The Coalition’s vision for FaCT is to build upon more than 20 years of foundational work and leverage the FaCT platform to develop a collective impact model. This model will identify organizations, programs, and resources that support and strengthen families in Orange County, while establishing shared goals and evaluation measures to track progress and outcomes.

Collective impact goes beyond traditional nonprofit collaboration by requiring all participants to share a unified vision for change. This includes a common understanding of the problem and a coordinated approach to addressing it through agreed-upon actions.

Successful collective impact initiatives are grounded in five key elements that create alignment and drive meaningful results: a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and strong backbone support organizations.

FaCT is already structured as a critical backbone organization, focused on shared measurement and the promotion of best practices among its Family Resource Centers (FRCs). With these elements in place, FaCT is well-positioned to advance collective impact efforts. While operating within the parameters of its public funding, the platform is uniquely suited to play a broader role within the system of care.

To better define this role and to understand the broader landscape of public, private, and philanthropic partners, the Coalition will engage FaCT partners and other key stakeholders in developing a regional theory of change. This collaborative process will reflect the contributions of all partners and center on reducing child abuse across the county.

The result will be a shared vision for impact, along with clear benchmarks for progress that emphasize short- and intermediate-term outcomes and support meaningful, community-wide change.

While we are excited about FaCT’s potential to establish a strong foundation for collective impact, we also recognize the importance of maintaining its existing support for Family Resource Centers (FRCs) and their direct services. To balance these priorities, the FaCT Coalition has incorporated the following steps into our contract:

We have formally included Charitable Ventures in FAS services, along with several subcontractors, to distribute responsibilities across a broader group of stakeholders and begin advancing collective impact efforts.

We have integrated collective impact planning activities into our annual work plan, including mapping regional assets and developing a countywide theory of change.

We are actively engaging new stakeholders, particularly within the philanthropic sector, and exploring additional funding opportunities, including federal grants.

We will continue to provide technical assistance, training, advocacy, and community engagement to support FRCs and advance FaCT’s theory of change: strengthening agencies and communities to promote stronger children and families and reduce the risk of abuse and neglect.