The City of Tacoma seeks to establish a new evidence-based framework by which to make

decisions for allocating funds for human services contracts to non-profit organizations, based on

community need. Extensive research was conducted on the history of human services funding in

Tacoma, community-identified priorities, the current funding process, and best practices in this

field. The Collective Impact model, along with the work completed by the Children’s Services

Council of Palm Beach County, highlight the importance of measuring the effectiveness of

programs and services, and of marrying these measures to both a higher shared vision and onthe-

ground funding decisions. The report includes numerous recommendations based on

research finding that range widely, but align into two main themes: policy-oriented funding

framework recommendations, and process-oriented funding application recommendations.