Listening to lead: how community researchers transform solutions

Leneka Pendergrass approaches research with curiosity and humility—she truly listens. Whether in community centers, coffee shops, grocery stores, or even people’s homes, she creates safe spaces to discuss topics too painful to address publicly. She asks the questions that matter most to the women she meets: “What do you need?” “What’s missing?” “How can we help?”

Leneka’s work demonstrates an approach to research rooted in empathy and cultural understanding. Through conversations with Black women impacted by domestic violence, she has been able to connect with community members and uncover systemic gaps that disproportionately impact Black women experiencing domestic violence. These findings were both profound and practical, shedding light on stories that had previously gone untold.

Her journey is a clear reflection of why Blue Shield of California Foundation’s Evaluation and Data Strategy (EDS) team chose to prioritize community-driven research. This ensures that lived experiences inform not just our data, but also our actions, creating solutions that resonate deeply with the communities they’re meant to serve.

Why the EDS team invests in community researchers

The EDS team saw an opportunity to rethink how research can better serve communities. Traditional research often relies on broad trends and standardized approaches, which are valuable but can leave out the distinctions of lived experiences. They wanted to go deeper—to understand the unique challenges and strengths within communities, directly from the people who know them best.

Community researchers bring a distinctive perspective to this work. They’re part of the communities they study, which means they can foster trust and openness in ways traditional researchers often can’t. This trust brings new, often missing, perspectives into research and enriches the process, ensuring that the resulting solutions are rooted in mutual respect and shared understanding.

Supporting community researchers isn’t just about gathering data differently; it’s about building partnerships and co-creating solutions with those closest to a problem. It shifts the dynamic from “researching about communities” to “researching with communities.” By involving individuals with lived experience, the Foundation is ensuring that the research is not only accurate but also actionable and culturally relevant. It’s about making sure the findings lead to real change in the lives of people from underrepresented communities.

For the EDS team, investing in community researchers is about embracing a more inclusive and empathetic way of working. It’s a commitment to ensuring that the people most impacted by the issues we study are central to shaping the answers. This shift has made their work more grounded, meaningful, and impactful—and they’re excited to continue learning and growing alongside the communities the Foundation serves.

Why lived experience matters

Incorporating lived experiences into research is essential for understanding the depth and complexity of social challenges. Lived experience offers context and depth that quantitative data alone cannot capture. It sheds light on systemic inequities and highlights the unique strengths and needs of specific communities.

Quantitative data, such as these findings from CalVEX, provide useful details on the types of intimate partner violence (IPV) that people have ever experienced. But for solutions, we often need to look to qualitative data.

Emotional

Control

Threats to harm self or others

Physical

Sexual

As evaluators and researchers, the EDS team believes centering lived experience improves the process itself. When participants see researchers as trusted allies rather than distant observers, they’re more likely to share openly. This openness can lead to richer information and, ultimately, better solutions.

For policymakers and state agencies, lived experience provides critical context for crafting initiatives that reflect the realities of diverse populations. For foundations, it demonstrates a commitment to equity and inclusion, and a desire to learn directly from those we seek to serve.

The EDS team believes that lived experience is not just an enhancement to research—it’s a cornerstone of meaningful and equitable solutions.

Lessons learned

The EDS team's journey with community researchers like Leneka has taught them invaluable lessons about trust, collaboration, and the power of inclusion.

One of the most critical takeaways is the importance of creating space for researchers to lead authentically. When researchers bring their full selves to their work—combining cultural understanding with rigorous methodology—their insights are both richer and more actionable.

They also learned the value of mentorship and capacity building. By investing in emerging researchers, the Foundation not only gains critical insights but also empowers individuals to become leaders in their own communities. This dual benefit creates a ripple effect, inspiring others to step into roles of advocacy and influence.

Most importantly, they’ve learned that research rooted in lived experience is not just about collecting data—it’s about creating change. It ensures that the voices of those most affected by an issue are central to the conversation.

Challenges and growth areas

This journey hasn’t been without challenges. Supporting community researchers requires balancing their autonomy with the need to align findings with broader objectives. It also challenges the notion that objectivity without a show of empathy is required to achieve valid results. Balancing these research priorities takes trust, open communication, flexibility, and a considerable amount of time and spaciousness. Internally, building a shared understanding of the value of community-driven research has been a collaborative effort. The EDS team continues to collaborate with partners across the Foundation to highlight the importance and potential impact of this work, which has been instrumental in integrating it into our strategies.

Expanding our vision with a call to action

Looking ahead, the EDS team is committed to deepening its support for community researchers. They aim to create an ecosystem where lived experience is not just included but prioritized as a vital component of effective research.

Their plan includes developing a pipeline of researchers and evaluators with lived experiences, embedding individuals with lived experience into research teams, and supporting opportunities for collaboration among researchers, peers, and experts. In 2025, they envision a Foundation strategy where community voices shape every aspect the research and evaluation investments, ensuring that the EDS teams efforts are both inclusive and impactful.

Community-driven research is essential for addressing today’s most complex social challenges. It bridges the gap between data and reality, providing insights that are both actionable and equitable. The team is inspired that many foundations and nonprofits are embracing community-driven research and given their own experience, they encourage researchers, state agencies, and other foundations to embrace this approach. By valuing lived experience alongside traditional methodologies, researchers can uncover deeper insights, build stronger stakeholder trust, and create lasting change.

The EDS team’s journey with community researchers has reaffirmed a simple truth: the most meaningful solutions come from the people who experience the challenges firsthand. As they continue to expand this work, the EDS team invites others to partner with communities, invest in lived experience, and drive meaningful change. Together, we can create a future where research and action are deeply connected and where communities lead the way in shaping their own solutions.