What Project Evident does

Project Evident is a Boston-headquartered, fully remote nonprofit organization founded in 2017 that provides consulting partnerships, technical assistance, frameworks, and tools to help nonprofits, school districts, funders, and policymakers build and use evidence to improve equitable outcomes. The organization serves four primary customer segments: nonprofits (strategic evidence planning, data governance, theory of change, AI for evidence building), school districts and education agencies (cohort-based learning, continuous improvement, strategic resource allocation), funders (portfolio management, grantee support), and policymakers (Evidence and Equity Accelerators, community engagement). Named engagements span Baltimore City Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools (634 schools), Horizons National, First Place for Youth, Chess in the Schools, Year Up, Crisis Text Line, Quill.org, and Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, with 75+ Strategic Evidence Plans completed cumulatively.

The core technology stack is centered on AI-enabled causal modeling that moves beyond standard correlational AI to deliver theory-grounded evidence of what caused outcomes, drawing on administrative and operational data with rich contextual variables. Supporting capabilities include a Continuum of Causal Certainty framework, practitioner-facing recommendation tools built from causal model outputs, scenario planners for strategic resource allocation, an AI Readiness Diagnostic, and the Equitable AI Adoption Framework covering eight topic areas. The organization does not sell a software product with public APIs or SDKs; rather, technology is delivered through structured consulting engagements, the free Equitable Outcomes Wallet for undercapitalized organizations, and reusable frameworks such as the AI Journey Map for Philanthropy.

Project Evident operates as a grant-funded nonprofit, with revenue sourced from major philanthropic foundations including Arnold Ventures, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, MacKenzie Scott & Dan Jewett, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Barr Foundation, Bainum Family Foundation, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Overdeck Family Foundation, and William T. Grant Foundation. Consulting services are delivered through three practice areas: Strategic Evidence Planning (SEP), the Equitable Outcomes Wallet (freemium technical assistance for under-resourced organizations led by women and BIPOC), and OutcomesAI (the AI-focused practice). Go-to-market is field-based enterprise consulting via direct partnerships, referrals from funder networks, and intake forms; pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagement is largely grant-funded rather than fee-based.

Name

Project Evident

Legal name

Project Evident

Website

https://projectevident.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Project Evident is a Boston-based nonprofit founded in 2017 that provides evidence-building consulting, AI-enabled causal modeling tools, and strategic planning frameworks to nonprofits, school districts, funders, and policymakers to advance equitable outcomes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Sector Evidence-Building Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) & Reporting for Donor Programs (BPADAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services (BPAEAHAJ), Audit, Explainability & Accountability Tooling (traceability, reporting) (HDAAAKAL), Model Governance, Approval Workflows & Auditability (HDAAABAJ)

Keywords

• Evidence building consulting
• Strategic evidence planning
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Social sector advisory
• Equitable AI adoption

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Philanthropic Funding: Project Evident operates as a nonprofit organization funded by major philanthropic foundations. The organization receives support from Arnold Ventures, Bainum Family Foundation, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Barr Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, MacKenzie Scott & Dan Jewett, Overdeck Family Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and William T. Grant Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Project Evident delivers Strategic Evidence Planning consulting engagements that produce roadmaps for continuous evidence building, paired with an AI-enabled causal modeling platform that analyzes administrative and operational data to identify causal contribution rather than correlation. It supports nonprofits, school districts, funders, and policymakers through dedicated service lines (Nonprofit, Education Agency, Funder, Policymaker) and the free Equitable Outcomes Wallet for undercapitalized organizations. The OutcomesAI practice adds responsible AI adoption services, including the Equitable AI Adoption Framework and AI Journey Map for Philanthropy.

Product overview

Project Evident is a consulting and advisory organization that operates as a platform of interconnected evidence-building services rather than a single software product. The core offerings include Strategic Evidence Planning (SEP) consulting engagements, the Equitable Outcomes Wallet (free technical assistance for undercapitalized organizations), and OutcomesAI (a practice advancing equitable AI adoption in the social sector). Supporting frameworks include the Actionable Evidence Framework and the Equitable AI Adoption Framework. Service lines serve nonprofits, education agencies, funders, and policymakers. Key tools include the AI Journey Map for Philanthropy and AI Readiness Diagnostic. The portfolio is connected through a practitioner-centric philosophy emphasizing that those closest to the work should drive evidence agendas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OutcomesAI: A practice advancing safe and equitable AI in the social and education sectors through technical assistance and developing tools and resources.
• Actionable Evidence Initiative
• Equitable Outcomes Wallet
• Next Generation Evidence Campaign
• Equitable AI Adoption (EAIA)

Products and services

• Strategic Evidence Planning (SEP) A consulting engagement that produces a roadmap with detailed guidance and concrete recommendations for continuous evidence building and program improvement, helping organizations define vision and goals, review context and capacity, and develop implementation roadmaps. For nonprofits, school districts, funders, and policymakers.
• Equitable Outcomes Wallet A free technical assistance program offering curated content, webinars, coaching, diagnostics, and custom engagements around data, evidence, outcomes-based budgeting, and communications, targeted at undercapitalized nonprofit organizations.
• OutcomesAI Practice A consulting practice providing technical assistance to practitioners and funders interested in AI for evidence building, developing tools and frameworks (Equitable AI Adoption Framework, AI Journey Map for Philanthropy), and convening field-building initiatives.
• Education Agency Practice Consulting and cohort-based learning services for state and local education leaders to use data and evidence for continuous improvement in operational, financial, policy, and programmatic decisions. Includes AI governance support at scale (e.g., 634 schools through Chicago Public Schools).
• Nonprofit Consulting Services Partnership services with nonprofits to build and use evidence for improving program practices and equitable outcomes. Includes strategic evidence planning, theory of change development, data governance, measurement frameworks, learning agendas, and AI adoption support.
• Funder Partnership Services Services helping philanthropic funders use evidence to achieve their own goals and better understand and support grantees. Includes Strategic Evidence Planning, implementation support, data analytics, AI investment strategy, and field-building collaboration.
• Policymaker Support Services Technical assistance helping public policymakers strengthen capacity to use evidence for equitable decision making. Includes Strategic Evidence Planning, community engagement strategies, and Evidence and Equity Accelerators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75+ Strategic Evidence Plans completed for partner organizations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered key.

• Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial IntelligencekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on national survey and report regarding current use, interest, and opportunity for AI in the social and education sectors.
• Technology Association of GrantmakerskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop Responsible AI Adoption Framework for philanthropy, a holistic evaluation framework with pragmatic guidance for grantmakers.
• EDSAFE AI AlliancekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Evident is committed to the EDSAFE AI Alliance's SAFE Benchmarks Framework across all AI efforts and organizational work. CEO Kelly Fitzsimmons serves on the Steering Committee.
• TalkingPointskeyTechnology or IntegrationNonprofit AI-powered family engagement platform partnered with Aurora Public Schools on AI tool development documented in Project Evident case study.
• Brookings Institution PresskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher of Next Generation Evidence: Strategies for More Equitable Social Impact, Project Evident's groundbreaking book on evidence building.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mathematica: A nonpartisan research and evaluation firm that conducts MEL, policy analysis, and data analytics for federal agencies, foundations, and nonprofits — closely overlapping Project Evident's evidence-building, MEL, and data analytics offerings, especially with foundation and government clients.
• Child Trends: A nonprofit research organization focused on improving outcomes for children and youth through applied research, evaluation, and data science — directly comparable to Project Evident's evidence-building work in the youth development and education sectors, and a former employer of Project Evident's Director of OutcomesAI Sarah Kelley.
• Center for Effective Philanthropy: A nonprofit that provides research and advisory services to foundations to strengthen their effectiveness — directly comparable to Project Evident's Funder Partnership Services, and a former employer of Project Evident's CIO Sarah Di Troia.
• FSG: A global social impact consulting firm that advises foundations, nonprofits, and companies on strategy, evaluation, and collective impact — directly overlapping Project Evident's strategy consulting and MEL offerings for foundations and nonprofits.
• Abt Associates: A research and consulting firm providing social, economic, and health policy research; evaluation; and technical assistance to governments and foundations — overlapping Project Evident's practitioner-centered evidence and MEL work, with Senior Director Matt Hillard's prior Abt background illustrating direct talent crossover.
• The Bridgespan Group: A leading nonprofit and philanthropy consulting firm that provides strategy, evaluation, and organizational development services to foundations and nonprofits — directly comparable to Project Evident's consulting practice and sharing the same target funder ecosystem. Project Evident's own OutcomesAI Senior Director previously spent 8+ years at Bridgespan.
• MDRC: A nonprofit social policy research and education organization that designs and evaluates programs aimed at improving outcomes for low-income individuals — sharing Project Evident's focus on rigorous evidence (including RCTs), social-sector evaluation, and MEL for funders.

Emerging players

• Results for America: A nonprofit advocacy and field-building organization promoting evidence-based policy and use of data and evidence in government decision-making — overlapping Project Evident's policymaker and 'Invest in What Works' positioning (CEO Kelly Fitzsimmons serves on Results for America's advisory committee per source).
• Digital Promise: A nonprofit that works to shape innovation in education and equity through technology, evidence, and partnerships — closely aligned with Project Evident's OutcomesAI practice and education-sector AI governance work, with documented case-study collaboration on AI-powered recommendation engines.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute: A major economic and social policy research organization providing data, evidence, and analysis to governments and foundations — overlapping Project Evident's evidence-building, MEL, and policy-focused work at a much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/project_evident
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProjectEvident
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/project-evident
• Instagraminstagram.com/projectevident

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Project Evident