Community Science
Community Science is a US-based research and evaluation consulting firm founded in 1997 that provides equity-focused research, capacity building, and strategy services to foundations, federal agencies, nonprofits, and local governments across North America, Europe, and Africa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersGaithersburg, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Community Science does
Community Science, Inc. is a US-based professional services consulting firm founded in 1997 and headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland (with a mailing presence in Hagerstown, MD). The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of BCT Partners and specializes in equity-focused research, evaluation, capacity building, and strategy development for the social impact sector. Its core service portfolio spans Research and Evaluation, Capacity Building and Learning Systems, Strategy Development and Improvement, Cross-Cultural Collaboration, Community Engagement and Power Building, and Organizational Effectiveness, organized around practice areas including Equitable Community Development, Health and Behavioral Health Equity, Youth Leadership and Engagement, and Organizational Effectiveness.
The firm delivers these services using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods — including developmental evaluation, outcome harvesting, cross-case study, and culturally responsive approaches — supported by analytical tooling in STATA, R, Python, ARC GIS, Tableau, and Mapbox. It also lists machine learning and data visualization as supplementary capabilities supporting its evaluation work. Service delivery is consultant-led and proposal-based, with pricing on fixed-cost or hourly-fee schedules through grants and contracts.
Community Science serves foundations (MacArthur, Kellogg, Robert Wood Johnson, Mellon, Hilton, Barr, Bush), federal agencies (HHS Office of Minority Health and others via SAMHSA IDIQ, HHS PSC IDIQ, and GSA Multiple Award Schedules), nonprofits (Children International, Habitat for Humanity, National Arts Strategies), and local/state governments (Port of Portland, New Orleans Children and Youth Planning Board), with engagement spanning North America, Europe, and Africa including multi-country projects covering 13+ nations.
Community Science firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Community Science
- Legal name
- Community Science, Inc.
- Website
- https://communityscience.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Community Science is a US-based research and evaluation consulting firm founded in 1997 that provides equity-focused research, capacity building, and strategy services to foundations, federal agencies, nonprofits, and local governments across North America, Europe, and Africa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Community Science industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Impact Research and Evaluation Consulting
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships (EDALAOAI)
Keywords
Where Community Science is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gaithersburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Community Science business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Research and Evaluation Services: Professional consulting services for foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies including research studies, program evaluations, and strategic assessments. Work is conducted through grants and contracts on fixed cost or hourly fee schedules.
- Capacity Building and Training: Capacity building support, workshops, webinars, and training programs for clients and their organizations on evaluation, equity strategies, and community development.
- Strategy Development and Facilitation: Strategic planning facilitation, consultation, and coaching services for organizations working on equity and social justice initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Hourly Fee Schedule |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Community Science product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Community Science is a professional services consulting firm that delivers research, evaluation, capacity building, and strategy development services to foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies working on equity and social justice initiatives. The firm uses mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, machine learning and data analytics, and culturally responsive approaches to evaluate community change programs, build organizational learning systems, and facilitate cross-cultural collaboration. Work is delivered through consulting engagements, grants, and contracts on fixed-cost or hourly fee schedules.
Product overview
Community Science is a professional services consulting firm offering a unified portfolio of research, evaluation, capacity building, and strategy development services focused on equity and social justice. The company operates as a single integrated practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core service offerings include Research and Evaluation Services (with Machine Learning and Data Analytics capabilities), Capacity Building and Learning Systems, Strategy Development & Improvement, Cross Cultural Collaboration, Community Engagement and Power Building, and Organizational Effectiveness. These services are organized around five practice areas: Equitable Community Development, Health and Behavioral Health Equity, Youth Leadership and Engagement, and Organizational Effectiveness. The company also provides supplementary content resources including webinars, newsletters, and videos. All services are delivered through direct consulting engagements with foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies, with software tools including STATA, R, Python, ARC GIS, Tableau, and Mapbox supporting analytical work.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Research and Evaluation Services Contextually and culturally responsive research and evaluation using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods including basic and advanced statistical methods, secondary data analysis, qualitative data collection, landscape and evaluability analysis, and cross-case study methods. Delivered to foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies.
- Machine Learning and Data Analytics Advanced data science capabilities including machine learning, data analytics and visualization, supporting research and evaluation studies with predictive and analytical insights for clients.
- Capacity Building and Learning Systems Services helping organizations develop capacity and processes for continuous strategy improvement through data use, planning, reflection, and action to make equitable large-scale and sustainable changes.
- Strategy Development & Improvement Systematic strategy development involving assessments, facilitation, coaching, monitoring, and rapid feedback and learning processes grounded in research- and practice-informed techniques for achieving greater equity and social justice.
- Cross Cultural Collaboration Cross-cultural collaboration services including historical and landscape analysis of intergroup relations, culturally responsive facilitation, trauma-informed group processes, and cross-cultural collaborative learning and planning.
- Community Engagement and Power Building Transformative community engagement services that build community power to ensure fair access to resources and opportunities, including collaborative strategic planning, power building ecosystem analysis, and community assessments.
- Organizational Effectiveness Organizational strengthening services including strategy development, equity strategy implementation, data and evaluation capacity building, leadership coaching, and continuous learning system development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Long-term recognition as leaders in promoting strategy development and improvement since 1997
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Community Science
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Community Science technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Community Science partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BCT PartnerscoreCommunity Science is a subsidiary of BCT Partners, a professional services firm. This relationship provides strategic alignment and shared expertise in research, evaluation, and organizational consulting services. The partnership enables collaboration on projects such as the Think Cultural Health E-Learning evaluation.
- GDITcoreGDIT (General Dynamics Information Technology) partners with Community Science and BCT Partners on the Think Cultural Health E-Learning Programs evaluation for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.
- SAMHSAcoreCommunity Science is eligible for contracts through the SAMHSA IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity) contract, Domains 3S (policy analysis and program-related projects) and 5S (technical assistance and training projects).
- HHS Program Support CentercoreCommunity Science is eligible to receive contracts through the HHS Program Support Center IDIQ Contract (PSC ID/IQ) HHSP233201500100I for policy assessments/analysis, program assessments, evaluation design, evaluations, and data collection.
- GSAcoreCommunity Science is eligible to receive contracts through the GSA Multiple Award Schedules (GS-10F-0470X SIN XXX-X) for professional services.
- American Evaluation Association (AEA)minorCommunity Science partners with AEA's Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) Program to recruit graduate students of color and extend research capacities in evaluation.
- Sankofa ConsultingminorCommunity Science partnered with Sankofa Consulting to help the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation integrate equity, inclusion, and diversity into their strategic, learning, and evaluation practices.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Community Science competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Abt Associates: Major research, evaluation, and consulting firm with deep federal health, equity, and social policy practice areas. Competes for similar HHS and foundation contracts at a much larger scale.
- Westat: Large employee-owned research firm with strong federal health and social program evaluation practices, bidding on many of the same SAMHSA, HHS, and CDC task orders Community Science targets.
- American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large behavioral and social science research organization with federal evaluation contracts across HHS, education, and equity-related programs — competes for similar large-scale federal evaluation task orders.
- BCT Partners: Parent company of Community Science. BCT Partners is a national consulting firm specializing in research, evaluation, training, and technical assistance with similar equity- and community-focused practice areas, providing a direct comparison for the parent's broader portfolio.
- NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research institution delivering program evaluation, policy research, and data collection for federal agencies and foundations across health, education, and equity — a much larger, university-affiliated peer.
Direct peers
- Informing Change: Research, evaluation, and learning firm serving foundations and nonprofits on equity-focused initiatives — comparable in size, mission, and client base to Community Science.
- Equal Measure: Philanthropy-serving evaluation and learning firm focused on equity, community change, and leadership development for foundations — directly comparable mission, client base, and equity-framed service offerings.
- Mathematica Policy Research: Large independent research and evaluation firm delivering social policy research, program evaluation, and data analytics to federal agencies and foundations — overlapping heavily with Community Science's federal IDIQ-eligible evaluation work.
- TCC Group: Consulting firm focused on nonprofit and philanthropic effectiveness, strategy, and evaluation — overlapping directly with Community Science's organizational effectiveness and capacity-building practices for foundations.
Emerging players
- ORB International (ORB Consulting): Smaller equity- and community-focused evaluation and capacity-building consultancy serving foundations and nonprofits with similar culturally responsive and mixed-methods capabilities as Community Science.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Community Science social profiles
Digital presenceCommunity Science financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Community Science leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Community Science funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Community Science M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Community Science
What does Community Science do?
Community Science is a professional services consulting firm that delivers research, evaluation, capacity building, and strategy development services to foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies working on equity and social justice initiatives. The firm uses mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, machine learning and data analytics, and culturally responsive approaches to evaluate community change programs, build organizational learning systems, and facilitate cross-cultural collaboration. Work is delivered through consulting engagements, grants, and contracts on fixed-cost or hourly fee schedules.
Is Community Science a public or private company?
Community Science is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Community Science founded?
Community Science was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Community Science based?
Community Science is headquartered in Gaithersburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does Community Science make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research and Evaluation Services are the primary driver. The others are capacity Building and Training and strategy Development and Facilitation.
Who are Community Science's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Abt Associates, Westat, American Institutes for Research (AIR), BCT Partners and NORC at the University of Chicago. Direct peers are Informing Change, Equal Measure, Mathematica Policy Research and TCC Group. ORB International (ORB Consulting) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Community Science have an API?
No public API is recorded for Community Science.
What industry is Community Science in?
Community Science's product category is Social Impact Research and Evaluation Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAC, Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government), with a secondary code of EDALAOAI, Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships. Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8742.