RELATED STORY: Finding the Questions that Matter

The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) builds open-source hardware and software that enable scientists and community members to collaboratively investigate local environmental health issues. The Rita Allen Foundation previously supported the expansion of Public Lab’s outreach efforts to communities in the Northeast United States confronting environmental health risks. With funding from the Rita Allen Foundation, Public Lab is now partnering with science and environmental education specialists at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, to analyze its impact on individuals and communities and create a framework for ongoing evaluation of community science projects. This project will contribute to a deeper understanding of community science efforts, and is intended to result in broadly applicable approaches to benefit a variety of organizations. The Rita Allen Foundation is also supporting Public Lab’s participation in the Fund for Shared Insight’s Listen for Good initiative, which is working with select nonprofits to create a widely applicable system for collecting and using feedback from stakeholders in the social sector. The Rita Allen Foundation is among the core funders of the Fund for Shared Insight.