Public private partnerships: building capacity while effecting change

Public-private partnerships are viewed from two traditional components: from the government's perspective (top-down), and from the grantee's perspective (bottom-up). A random inquiry of nine representative programs funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) gathered information from project managers on their perspectives of: (1) the nature of the relationship with CSAT; (2) their overall impression of the government's understanding of their unique needs; (3) meeting CSAT's funding requirements in the midst of other requirements; and (4) the adequacy of funding provided by CSAT. Results indicate that designated Government Project Officers (GPOs) respect differences between grantees and work to meet their needs. Actions taken for not meeting performance measurement requirements are also fair. However, although grantees report strong relationships with CSAT, the increased emphasis on accountability for federal dollars spent-in this case-within substance abuse treatment grant programs, adds a strain to the existing CSAT-grantee relationship. Providers believe that despite the GPOs willingness to be flexible, performance measurement requirements are difficult to meet. If performance measurement requirements incorporated more valuable information at the programmatic level, evaluators and providers will be more willing to use resources towards achieving the goals set forth by the government.