Collaboration. Research. Evaluation. Outreach. Strategy.

Co-Create

Co-Create is a CommNS team dedicated to informing community-led social change through collaborative research, evaluation, and facilitation. All our projects are grounded in co-creation—we work hand in hand with those closest to an issue to find new paths forward.

 

We are happy to announce Co-Create has reached 50 projects

What we do

We partner with nonprofits and community groups to…

Collaboratively develop and improve programs and community efforts through community-driven visioning, evaluation, and stakeholder assessment.

Draw on research evidence to inform action through reviews of relevant literature and administrative data analysis.

We partner with researchers and academics to…

Center community leadership in their work by coordinating community participation in data collection, data analysis, writing, and dissemination.

Broaden their reach by translating their research and connecting it to key policy, program, and community audiences.

Visit the Resources page for a library of past Co-Create projects and reports.

Stories from our partners

The Co-Create Team served as the academic partner for our statewide pilot project testing a funding model to expand philanthropic support for school-based mental health programs. … Throughout the project, our Co-Create partners met with us to understand the funding model and the dynamics of our relationships with the participating school districts. They asked numerous questions about the funding model and our approach. Their questions made us smarter.

Their evaluation report has helped us improve the funding model and is helping us recruit additional funders to expand the program to more school districts throughout Wisconsin, which means more students will have access to essential mental health services.

Steve Goldberg, Executive Director, WEA Member Benefits Foundation

Working with Co-Create really helped us to see our program through new eyes, make adjustments to increase benefit and consider future operational changes to ensure equitable outcomes for those we serve. The Co-Create staff were very genuine and easy to work with. We deeply appreciate both the process and the outcome of our evaluation work with Co-Create.

Paula Drew, Co-Director, Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network

Three talking bubbles with multi-colored shapes inside that show the separate pieces come together to form a square shape.

Bring us your questions, challenges, and dreams—let’s create together!

Contact Amy Washbush, Associate Director for Engaged Research, at ahilgendorf@wisc.edu or 608-712-5950