After the Initiating Grant: Factors that Contribute to Sustainability Among Statewide Asthma Coalitions

Public health coalitions have a demonstrable impact on population health. Sustainability is a prerequisite to this impact, as policy, systems, and environmental change require multi-year
strategies. Coalitions that sustain their operations over time are observed to have had “success in obtaining external funding” (Wickizer et al., 1998). The corollary is that when coalitions do not
have adequate funding, they are more likely to diminish or dissolve over time (Jackson et al.,1989). But it would be simplistic to conclude that coalition resources are either sufficient or
insufficient and coalitions thus sustained or not sustained. Many public health coalitions exhibit resilience, sustaining their operations over time despite funding fluctuations. This suggests that multiple variables influence the relationship between funding disruption and coalition sustainability