Evaluation of the Hartford Neighborhood Development Support Collaborative (HNDSC) for LISC Connecticut

LISC Connecticut, a statewide program of the national Local Initiatives Support Corporation, supports community development corporations (CDCs) and revitalization efforts in under-resourced neighborhoods. For nearly 30 years, LISC CT has managed the Hartford Neighborhood Development Support Collaborative (HNDSC), created to provide stable operating support to community-driven organizations building and preserving affordable housing.

By 2025, HNDSC had reached a crossroads. The collaborative was still functioning, but circumstances had changed over decades, including a gradual shift from a funder collaborative to a LISC program. Several long-time funders had stepped back, and LISC CT needed clarity on what was working, what was outdated, and how to revitalize the initiative for the future. As Senior Executive Director Jim Horan explained, “We knew it was time to take a hard look at the program and chart a clearer, stronger path forward.” After a national RFP process and interviews with finalists, LISC CT and the HNDSC’s largest funder, the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation (GHGF), selected JFM Consulting Group (JFM) to conduct a full program evaluation and develop recommendations.

LISC CT needed an objective assessment of HNDSC’s effectiveness after 30 years of steady operation that reflected changing circumstances. The organization had to understand how to retain existing funders, attract new ones, and strengthen the collaborative’s influence while facing rising construction costs and complex regulatory environments. The internal question was clear: How should HNDSC evolve and grow its funding base to better support Hartford’s CDCs and respond to current housing challenges?

JFM conducted a comprehensive evaluation that included interviews with residents, CDC leaders, community partners, and both current and former funders. The team evaluated the collaborative’s structure and outcomes, examined governance practices, and analyzed how well HNDSC addressed Hartford’s evolving housing landscape.

The resulting evaluation offered a new Theory of Change and a set of transformative recommendations. These included establishing an annually rotating steering committee chair, shifting to quarterly steering committee convenings for more consistent engagement, and involving funders directly in collaborative planning. JFM also outlined a strategy for diversifying and expanding the funding base, emphasized stronger storytelling to convey impact, and created a detailed implementation matrix to guide next steps and track progress.

LISC CT is actively implementing the recommendations and seeing early signs of renewed momentum. The organization has begun re-engaging long-term funders and initiating outreach to new partners, including donor-advised funds and insurance companies. The steering committee now has its first rotating chair, and quarterly meetings will strengthen accountability and collaboration. Using JFM’s implementation matrix, LISC CT is building internal capacity and aligning strategic planning with the evaluation findings.

These changes are positioning HNDSC to expand the number of CDCs it supports from three to as many as five and to strengthen its role in addressing affordable housing needs in neighborhoods where poverty rates exceed 28 percent.

“The work of JFM, their responsiveness, complete understanding of our needs, and their innovative evaluation, recommendations, and implementation matrix, was exactly what we needed to revitalize this program. I would recommend them to any organization looking to evaluate a program or a support collaborative. They are great partners.”

— Jim Horan, Senior Executive Director, LISC Connecticut