Mobilising Community Action Scotland (MCAS) is a new four-year programme funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, led by CEMVO Scotland in partnership with Changeworks and The Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Authority.
The project will be working with Ethnic Minority groups across the central belt supporting two distinct work strands: nature connection and energy use.
Bid stage
The National Lottery were keen that the project had a theory of change to show we understood exactly how our project would draw together the two delivery strands to bring about its intended impacts. To do this, our Impact Evaluation Consultant, Emma Lindsay, worked with CEMVO to outline a high level theory of change. This would then be developed collaboratively with our Stakeholder Advisory Group as part of kicking off the project.
Stakeholder Advisory Group
The project recruited a 15-strong team of experts, representing a wide range of community groups, advocacy organisations, charities and universities. Their role is to advise the MCAS delivery partners and shape the project to ensure that effective advice, information and support is delivered accessibly and inclusively to Ethnic Minority communities.
Co-design
Impact Evaluation Consultants, Emma Lindsay and Katy Syme, and Senior Impact Evaluation Consultant, Joanna Long, led two theory of change workshops with the Stakeholder Advisory Group, project partners and delivery team to co-design the working theory of change for the project. For the MCAS co-design exercise one workshop focused on the energy work strand, the other on nature connection.
What is a theory of change?
A ‘theory of change’ sets out how a project is going to make change happen and helps identify the data that will need to be collected in order to evidence the project’s impacts.
The process of creating the theory of change is as important as the thing itself. Exploring together the pathways to impact creates a strong shared understanding across all partners and stakeholders about what we are doing and why.
Building on the funding bid, the group mapped out the key impact pathways for each strand of the project. They then went on to identify the conditions needed for long-term success and opportunities to maximise the project’s impact.
The knowledge and ideas shared in the workshops were developed into theories of change for nature connection and energy use and refined in response to the stakeholder advisory group’s feedback. They were then combined into a single theory of change for the whole project and presented at the official MCAS launch in March 2026.
Project delivery
The Consultancy team will continue to support MCAS throughout the four years of delivery by providing ongoing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) that is accessible and inclusive, as set out in the theory of change and the associated monitoring framework.
We will also review and update the theory of change on an annual basis and in response to participant feedback as the project progresses. This will allow the project delivery to respond to learnings and adapt project activities to maximise impact.
As with the Highland Energy Community Partnership project, we will be continuously learning and improving our monitoring and evaluation approach using feedback from an external evaluator. One of the conditions of the funding award for the project was that a third party be appointed to review the monitoring and evaluation every year, providing feedback on strengths and areas for improvement.
Learning and continuous improvement are the very heart of evaluation, and we welcome this external perspective on our work and the opportunity to strengthen our approach.
Quotes from participant feedback
“It gives us some structure to work to and helps us to challenge preconceptions and dive deep in our discussions”
“It gives a clear direction for the project aims and outcomes”
“Thanks for facilitating a really interesting and helpful session!”
“It’s great to work with such a knowledgeable and passionate group of people.”
“It was a really nice and engaging session.”
“It’s great to see the care being taken to ensure this piece of work has been thoroughly thought through.”
Contact Changeworks
Get in touch if you think a Theory of Change could support a current or upcoming project.