A multi-project systems approach to developing community trust and building capacity

Community characteristics are being recognized as important determinants for effective community-based programs. Community capacity to collaboratively identify issues, establish collective goals, and mobilize resources is built on experience with such interactions and trust among collaborators. Conceptual approaches and methods to develop community capacity rarely have been a focus of research programs, at least in part due to categorical funding, which often limits the scope and duration of interventions, thereby limiting capacity development. This approach uses multiple categorical funding sources to create sustained community programs involving multiple systems to increase capacity. Quasi-experimental evidence of increases in community capacity within two Alabama communities is presented.