Sustaining evidence-based interventions under real-world conditions: results from a large-scale diffusion project

Abstract

This study examined factors associated with the predicted and actual post-funding sustainability of evidence-based interventions implemented as part of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency's Research-Based Delinquency and Violence Prevention Initiative. Correlates of predicted post-funding sustainability included program staff, overall school support, and school administrator support. Additionally, predicted post-funding sustainability was strongly associated with actual post-funding sustainability. Other correlates of actual post-funding sustainability included financial sustainability planning and aligning the intervention with the goals of the agency/school. Five years post-funding 33% of the interventions were no longer operating, 22% were operating at a reduced level, and 45% were operating at the same level or a higher level than the final year of funding. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for increasing intervention sustainability, as well as implications for future research on intervention sustainability.