California’s teen birthrate declined to 37 per 1,000 at the conclusion of the Initiative, down from 75 per 1,000 when it began. That decrease was part of a national trend, but although teen births were down 30 percent across the country over the same time period, in California they were down 44 percent. Of course, those positive outcomes cannot be attributed to the Initiative’s efforts alone. The TPPI was part of a larger effort to achieve that result, including significant funding from the state of California during the same time period. But it’s fair to say that TCWF grantees and associated activities were a contributing factor.

Complex multiyear grantmaking programs like the TPPI are difficult undertakings at best. They are resource and labor intensive, and demand a lot from their participants. They are not the only mechanism for foundations to strategically advance their goals; indeed, it could be argued that their very complexity can sometimes get in the way of the work. The more moving parts there are, the more challenging it becomes to “hold the whole.”

But when the right people are brought together at a propitious time along with significant resources, the resulting “whole” can exceed the sum of its parts. That was certainly the case with the TPPI.

Footnotes

1. Philliber, S. et al. Evaluation Findings from The California Wellness Foundation’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI). Accord, NY: Philliber Research Associates, 2007.
2. Alan Guttmacher Institute. U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information. New York, 2004.
3. Gould, J. et al California Potential Project Areas for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programs. Berkeley: University of California School of Public Health, 1996. Gould, J. et al. Small area analysis: Targeting high-risk areas for adolescent pregnancy prevention programs. Family Planning Perspectives, 1998. 30: 173-176.
4. Brindis, C.D. et al. Complex Terrain: Charting a Course of Action to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancy. San Francisco: UCSF Center for Reproductive Health Policy Research, 1997. Philliber, S. & Namerow, P.B. Right on Target: Choosing Communities, Organizations Youth and Families for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs. Accord, NY: Philliber Research Associates, 1995.
5. For more information, see: A Clinic for Teens by Teens: The Peer Provider Model and The Source: A Peer Provider Handbook . Both are available for purchase from epa.cfhc.org/.

Tom David is senior strategist with the Community Clinics Initiative, a joint project of The Tides Foundation and The California Endowment. He was previously executive vice president of The California Wellness Foundation. More examples of his writing can be found at www.tdavid.net.