The Colorado Lab has issued a new brief, State-Funded Grant Programs: Guidance for Legislators in Bill Drafting. State-funded grant programs support initiatives that address statewide needs through innovative, localized solutions. These grants provide resources for local government and community partners to experiment with different approaches to the same problem simultaneously around the state. However, experimentation […]
Evidence-Based Decision Making
Update: Evidence-Based Decision Making Glossary
The Evidence-Based Decision Making Glossary is a living document that supports decision makers, agency leadership, and staff in communicating consistently and effectively about use of evidence in policymaking. Each definition is based on a literature review and input from subject matter experts and practitioners. The latest terms added to the glossary are: The Colorado Lab […]
HB24-1428 Implementation Support: Evidence-Based Designations in Budgeting
The Colorado Lab serves as the statewide Coordinating Entity for Evidence-Based Decision Making in Colorado state government. In this role, the Colorado Lab is providing strategic consultation to the Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) and Joint Budget Committee (JBC) staff in collaboratively implementing House Bill (HB) 24-1428. This law requires an evidence designation […]
Growing Capacity to Achieve the Governor’s Wildly Important Goals
The Colorado Lab is working with Governor Polis’s Office of Operations to build agency capacity to achieve the administration’s Wildly Important Goals (WIGs). The WIGs, identified through an annual strategic planning process, help state leaders focus on and track progress toward selected priority efforts. Drs. Kristin Klopfenstein and Courtney Everson are partnering with state agencies […]
EBDM: Philanthropy Learning Community
The Colorado Lab is working with Philanthropy Colorado and state philanthropic leaders to determine how funders can best support their nonprofit grantee partners in collecting and learning from data. Foundation leaders have been invited to participate in monthly Community of Practice learning sessions through early 2025. Natalie Portman-Marsh of NPM Consulting, LLC will facilitate the […]
Updated Glossary! Evidence-Based Decision Making
New terms have been added to the Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) Glossary. This resource provides terms that promote a shared understanding of key EBDM concepts. EBDM is the intersection of the best available research evidence, decision-makers’ expertise, and community needs and implementation context. EBDM recognizes that research evidence is not the only contributing factor to […]
Evidence-Based Decision Making: Cue Cards Equip Legislators to Advance EBDM
Colorado policymakers have two new resources for use during the legislative session. “Cue cards”’ were developed by the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab, providing legislators with an easy to use set of questions to promote dialogue and advance evidence-based decision making (EBDM). During the first two weeks of the legislative session, the SMART Act Hearing […]
Evidence-Based Decision Making: SMART Act Cue Card for Legislators
Each January, SMART Act hearings provide a key opportunity to demonstrate the high value Colorado places on EBDM in state government. The tenets of EBDM become readily apparent when legislators ask agency leadership targeted questions about their performance management and process improvement efforts and how evidence informs their ongoing work. To support this process, the […]
Evidence-Based Decision-Making: New Evidence-Based Decision-Making Strategy Report
We’re pleased to share the new report, Promoting Evidence-Based Decision-Making in Colorado State Government: From Vision to Implementation and an Executive Summary. The report outlines four strategic goals (image below) to guide implementation of the EBDM vision over a span of five years. The strategy for EBDM is organized around both the culture we are […]
Evidence Portfolio Process for Budget & Policy Decisions
A newly created evidence portfolio process supports the consistent application of Evidence-Based Decision-Making (EBDM) by state agencies during budget and policy decision-making. State agencies can use this tool to apply evidence to drive outcomes, leverage data to inform learning and action, and build evidence on what works and for whom, while promoting innovation. As described […]