Needs-based assessment launches

A needs-based assessment that will determine how to raise and spend a million dollars in the Chicago LGBT community over the next three years launched Oct. 7 at the Center on Halsted. The LGBT Community Fund, an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, has partnered with the consultant firm Morten Group to conduct the assessment, which will consist of surveying more than 1,500 LGBT individuals—mostly throughout Cook County—followed by various stakeholder interviews and focus groups.

The LGBT Community Fund began in 2010, when The Chicago Community Trust (CCT) issued it a $500,000 matching challenge grant. A steering committee will oversee fundraising and ultimately determine how to disperse the funds to Chicago’s LGBT nonprofit organizations and programs.

Representatives of about two-dozen LGBT nonprofits—deemed community partners of the assessment—were present at the kick-off press breakfast. Potentially all of them stand to gain from the fund.

Morten Group President Mary Morten and Project Manager Keshia Farmer-Smith explained the two-phase process of The LGBT Community Needs Assessment: The first phase will consist of a short online survey offered in English and Spanish. Respondents will be asked to identify the community’s “most critical needs” and “strongest resources.” Hard-copy surveys will also be available with community drop boxes that will be distributed throughout Chicago.

The second phase will take the data acquired in the first to formulate questions for interviews with approximately 50 LGBT community stakeholders in addition to 15 focus groups that will involve discussions with community members of diverse ages and backgrounds in Chicago, Evanston, Oak Park and Berwyn.

“We want to cast a wide net and we want to cast to people that don’t necessarily belong to organizations and go to places that may be LGBT,” Morten said.

Jim Alexander, co-chair of The LGBT Community Fund Steering Committee, said that this is the first needs assessment of the entire LGBT community as compared to only one aspect. He then described the two-fold purpose of the fund: To provide capacity-building services for our community organizations and build bridges to the non-LGBT community.

“One of the things [the steering committee] observed was our organizations—at this point—aren’t as well recognized by non-LGBT communities both from the standpoint of knowing what we’re doing as well as donating dollars,” Alexander said. “We’ve done a great job within our community of raising dollars; the next opportunity is to go out into the greater community and raise dollars.”

Morten Group expects to make community presentations based on the assessment findings in January. To access the online survey, visit the CCT website www.cct.org or Morten Group website www.mortengroup.com.