Impact Visit Questions
Impact Visit Notification
Preparations for an Impact Visit
- The following is a breakdown by section of what you can do to prepare for an Impact Visit:
Impact Visit Questions
- What is an impact visit?
- ANA conducts impact site visits to projects three months prior to or after a project’s end date. Annually, over seventy percent of ANA projects receive an impact visit. Usually lasting a full work day, an impact visit provides ANA the opportunity to meet with project staff and beneficiaries in order to collect qualitative and quantitative information.
- The purpose of the impact visit is threefold:
- Assess the impact of ANA funding on Native communities;
- Increase knowledge about the successes and challenges of ANA grantees, thereby improving ANA service delivery; and
- Increase transparency by sharing the unique stories of ANA grantees with fellow Native communities and the American public.
- How are grantees notified about impact visits?
- ANA conducts impact site visits to projects three months prior to or after a project’s end date. Annually, over seventy percent of ANA projects receive an impact visit. Usually lasting a full work day, an impact visit provides ANA the opportunity to meet with project staff and beneficiaries in order to collect qualitative and quantitative information.
- How are grantees notified about impact visits?
- Grantees are notified of an impact visit through a letter sent to the authorizing representative approximately one month before the projected visit. The letter is also emailed to the Project Director.
- What should you expect from an impact visit?
- Impact visits are driven by the Impact Evaluation Tool, which is used to collect information in the following areas: status of project activities; project management; community involvement and outreach; project results and impact; jobs/businesses created; resources leveraged; partnerships formed; project sustainability; and satisfaction with ANA services. This information exchange can take up to six hours, and ANA will set aside one day for the site visit in the event that project staff would like to demonstrate any project results, introduce community beneficiaries or observe any activities relevant to the project.
Preparations for an Impact Evaluation
- The following is a breakdown by section of what you can do to prepare for an Impact Visit:
- Objective Work Plan (OWP): For this section, you should be prepared to discuss your OWP and any methods used to monitor/track your ANA project activity and performance.
- Review the OWP to determine the status of all activities and objectives for the entire duration of the project.
- Project Management: ANA would like to learn about staff and consultants hired to work on the project. Questions relating to the project’s financial management will also be asked.
- Identify staff and consultants who worked on the project and the total number of hours/weeks worked. For consultants, please have total hours worked available, the dollar amount paid (per hour and in total), and the reason for hire.
- The person who handled the project’s finances will be asked several questions, including the tracking process for the non-federal share of the project, questions about the drawing down of funds, and inquiries regarding budget modifications.
- You will be asked about the documentation/record-keeping of the non-federal 20% contribution to the project; budget modifications; and ANA funds left over at the end of the project.
- Community Involvement and Outreach: ANA appreciates input from beneficiaries and community members about their involvement in the planning and implementation of the project.
- Review any marketing or outreach materials developed for the project.
- You will be asked about the degree of community involvement in the planning and implementation stages of the project; the number of Elders and youth involved, and the extent of their participation; type of activities and events held to share the project with the community.
- Project Results and Impact: ANA is interested in learning about the results and impact the project has had on the community.
- Program revenue generated by the project (including supporting documentation).
- Jobs created by the project (including supporting documentation) as well as how the positions were paid (e.g. ANA funds, project-generated revenue, leveraged funds). This will include the types of positions and the total hours/weeks worked.
- Businesses created by the project (including supporting documentation).
- Training resulting from the project. This will include the course/workshop titles, hours needed to successfully complete the training, and the number of people who successfully completed training.
- Leveraged Resources (including any supporting documentation). This includes resources mobilized/attracted to the project (above and beyond the 20% non-federal match) as well as their dollar value.
- Partnerships formed as a result of the project.
- Discussions of project impact with project beneficiaries, and how the project has improved the social, economic, and/or environmental conditions of the community.
- Grant-Specific Questions: ANA will ask questions regarding your specific type of project.
- Products developed, surveys conducted, codes and/or ordinances developed, language teachers trained, etc.
- ANA Services: ANA is hoping you will share any suggestions, concerns or comments that will help ANA better serve you.