Research and Focus Areas

FACT funds research that advances scholarship and addresses community needs. We are currently sponsoring collaborative research projects in the following topic areas:

• Family and Community Vitality
• Family and Community Health
• Families, Communities, and Schools

Family and Community Vitality
Healthy, vital communities with an active citizenry are better able to address the myriad challenges facing children and families. In this area, FACT seeks to support research and outreach that furthers scholarship on community empowerment, leadership development and capacity building to meet child and family needs, particularly among vulnerable populations and communities.

We know that healthy, vital communities with an active citizenry are better able to address the myriad challenges that face children and families. What is less understood is how communities can build, promote and sustain family and civic engagement and vitality in order to meet child and family needs.

FACT's focus area supports research and outreach that furthers scholarship on and builds community capacity to support strong neighborhoods, good schools, and a healthy economic base. FACT plans to invest in projects that test innovative approaches and assess strong models for empowering communities.

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Family and Community Health
Hunger in America is a growing problem with 14 million children living in homes where food is scarce. At the same time, childhood obesity is on the rise; in Michigan, for example, 25% of schoolchildren are overweight.

These conflicting trends point to a need for understanding and improving the relationship between children and food. FACT's focus on children, youth, and nutrition is diverse in scope--not only addressing hunger issues, and/or physical activity, but also "feeding" children and youth's self-esteem, and nurturing healthy behavior.

Our focus on family and community health concentrates on preventative approaches to healthy eating and living. We know that tobacco use, diet, alcohol abuse, and physical inactivity are the major risk factors for most diseases. With this in mind, FACT projects are exploring ways to improve health by reaching children and their families at an early stage.

The Nutrition Education Aimed at Toddlers (NEAT) project, for example, is working to improve the health of rural families living in poverty. The research team is developing and evaluating the effectiveness of nutrition education programs tailored to meet the needs of rural families with young children.

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Families, Communities & Schools
While much of the nation focuses on school violence and delinquency, FACT is taking a positive, proactive approach to youth development. We support projects that build on the strengths of youth rather than focusing on their deficits. We are interested in building community capacity to support youth and link families, schools, and communities.

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