Post-Award Support

Evaluation Services for the Innovation and Startup Ecosystem

Need help with post-award grant reporting? Looking for help demonstrating outcomes from your federally funded grant? We can help with data collection, analytics, and reporting all with a focus on measuring outcomes.

Maybe evaluation isn't the thing for you, but you may have received funding that does have reporting requirements. Those requirements can be time-consuming and take away from your regular day-to-day tasks. Let us help you complete your reporting requirements by handing it off to a team with experience.

 

Who We Work With

With regard to our Evaluation Services, we work with organizations that have a goal to implement innovative STEM-based solutions to various social, cultural, or environmental issues with an equitable lens (DEIA) in mind. We also work with venture capital firms, accelerators, and other non-profit organizations that have a focus on propelling the startup ecosystem through the use of evaluation.

Experience

We have experience evaluating federally funded projects and programs. Listed below are some of the agencies where we have substantial experience.

  • The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with a strong focus on American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) and Development Innovation Ventures (DIV), as well as economic and humanitarian assistance.
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with a focus on innovation and technology as well as product safety and conservation efforts.
  • U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) with a focus on economic development and technological advancement through vigilance in international trade policy, domestic business policy & growth, and promoting economic progress at all levels.
  • U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) with a focus on peacekeeping and war-fighting efforts, Homeland Security, evacuation, and humanitarian causes.
  • U.S. Department of Education (DoED) with a focus on STEM aimed at elementary secondary, and postsecondary education student and staff support services such as teacher professional development, after-school programming (ASP), out-of-school-time (OST) (e.g., 21st CCLC, School Improvement, MSP, API, Elementary Counseling). As well as experience with TRIO, Title III, Title V, TAACCCT, PBIS/MTSS, NSF-MSP/NRT/RET/REU, FIPSE, and Migrant Education.
  • U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with a focus on scientific and technological innovation and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/ Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and other STEM-focused funding lines.
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with a focus on Emergency Preparedness & Response, Education & Training, and Public Health & Safety.
  • National Institute of Health (NIH) with a focus on R01, R41, R42, R43, R44, U43, U44, SB1, UB1 as well as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/ Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR).
  • National Science Foundation (NSF) with a focus on science, to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare, and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/ Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and other STEM-focused funding lines.

Approach

E.B. Howard Consulting embraces the following approaches to evaluation Empowerment Evaluation, Utilization-Focused Evaluation, Collaborative Outcomes Reporting, and Rapid Evaluation when working with clients and their stakeholders in all facets of proposal development and program/project evaluation.

  • Empowerment Evaluation is a stakeholder involvement approach designed to provide groups with the tools and knowledge to monitor and evaluate their performance and accomplish their goals. It is also used to help groups achieve their goals. Empowerment evaluation focuses on fostering self-determination and sustainability. It is particularly suited to the evaluation of comprehensive community–based initiatives or place-based initiatives.
  • Utilization-Focused Evaluation (UFE), developed by Michael Quinn Patton, is an approach based on the principle that an evaluation should be judged on its usefulness to its intended users. Therefore, evaluations should be planned and conducted to enhance the likely utilization of both the findings and the process itself to inform decisions and improve performance.
  • Collaborative Outcomes Reporting (COR) is a participatory approach to impact evaluation based on a performance story that presents evidence of how a program has contributed to outcomes and impacts, which is then reviewed by both technical experts and program stakeholders, which may include community members.
  • Rapid Evaluation is an approach designed to quickly and systematically conduct an evaluation when time or resources are limited. Rapid evaluation methods have been used in multiple settings, including public health, emergency management, international development, and agriculture, to deliver program evaluation findings quickly to inform decision-making. 

Our Process

We are focused on providing an agile methodology-like experience that is collaborative and iterative throughout the evaluation process. We want you to feel that you are a part of the process and your own best expert. We also know that time is precious for anyone seeking external evaluation services, so we’ve worked to streamline this process for you. Let’s walk through what to expect with our Evaluation Services.

Grant writing

Step 1: Onboarding Meeting

After all paperwork is signed, we schedule an onboarding meeting. This meeting is meant to review the deadlines, internal deadlines, schedule future project meetings, and other items for the proposal.

Grant writing

Step 2: Evaluation

As we work on your evaluation, we hold regular meetings to discuss proposal progress, tasks, timelines, data needs, early reporting outcomes, and other items needed for the final evaluation report.

Grant writing

Step 3: Reporting Deadline

We like to complete our work 7 calendar days before any required reporting deadlines. This allows you time to submit your evaluation report ahead of the funder’s deadline. 

What comes with our services

The following comes with most Evaluation Service packages.

  • Project Setup: We will get you set up and organized. This may include an onboarding meeting, regular project meetings, document setup, data collection set up, shared document storage, and reporting agency guidance.
  • Evaluation Plan Development: We craft an evaluation plan that includes data collection and reporting timeline based on the needs of the funded project or program.
  • Instrument Development: We can develop and/or modify any evaluation instruments as necessary to collect data and information essential to a comprehensive report
  • Interviews or Focus Groups: We can develop, conduct, and collect qualitative data surrounding focus groups or interviews
  • Site Visits: We can conduct scheduled site visits, interviews, and focus groups to see each program's activities, meet with program staff, and collect data in person.
  • Data Collection: We can collect data regarding outcomes, enrollment, retention, support services, or other data as needed for measurement.
  • Analytics: We can analyze all data required for reporting.
  • Evaluation Report: We can complete the required reporting requested by the funder.
  • Additional Reporting: We can collaborate with your accounting team to create additional reporting or outcome reporting as requested by the leadership team. 

How We Compare

Nobody likes unknowns, especially when it comes to knowing the firm you are thinking about working with to conduct external evaluation reporting. So there is no uncertainty; we charge a flat fee for our Evaluation Services. Schedule a consult call today to get pricing, ask any questions you have, and, most importantly, get started with us. Take a look at how we compare:

Evaluation

  • Team
  • Ethics
  • Certs/Trainings
  • Support
  • Project Handling
  • Price
  • Time

Us

  • Federal funding experts
  • Follow GPA, AEA, AFP
  • Human Subjects
  • Answers all your questions
  • See our 7 & 30 Day Rule
  • Affordable Flat fee
  • We do the reporting

Them

  • Limited expertise
  • Don't know
  • Don't know
  • Not helpful or useful
  • Not helpful or useful
  • Pricey for what you get
  • What is your time worth?
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