. The 2018 Evaluation Report analyzes the results of 330 active community health investments, 145 of which were newly initiated in 2018. EHF defines a community health investment as a discrete contribution of dollars or staff time intended to support an organization, set of organizations, or community in launching or advancing work designed to transform health. Foundation investments include grants, research projects, and community and congregational engagement programs.
From the beginning of EHF, we've been dedicated to being transparent and measuring the true impact of our work to create healthier communities in Texas. We publish our evaluation reports because we want to be accountable as a health philanthropy.

Measuring Impact - 2022

Episcopal Health Foundation conducts an annual evaluation of its work for two primary purposes. First, as an institution of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas (EDOT) and a public charity, EHF strives to be transparent about and accountable for the use of the abundant resources entrusted to us. Second, we want to learn from our previous experience about how to improve our work and increase our impact going forward, especially in the context of implementing our Strategic Plan.

In 2022, EHF supported 287 active investments, 131 of which were new in 2022, and the remaining 156 of which were made in prior years and remained active during 2022. Highlights of some of our partners’ findings are shared in the 2022 Select Evaluation Findings Report.

AccessHealth
EHF’s longstanding partnership with Access Health has supported their advancements in upstream work. EHF funds this work so that clinics can build their capacity to go beyond the provision of healthcare to address community conditions that improve health. Ultimately, EHF believes in the local powers and efforts of high-quality community clinics to catalyze change in the lives of the people they serve.

Access Health, the award-winning clinic, has achieved lasting impacts on patient, organizational, and community levels. Engaging with and listening to their community exposed a need: food security and sidewalks. By adopting a community-focused mindset, Access Health brought together community partners, utilized data, and established an infrastructure to address these needs. Their work resulted in improved access to resources for their patients and the larger community. Now, Access Health is positioned to use their local community health footprint as a catalyst for scalable change.
Rainbow Room
What and Why We Funded This Work
EHF is committed to reimagining how Episcopal ministries engage with their communities. Through programs like The Transformation Cohort, EHF’s congregational engagement team supports ministries to move from transactional or direct services to transformational engagements. In 2022, St. Paul’s of Navasota expanded their outreach efforts to develop the Rainbow Room, a community site to provide immediate resources and basic needs for children and families.

The Impact
EHF’s Transformation Cohort energized St. Paul’s of Navasota to see themselves as integral in the health of the community. St. Paul’s Rainbow Room exemplifies the power of relationship building outside of the church to focus on broad community outcomes. Impact was experienced at multiple levels. Church members formed new relationships within the congregation that influenced partnerships with other sectors, including social services and education.
Santa Maria Hostel
Santa Maria Hostel’s Caring for Two (CFT) program is a community-based outreach and intervention program designed to improve maternal and infant outcomes. EHF invests in CFT, the evidence-based model that uses a two-generational approach, to build well-being and resiliency in families affected by substance use. CFT’s core program elements include early relational health training and support for a mother’s physical and emotional health. The CFT program also addresses a family’s non-medical drivers of health like assistance with rent, utilities or baby supplies. Families can’t thrive if their basic needs aren’t met.

Making an Impact

The CFT program has resulted in meaningful outcomes for individuals and families and built capacity for organizations and communities across the state. In addition to programs at both of Houston’s public hospitals, CFT has partnerships with numerous other health care and social service providers in and around Harris County. The model is also being scaled in Travis County.

The CFT program has positioned Santa Maria Hostel (SMH) as a leader in the field with recognition from state and federal agencies. SMH staff are frequently referenced for policy and implementation recommendations related to improving maternal and child health outcomes.