Research For Community Impact

Our work rests on the belief that communities know best what they need to overcome the obstacles to their wellbeing. Our participatory approach places communities at the center of the research process, creating safe spaces to gather people’s most genuine and insightful stories. We pride ourselves in our experience working with vulnerable and historically marginalized communities. This includes youth from low-income households, women of color, people experiencing homelessness, and rural, LGBTQ+, Spanish-speaking, and undocumented communities.

Through our community-centered approach, our partners learn how to maximize their efforts, whether by gaining a new understanding of the community they serve, tailoring how they respond to community needs, or testing and evaluating their community impact.

We Work With Our Partners To…

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Explore a Community. Understand through the eyes and experiences of its members the realities of a community.

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Inform Design. Design a service, program, policy, or campaign to address community needs.

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Test and Evaluate. Test and evaluate the product, and make recommendations for improvements.

Our Services

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Research Design. Mixed-methods and qualitative-centered research strategy informed by the community.

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Surveys and Interview/Focus Group Moderation. Conducted virtually or in person, in English or in Spanish.

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Data Synthesis and Reporting. Rigorous data coding and analysis, and strategic findings report and oral presentations.

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Workshops and Technical Assistance. Theory of change and customizable research workshops.

  • Exploring and Testing Innovative Math Learning Strategies

    Partnering with Goodwin Simon to inform the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's USD$1.1 billion strategy to narrow the United States’ racial math achievement gap .

    Project Site

  • Designing America's First Youth Homelessness Cash Program

    Working with the cities of Boston, New York, Oakland, and San Francisco to change how they support youth experiencing homelessness find safe and stable housing.

    Report

  • Testing an Ad Campaign in California to Increase Tax Filing

    Helping Golden State Opportunity and Fraser Communications understand how to motivate low-income people to file their taxes and apply for tax credits.

    Project Site

  • Exploring the Wellbeing of the Early Childhood Education Workforce

    Partnering with the UC Berkeley Labor Center to advocate for policies across the United States that improve the financial wellbeing of the ECE workforce.

    Publications

  • Designing a Mental Health Space for Underserved Youth

    Leading research for the Barrio Action Youth and Family Center to inform the design of a mental health hub for underserved youth in East Los Angeles.

    Partner Site

  • Testing California's Proposal to Enact Universal Free Banking

    Collaborating with the Roosevelt Institute and the Service Employees International Union to understand the banking needs of low-income Californians.

    Program Site

Our Partners

Principal

For more than a decade, Dr. Chávez’s work – spanning 24 US states and 14 countries – has helped foundations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, marketing agencies, international institutions, and public and private research firms gain a human-focused understanding of the issues they are working to address.

Empathy fuels his research work. As a man of color raised in Southern California under the poverty line by non-English-speaking Mexican immigrant parents, he is passionate about research that meets communities where they are, lifts their voices, and empowers them.

While a CIA officer, he analyzed intelligence, wrote for the President’s Daily Brief, and briefed top US Government officials at the White House and at the Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security. He received his doctoral degree at the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a master’s degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California.

Raúl Chávez, PhD

Let’s Work Together

We work across North America, the UK, and Europe. We are always looking for new projects with the potential to enrich people’s lives.

Please contact us directly through your preferred option below.