One of CYFAR's unique features is the built-in planning year for all grant recipients. We present our evaluation team's approach during year 1 to establish a foundation and plan for scholarly publications during funding years 2-5. The systematic literature review provided the team with a better understanding of the culture and context of the project's target population. Collaboration between PI/Co-PI and Evaluator served as a powerful tool to achieving this goal. Not only does this model benefit future CYFAR grant recipients' and Extension professionals' curriculum development and program evaluation, it can also inform recruitment efforts and community partnership development.