Evaluation Framework for the Sustainability Fund
First Person Consulting receives the 2026 Evaluation System Award for developing an integrated monitoring and evaluation system for the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Fund. Covering almost $2 billion in investment and hundreds of initiatives, the system brings consistency and evaluative thinking to an exceptionally diverse portfolio of environmental programs.
Between 2018 and 2025, the Sustainability Fund supported hundreds of grants and initiatives delivered through agencies including EPA Victoria, Sustainability Victoria, Parks Victoria and Recycling Victoria.
First Person Consulting designed a system capable of working across this complex portfolio while still supporting meaningful assessment of individual investments.
The resulting system includes an overarching evaluation framework, an outcomes and indicators database, planning guidance, templates and an assessment rubric. Together, these tools enable investments in areas including waste, recycling, emissions reduction and climate adaptation to be planned, measured and aggregated against the Fund’s legislated objectives.
Importantly, the system also supports clearer public reporting of results across the portfolio.
Strong stakeholder uptake demonstrates the practicality and value of the approach. By bringing previously disconnected elements together into a coherent system and shared knowledge base, the work provides an excellent example of evaluation operating at a systems level.
About the Evaluation System Award
This Award recognises the development of an exemplary integrated evaluation system and/or implementation of the evaluation system.
The work should be designed to be sustainable; and be undertaken in partnership with clients or users.
Nominees who have only developed an evaluation system will be considered for this Award. Nominees who can demonstrate excellent development and implementation will be assessed more highly than those who have only developed a system.