Evaluation of ARC’s Education and Workforce Development Projects Closed in 2015-2019


Author(s): Kristen Usher, Lindsay Lamb, Caitlin Howley, Terry Lashley, Kim Cowley, Samira Rajesh Syal, Thomas J. Horwood
Author Organization(s): ICF

This report presents findings from an evaluation of ARC’s education and workforce development projects that closed between 2015 and 2019, representing 383 grantees and more than $62,500,000 of ARC investment. By the end of the grant period, 337,405 individual beneficiaries had been served. At the time of the follow-up survey, this had increased to 510,765, or 148% of the cumulative goal. In addition, a total of 3,157 businesses, communities, or organizations had been served through grant funding at the time of the follow-up survey, and 4,572 new jobs had been created. Taken together, this demonstrates the long-lasting impact of much of the ARC portfolio—even after ARC funding ends. At the time of the evaluation, three-quarters of survey respondents were still sustaining their grant-funded program in some capacity. Additional evaluation findings describe outcomes and experiences of grant beneficiaries, and successes and challenges across the portfolio related to implementation and sustainability efforts.