Since 1979, CDI has assisted over 1,000 nonprofit organizations to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness.  Empowerment Research (ER!) was created in 2002 to provide underserved communities with quantitative and qualitative analysis and to promote best practices and programs that are most effective in communities of color.

ER! seeks to provide quality, timely and technically robust program assessment and evaluation services to organizations.  We believe that program evaluations should be fully integrated into program design and provide value added information toward program evolution.  Based on the diverse background of its staff members, ER! specializes in evaluations of organizations that serve low-income and people of color communities.

Mission
The mission of ER! is to strengthen the ability of public agencies, foundations, and community based organizations to empirically frame and address community problems and to increase the capacity of underserved communities to understand and impact public policy.

Services

• Public policy analysis
• Statistical analysis
• Spatial analysis (through Geographic Information Systems)
• Demographic analysis
• Best practices research
• Environmental impact assessments
• Transportation and land use analysis
• Observational research methods
• Program evaluations and assessments
• Community surveys & surveys of hard-to-reach populations

Contact:
Lome Aseron (Bio)
Director
(650) 327-5846 x304

lome@cdi-usa.org

*Download the ER Brochure

Past and Current Partners
Bay Area Air Quality Management District: www.baaqmd.gov
The Center for Justice, Tolerance, & Community at the University of California Santa Cruz: cjtc.ucsc.edu
Community Foundation Silicon Valley: www.cfsv.org
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto: www.clsepa.org
Community Technology Foundation of California: www.zerodivide.org
East Palo Alto Digital Village
El Concilio of San Mateo County: www.el-concilio.com
Environmental Protection Agency Region 9: www.epa.gov/Region9  
Epa.net: www.epa.net
JMPT Consulting: www.jmpt.com
Lodestar Management/Research, Inc.: www.lmresearch.com
National Community Development Institute: www.ncdinet.org
Nuestra Casa: www.nuestracasa.org
Mayfair Improvement Initiative: www.mayfairneighborhood.org
Office of Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson
One East Palo Alto: www.epa.net/oepa
Opportunities Industrialization Center West: www.peninsulaworks.org
Plugged In: www.pluggedin.org
Ravenswood City School District: www.ravenswood.k12.ca.us
The San Francisco Foundation: www.sff.org
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: www.hewlett.org
Youth United for Community Action: www.youthunited.net

Projects

1. The Address Unknown Project (2006-2007):  Assessment of a program that seeks to improve the health and wellness of Latino and Asian Pacific Islander homeless substance abusers in East Palo Alto.  Funding Source: California Endowment, Free at Last.
2. Pacific Islander Human Services in East Palo Alto (2006):  Needs assessment and statistical analysis of a door-to-door survey of 130 Pacific Islander families living in East Menlo Park and East Palo Alto.  Funding Source:  California Endowment, Pacific Islander Community Center.
3. Crime Analyses and GIS Mapping Services for the East Palo Alto Police Department (2006-2007).
4. First 5 California County CARES Programs (2004-2006):  Analysis and evaluation of pre-school worker retention and worker development programs in 27 Northern California counties.  Funding Source: First 5 California/Lodestar Management Research.
5. Community Air Monitoring in East Palo Alto, CA (2004-2007):  Partnership with three community organizations to determine if there is a correlation between mobile and point source hot spots and health problems. Funding: Environmental Protection Agency Region IX, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the City of East Palo Alto.
6. Social Needs Assessment (2004-2007):  Social needs assessment for the City of East Palo Alto which will include a community-wide survey, elite surveys and community meetings.  The results of the research will inform the development of a major redevelopment area. Funding Source: City of East Palo Alto/United States Environmental Protection Agency.
7. An Analysis of the Workforce Needs of Farm Workers in Southern Santa Clara County (2005-2006):  Compilation of a social service directory, analysis of demographic and workforce data, and surveys of farm workers and prospective non-agricultural employers to determine workforce training needs. Funding Source: Silicon Valley Workforce Investment Network/City of San Jose.
8. A Peer Review and Evaluation of National Community Development Institute’s (NCDI’s) Culturally Based Capacity Building (CBCB) Approach (2005-2006):  Literature review and interview of a sample of NCDI’s clients to determine the fruition and effectiveness of the CBCB model.  Funding Source: National Community Development Institute.
9. Comprehensive Community Initiatives Best Practices (2006):  Exhaustive literature search and analysis to glean best practices principles related to implement comprehensive community initiatives.  Funding Source: National Community Development Institute.
10. Impact of the Recession on Low-Income Women in Silicon Valley (2005):  Santa Clara County-wide survey of low-income women to determine service needs and the impact the recession is having on their quality of life. Funding Source: Office of Women’s Advocacy, Santa Clara County.
11. Outcomes-based Evaluation of OICW After School Programs (2004-2005):  Fourteen-month evaluation employing advanced statistical methods including control groups, qualitative methods and longitudinal review to rigorously assess a myriad or programs offered by Opportunities Industrialization Center West (OICW).  Funding Source: OICW/United States Department of Labor.
12. Transportation Justice Education in East Palo Alto, California (2004-2005):  Community education effort to promote resident engagement in local and regional transportation policy development.  Funding: San Francisco Foundation.
13. Mayfair Community Worker Survey (2004-2005):  Community-wide survey in the Mayfair community of San Jose, CA to identify worker training needs to inform the development of a worker training center.  Funding:  University of California - Santa Cruz, Center for Tolerance, Justice and Community.
14. An Analysis of Day Laborer and Domestic Worker Needs in East Palo Alto, CA (2004-2005):  Identification and assessment of training needs for day laborer and domestic worker in East Palo Alto to inform program development at One East Palo Alto. Funding Source: Hewlett Foundation.
15. Board Assessment and Capacity Building for One East Palo Alto and the Mayfair Improvement Initiative (2004):  Assessment of the status of One East Palo Alto’s board of directors and staff and the Mayfair Neighborhood Improvement Initiative’s board of directors and staff using a McKinsey-based board assessment instrument and surveys.  Funding Source:  National Community Developement Institute.
16. Best Practices to Address Crime in East Palo Alto, CA (2004):  Research project to provide best practices and recommendations to promote the efficiency, effectiveness, and responsiveness of the local police department. Funding Source: Hewlett Foundation.
17. One East Palo Alto Block Club Survey (2004):  Phone survey of East Palo Alto residents involved with local neighborhood block club associations to determine demographic information, perceptions of public safety, and involvement in community activities.  Funding:  Hewlett Foundation.
18. One East Palo Alto  Program Assessment (2003):  Program assessment in partnership with JMPT Consulting to help determine fruition from One East Palo Alto (OEPA) programs.  Funding Source: Hewlett Foundation.
19. A Supply-side Analysis of Workforce Issues Facing East Palo Alto, California Residents (2003): Qualitative and quantitative analysis to identify the primary issues that impede workforce participation. Funding Source: Hewlett Foundation.
20. Comprehensive analysis of Crime and Blight Issues in East Palo Alto, CA (2003):  Public opinion survey and analysis of micro-level crime statistics using GIS and statistical tools to inform intervention strategies. Funding Source: Hewlett Foundation.
21. Visioning of the Clark-Bay-Pulgas-Weeks Redevelopment Area (2003):  Development related visioning for a redevelopment area in East Palo Alto under a contract with National Community Development Institute to Funding Source: City of East Palo Alto.
22. East Palo Alto Budgeting System (2002-2003):  Policy analysis of East Palo Alto’s municipal budgeting system using 54 best practice metrics. Funding Source: One East Palo Alto Economics Committee.