Increasing community capacity to address local environmental health concerns using a community grant program in Atlanta, Georgia

Background Communities play a central role in responding to environmental exposures that negatively impact them, and growing their capacity to respond to these environmental threats is one approach to protect and improve community health. The Emory University HERCULES Exposome Research Center and its Stakeholder Advisory Board developed a community grant program with the goal of increasing the capacity of communities in Atlanta, Georgia to address their local environmental health concerns. This paper presents the community capacity outcomes of that program, demonstrating how a small grant program has the potential to enhance communities’ capacity to address environmental health concerns. Methods To evaluate the community capacity outcomes of the Community Grant Program we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with organizational representatives after they completed the program. The interview guide assessed dimensions of community capacity: leadership, knowledge and skills, networks and partnerships, resources, sense of community, and community power. Two team members independently transcribed and coded the, resolving discrepancies through discussion. We used NVivo qualitative analysis software to manage and analyze the data, and conducted secondary analysis of code reports to identify the themes reported here. Results We interviewed a representative from each of the 12 grantee organizations. Grantees showed increased capacity with regards to leadership, sense of community, community power, knowledge, skills, and expanded networks and partnerships. For example, the program increased opportunities to take on leadership roles, to build community trust, to increase community awareness of environmental health issues, and for community members to act. Conclusions Community grant programs may be a novel way to support and enhance community capacity. Using community capacity frameworks to guide community grant programming can produce short-term outcomes while building sustained capacity for long-term goals. This program not only provided financial support but also served as a catalyst for fostering leadership, knowledge, and skills, enhancing a sense of community, empowering individuals and communities to act, and expanding networks and partnerships. Overall, the success of this small Community Grant Program underscores the importance of investing in grassroots initiatives and collaborative efforts to enhance community capacity to address complex social and environmental challenges.