Big Local Evaluation

We’re working with 3Ps and Local Trust to develop evaluation support to local community projects around the country who have received funding from Big Local.

Big Local is a unique funding programme that is resident-led and non-prescriptive, and seeks long term community-based solutions rather top down quick fixes. Projects are diverse and wide ranging in scope. They include for example:

- a food bank fighting holiday hunger in Blackburn;
- a Black Lives Matter project led by young people in West London;
- a photography project capturing coastal stories in Sutton-on-Sea; and
- a purpose built community center in an old carpark in Greater Manchester.

We are offering support to Big Local groups who are interested in understanding and evidencing the impact they are having on their local area – so they can improve the work that they do and share the stories of change in their communities.

In tune with the Big Local ethos, we have developed a participatory approach to evaluation including training and support so that local groups can:

- define the questions that are important to them and their community;
- tailor the methodology to capture the data required to answer these questions;
- undertake the data collection themselves, tapping into local expertise and networks;
- analyse and report on that data so that it is useful, accessible and actionable.