Research for Action
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Research for Action firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Research for Action
- Legal name
- Research for Action
- Website
- https://researchforaction.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Research for Action industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Research and Evaluation Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Research, Evaluation & Program Effectiveness Reporting (EDADAIAM), Curriculum, Standards & Assessment Policy Research (EDADADAH), Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK), Education Policy Evaluation & Impact Assessment Organizations (EDADADAD)
Keywords
Where Research for Action is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Research for Action business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Research Grants: RFA receives competitive research grants from federal agencies (Institute of Education Sciences), foundations (Barra Foundation, KnowledgeWorks), and other funders to conduct education research and evaluation projects.
- Strategic Advising and Technical Assistance: Fee-for-service consulting engagements with mission-aligned partners including nonprofits, school districts, community organizations, and funders to provide customized support for program quality, data infrastructure, and continuous improvement.
- Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, RFA accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations to expand research and impact.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Grant-funded research services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Research for Action product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Research for Action (RFA) conducts original education research and program evaluations, partnering with school districts, foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies to produce actionable evidence on education systems change. The organization also provides strategic advising and technical assistance, including customized tool development, individualized coaching, and group workshops, to help mission-aligned partners leverage data for continuous quality improvement across early childhood, K-12, postsecondary, and out-of-school-time domains.
Product overview
Research for Action (RFA) is a nonprofit education research organization offering a portfolio of research and advisory services rather than a unified software product. The core offering consists of education research and evaluation services, which includes original research projects designed to catalyze systems change in education. Supporting services include Strategic Advising and Technical Assistance for mission-aligned partners seeking to leverage data for quality improvement. The organization also produces publications and research reports including interim reports, policy briefs, and evaluation documents. RFA's Community Research Partnership represents a distinct program focused on community-engaged research methodologies. Research services span multiple expertise areas including Early Childhood Education, K-12 Education, Postsecondary Education, and Out-of-School Time. The organization does not offer software products, APIs, or technology platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Education Research and Evaluation Original research and program evaluation services focused on education systems change, partnering with education change agents to design and implement actionable research projects and disseminate empirical evidence across early childhood, K-12, postsecondary, and out-of-school-time domains.
- Strategic Advising and Technical Assistance Support services for mission-aligned partners to help leverage data for continuous quality improvement, including customized tool development, individualized coaching, and group workshops or trainings for nonprofits, school districts, community organizations, and funders.
- Community Research Partnership A community-engaged research initiative focused on bridging traditional research methods with the perspectives and needs of students, families, and teachers, with community members serving as co-designers and co-equal participants of the research work.
- Expertise Area Research Services Specialized research services across four expertise areas: Early Childhood Education (birth through eight years), K-12 Education and Juvenile Justice, Postsecondary Education and Workforce, and Out-of-School Time.
Quantifiable outcome
- Transfer-level placement improves students' short- and long-term outcomes with middle- and low-achieving students benefiting most
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Research for Action
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Research for Action technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Research for Action partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Institute of Education Sciences (IES)coreRFA was awarded a five-year, $3.2 million grant from IES to study the implementation, impact, and cost-effectiveness of California's Assembly Bill 705 developmental education reform in all 116 California community colleges. This is RFA's first Education Research Grant from IES.
- The University of Texas at AustincoreRFA collaborates with Dr. Lauren Schudde, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at UT Austin, on the California community college developmental education study.
- ImpactEDminorPartnered with ImpactED (University of Pennsylvania) to chronicle RFA's community-engaged research transformation journey and draw lessons from the Community Research Partnership.
- Keystone Civic VenturesminorPartnered with Keystone Civic Ventures to help chronicle RFA's story of becoming a community-engaged research organization.
- Lumina FoundationcoreRFA partnered with Lumina Foundation as part of its Great Admissions Redesign initiative to gather, analyze, and disseminate information on innovative approaches in postsecondary admissions at state, system, and institutional levels.
- KnowledgeWorkscoreKnowledgeWorks funded RFA research on personalized, competency-based learning in multiple states (Arizona, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina). RFA documented and analyzed how personalized, competency-based learning is being implemented.
- Philadelphia Education Research Consortium (PERC)coreRFA collaborates with the School District of Philadelphia's Office of Research and Evaluation through PERC to produce research on Philadelphia schools including student mobility, English learners, credit recovery, and other K-12 topics.
- Allegheny County SchoolscoreRFA conducts ongoing research through the ACER (Allegheny County Education Research) project covering 44 school districts on teacher workforce, diversity, educational equity, and other regional education issues.
- Penn MuseumminorRFA conducted an evaluation of the Penn Museum's Unpacking the Past program, which engages more than 6,000 middle school students annually in Philadelphia schools.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Research for Action competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Child Trends:
- WestEd: WestEd is a nonprofit education research and service agency that conducts education research, evaluation, and technical assistance for districts, states, and foundations. It directly mirrors RFA's nonprofit education research model, mixed-methods approach, and community-facing mission.
- Education Northwest: Education Northwest is a nonprofit that conducts education research, evaluation, and technical assistance, primarily in the Pacific Northwest. It shares RFA's nonprofit structure, K-12 and postsecondary research focus, and partner-driven engagement model.
- MDRC: MDRC is a nonprofit social policy research organization conducting rigorous evaluations of education and workforce programs. It shares RFA's grant-driven research model, focus on equity-oriented program evaluation, and partnerships with federal agencies and foundations.
- Mathematica Policy Research: Mathematica is a major social policy research and evaluation firm with a deep education practice. It competes for the same IES, foundation, and state-level evaluation contracts as RFA and operates with comparable mixed-methods research capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- RAND Corporation: RAND operates a large education and workforce research division alongside its broader policy research portfolio. While much broader in scope, RAND pursues the same foundation and federal education research grants as RFA.
- Urban Institute: Urban Institute conducts social and economic policy research with an education policy center that evaluates programs for federal, state, and foundation clients. Its education practice overlaps with RFA's K-12, postsecondary, and equity-focused research.
- American Institutes for Research (AIR): AIR is one of the largest U.S. behavioral and social science research organizations, with substantial education evaluation and technical assistance practices. It is a much larger incumbent that competes for the same federal education research solicitations as RFA.
- Abt Associates: Abt Associates is a research, evaluation, and consulting firm with a sizable education practice. It competes for IES and foundation contracts in the same education evaluation space as RFA but operates at much greater scale.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Research for Action social profiles
Digital presenceResearch for Action financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Research for Action leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Research for Action funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Research for Action M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Research for Action
What does Research for Action do?
Research for Action (RFA) conducts original education research and program evaluations, partnering with school districts, foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies to produce actionable evidence on education systems change. The organization also provides strategic advising and technical assistance, including customized tool development, individualized coaching, and group workshops, to help mission-aligned partners leverage data for continuous quality improvement across early childhood, K-12, postsecondary, and out-of-school-time domains.
Is Research for Action a public or private company?
Research for Action is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Research for Action founded?
Research for Action was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Research for Action based?
Research for Action is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Research for Action make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Research Grants are the primary driver. The others are strategic Advising and Technical Assistance and donations.
Who are Research for Action's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Child Trends, WestEd, Education Northwest, MDRC and Mathematica Policy Research. Broad incumbents are RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Abt Associates.
Does Research for Action have an API?
No public API is recorded for Research for Action.
What industry is Research for Action in?
Research for Action's product category is Education Research and Evaluation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAN, Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit), with a secondary code of EDADAIAM, Research, Evaluation & Program Effectiveness Reporting. Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8200.