The SAN diego ZOO will build evaluation capacity for its three education teams through a holistic and integrated process of embedding evaluation across its educational programs

The Zoological Society of San Diego, doing business as San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, received a $561,747 Project Grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the Museums for America (CFDA 45.301) program. The grant will fund a 3-year project to build evaluation capacity across the zoo's three education teams by conducting a needs assessment, crafting an evaluation strategy, providing staff training, designing and piloting new evaluation tools, establishing reporting cycles, and providing ongoing support. This will result in a new evaluation framework, tools, and strategy to embed evaluation into the design and delivery of the zoo's educational programming, benefiting 37 staff members and all zoo education program participants.

Project activities include conducting a needs assessment, crafting an evaluation strategy, conducting staff training, designing, piloting, and implementing new evaluation tools, establishing reporting cycles and formats, and providing ongoing support to ensure the knowledge and skills are sustainably incorporated into the education team's planning, activities, and training. The project will result in a new evaluation framework, tools, and strategy for how and when to conduct evaluations, and a shared understanding of the critical role of evaluation in the design and delivery of educational programming all working towards building a culture of valuing evaluation benefiting the 37 staff members who participate in the project and all ZOO education program participants.