WestEd evaluation: Richmond Fund for Children and Youth reached tens of thousands but needs stronger data and capacity supports, council hears
January 21, 2026 | Richmond, Contra Costa County, California
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The Richmond City Council received a third‑party evaluation of the Richmond Fund for Children and Youth (RFCY) delivered by WestEd, which reviewed the program’s initial funding cycle covering fiscal years 2021–2024.
City staff said the RFCY committed roughly $9.1 million across 56 grants to 46 organizations during the first full cycle. WestEd reported more than 58,000 encounters across 121 program sites, over 200,000 program hours and services reaching diverse youth — particularly in central Richmond and neighborhoods identified as higher need. Participant survey results showed high levels of satisfaction, belonging and connection to caring adults; grantee reporting indicated many programs expanded reach and provided multi‑lingual services.
WestEd recommended continuing flexible funding approaches, increasing technical assistance and capacity building for smaller grantees (administrative supports, data reporting), improving clarity and consistency in communications with grantees, and deepening co‑evaluation with youth to inform future cycles. WestEd also noted limitations in the first cycle’s data collection: not all grantees completed supplemental surveys and the evaluation relied largely on encounter counts rather than unique‑participant tracking or standardized outcome measures across dissimilar programs.
During council Q&A members pressed for more objective performance indicators (education or health measures where applicable), clarification on how many unique Richmond youth were served, geographic distribution of program sites (some funded sites were outside the city limits but served Richmond residents), and what mechanisms exist to increase grantee data capacity. Staff and WestEd said the next funding cycle includes stronger data requirements and that annual reports will provide more comprehensive metrics and benchmarks.
Council moved to receive the WestEd report; the vote was unanimous.
City staff said the RFCY committed roughly $9.1 million across 56 grants to 46 organizations during the first full cycle. WestEd reported more than 58,000 encounters across 121 program sites, over 200,000 program hours and services reaching diverse youth — particularly in central Richmond and neighborhoods identified as higher need. Participant survey results showed high levels of satisfaction, belonging and connection to caring adults; grantee reporting indicated many programs expanded reach and provided multi‑lingual services.
WestEd recommended continuing flexible funding approaches, increasing technical assistance and capacity building for smaller grantees (administrative supports, data reporting), improving clarity and consistency in communications with grantees, and deepening co‑evaluation with youth to inform future cycles. WestEd also noted limitations in the first cycle’s data collection: not all grantees completed supplemental surveys and the evaluation relied largely on encounter counts rather than unique‑participant tracking or standardized outcome measures across dissimilar programs.
During council Q&A members pressed for more objective performance indicators (education or health measures where applicable), clarification on how many unique Richmond youth were served, geographic distribution of program sites (some funded sites were outside the city limits but served Richmond residents), and what mechanisms exist to increase grantee data capacity. Staff and WestEd said the next funding cycle includes stronger data requirements and that annual reports will provide more comprehensive metrics and benchmarks.
Council moved to receive the WestEd report; the vote was unanimous.
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