North Carolina

​​In 2022, the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) created a Chief Scientist position to provide statewide leadership and technical expertise to increase the generation and use of evidence for program and policy decision-making.

 The Chief Scientist builds capacity within the state to evaluate programs, improve performance, and achieve strategic goals using rigorous scientific methods. OSBM assists agencies in achieving operational excellence – including offering ongoing performance management training, developing strategic plans with priority questions (research agendas), conducting evidence reviews of state policies and programs, justifying budget requests with evidence, piloting innovations, planning evaluations, and facilitating research partnerships.

The state is a nationwide leader in internal audit requiring, by statute, all state agencies to have an internal audit function, including duties to “review the effectiveness and efficiency of agency and program operations and service delivery.” Additionally OSBM houses the  Central Internal Audit Office as well as an independent Council of Internal Audit.

Led by a Director of Research and Evaluation, NC Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Research and Promising Practices aims to serve public schools by providing the research and support necessary to make evidence-based decisions to combat learning loss from the pandemic and accelerate learning for all students.

The NC Department of Transportation Research & Development Office performs in-house research and collaborates with external partners to better connect communities and improve transportation safety and efficiency.

The Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) within the NC Department of Commerce collects data, conducts research and analysis and publishes reports about the state’s economy and labor market.

The state’s Chief Data Officer (CDO) oversees the North Carolina Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC), the centralized data office for the state. GDAC facilitates enterprise data management, supports data sharing between agencies, and provides analytic capabilities to leverage the state’s data assets and provide information for state leaders to make evidence-based decisions.

NCLDS’ data policies, data sharing processes, and strategic direction are overseen by a cross-agency governance board.

The NC Geographic Information Coordinating Council establishes standards, best practices, and policies for coordinating and advising the use of geospatial data statewide.

The State Data Center is a consortium of agencies cooperating to provide the public with access to census, demographic, and other state data at a variety of geographic levels. The public Log Into North Carolina (LINC) data platform aggregates the most sought-after data from contributing agencies.

The North Carolina FY 2021-23 budget appropriated $1 million in nonrecurring grant funds to OSBM for state agency research and evaluation needs (6% of OSBM’s budget). OSBM launched the North Carolina Evaluation Fund to support government-researcher partnerships that inform program and policy decisions. OSBM awarded grants to eight high-impact research projects in 2022 on topics including teacher and student outcomes, workforce development, juvenile recidivism, behavioral health and social service programs, and domestic violence. Project pre-analysis plans and final materials to date are available on the State of North Carolina Registry.

In 2022, The NC Department of Information Technology adopted the Fair Information Practice Principles to guide transparent data collection and use, and privacy protection policies.

In 2024, DIT adopted the Responsible Use of AI Framework to support innovation while reducing privacy and data protection risks.

The North Carolina Longitudinal Data Service (NCLDS) works to connect data from early childhood, K12 education, postsecondary, and employment to help evaluate the longer-term impacts and longer-term successes of various state programs.

Once fully implemented (FY 24-25) NCLDS will provide data contributors, practitioners, and trusted research partners with secure access to this cross-sector, longitudinal, and linked record-level data to help NC answer its most pressing questions.

Agencies that contribute data to the NCLDS will adopt a standardized data use agreement. NCLDS also developed a coordinated data request and review process for secure and timely data sharing. More broadly, the Government Data Analytics Center (GDAC), within the Department of Information Technology, works to transform data into information that facilitates decision support, increases operational efficiencies, and improves outcomes for North Carolina residents by integrating and sharing data assets.

North Carolina identified 16 grant programs or contracts – over $30 million in investments – that define evidence of effectiveness for programs and interventions and require or reward evidence-based models in the award of funds. Programmatic focus areas span mental and behavioral health interventions, re-entry and recidivism reduction, infant mortality, and child welfare.

North Carolina state agencies aim to deliver better outcomes for residents by providing direct services in addition to supporting local partners, providers, and grantees. While NC does not have a comprehensive inventory of evidence-based interventions directly administered by the state, seven programs featured here – over $100M in investments annually – are proven effective or promising based on rigorous research evidence. Programmatic focus areas span workforce and economic development, mental and behavioral health, criminal justice and recidivism reduction, early education and  child welfare.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce is mandated by law to rank the state’s 100 counties based on economic well-being and assign each a Tier designation. This County Tier rankings system is incorporated into various state programs (including discretionary grant programs and the Job Development Investment Grant program) to encourage economic activity and channel resources where they can have the greatest impact.

​​North Carolina’s FY25-27 budget instructions require agencies to justify requests for new and expanded programs and services. In their justifications, agencies include a statement of need that defines the problem. This is the place to describe how the need may vary across communities or subpopulations. They then map out the theory of change – how the proposed intervention and inputs will address the need and lead to the intended outcome changes. Agencies indicate the level of existing evidence supporting the expected outcomes of the proposal using OSBM’s evidence scale, and outline their plans for evaluating its implementation and effectiveness.

OSBM’s evidence scale provides a common language for communicating the effectiveness of a program or policy and the degree of confidence in those conclusions.

 OSBM provides training to agency staff to develop strong budget proposals supported by evidence, and offers assistance for evaluation planning.

The justifications agencies provide include the evidence scale rating, and this information is available to both decision-makers in the Executive and Legislative branches.

​​The Governor’s Performance Management Advisory Committee (PMAC) is composed of 13 department heads, senior officials, legislators, and performance experts who advise the Governor on performance management initiatives and strategies for increasing evidence-based policymaking efforts

OSBM hosts an annual Performance Management Academy training series for state agencies; to date, more than 160 state employees from 20 agencies, boards, and universities have graduated from the Academy. Beginning in 2025, in partnership with local universities, OSBM is expanding the PMA to include ongoing learning opportunities at all levels, and a fellowship program.

The Department of Information Technology (DIT) is home to a Process Improvement Team which collaborates with state agencies to use evidence in strategic planning processes. DIT provides monthly training resources for state agencies to learn the Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodology and hosts a Process Improvement Community of Practice.

Immediately after Hurricane Helene hit NC, OSBM began assessing the catastrophic effects of the storm. The resulting Damage and Needs Assessment (DNA) has become an authoritative source of data on the storm’s impacts, forming the basis of government, nonprofit, and business decisions about recovery strategies, state and federal funding requests, and grant applications. It also creates a baseline the state can use to measure recovery progress. This nationally-recognized effort [CH1] [CH2]  underscores the value of responsive, data-based guidance for effective public budgeting.

In Executive Order No. 3, Governor Stein created the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western NC (GROW NC), the Division of Community Revitalization, and an Advisory Committee on WNC Recovery to coordinate and accelerate Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. GROW NC is also charged with tracking spending and performance outcomes; GROW NC uses these data to provide transparency regarding the progress of recovery and to continually assess and guide recovery strategies for our hardest-hit communities.

The Office of Constituent Engagement, led by Director Tracy Lovett, is part of the North Carolina Governor’s Office. This office focuses on public engagement and inclusion, providing citizens with opportunities to connect with the Governor and participate in state affairs.

While the state does not have an overall strategic plan, the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) requires that state agencies complete a two-year strategic plan each fiscal biennium. It is a bottom-up approach that fits well with North Carolina’s state government culture. The agencies’ strategic plans include agency or department-wide goals, objectives, and strategies; performance and outcome measures and milestones; existing best practices; and areas for collaboration. The strategic plans conform with the statutory requirement to collect performance information as part of the Governor’s Recommended Budget. OSBM provides strategic planning guidance and facilitation services to support this process.