Institute for Evidence Based Change
The Institute for Evidence-Based Change is a California-based nonprofit that coaches community colleges and universities to implement Caring Campus, a behavioral-commitment methodology intended to increase student connectedness, retention, and graduation rates across 130+ partner institutions in 24 U.S. states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLong Beach, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Institute for Evidence Based Change does
The Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) is a California-based nonprofit organization founded in 2010 that helps U.S. higher education institutions improve student retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes through two service lines: the Caring Campus coaching methodology and a Data Use advisory practice. Caring Campus is a structured coaching framework in which IEBC coaches work directly with college leadership, faculty, and professional staff to implement explicit behavioral commitments (e.g., learning student names, conducting "Moments that Matter" meetings, frequent assessment, situational fairness) intended to increase student connectedness. The methodology is delivered via direct enterprise engagements with community colleges and universities (currently 130+ institutions across 24 states), supplemented by a Caring Campus Academy training program (Zoom-based, priced $250–$599 per participant), a Caring Campus Network membership with tiered certification (Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold), the annual Caring Campus Conference (inaugurated November 2025 in San Diego), and a library of research reports and toolkits validated by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University.
Underlying "technology" is the coaching methodology itself — there is no proprietary software platform — and go-to-market is enterprise field sales supplemented by foundation grant funding. IEBC's customer base is almost entirely community colleges, with Texas A&M University-Kingsville as the first four-year university adopter in 2024. Revenue is generated through grant-funded coaching engagements (ECMC Foundation, College Futures Foundation, Lumina, Gates, Hewlett, Irvine, Trellis, Greater Texas, Ascendium and others), per-participant training fees, network membership dues, and conference registration. Distribution is augmented by a funded partnership with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office that has onboarded 62 California colleges into the program. The organization operates from Long Beach, California, with a distributed national team of approximately 19+ coaches and staff, most of whom are former community college presidents, vice presidents, and provosts lending practitioner credibility to the engagement model.
In July 2026, founder Dr. Brad C. Phillips transitioned to President/CEO Emeritus, with Ken Sherwood elevated to CEO and Dr. Bola King-Rushing to President, formalizing a leadership succession that coincides with active geographic expansion (rural community colleges via ECMC, Texas via Trellis), product extension (Network membership, Academy, inaugural conference), and vertical expansion (university segment, national Lumina-funded impact study).
Institute for Evidence Based Change firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Institute for Evidence Based Change
- Legal name
- Institute for Evidence-Based Change
- Website
- https://iebcnow.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Institute for Evidence-Based Change is a California-based nonprofit that coaches community colleges and universities to implement Caring Campus, a behavioral-commitment methodology intended to increase student connectedness, retention, and graduation rates across 130+ partner institutions in 24 U.S. states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Institute for Evidence Based Change is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Institute for Evidence Based Change business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Coaching Engagements: IEBC provides coaching services to colleges implementing Caring Campus. The coaching model includes structured sessions for faculty and professional staff, with coaches assigned to work directly with campus leadership and implementation teams.
- Caring Campus Network Membership: Annual membership program offering certification, resource database access, virtual roundtables, consultations, newsletter, and discounts on conference attendance and training. Free membership offered to current Caring Campus institutions for 2024.
- Caring Campus Academy Training: Training sessions for faculty, staff, and administrators delivered via Zoom. Pricing ranges from $250-$450 per individual participant for CCN members and $399-$599 for non-members, with discounts for groups of 10 or more.
- Conference Revenue: Annual Caring Campus Conference generates revenue through attendee registration fees. Conference tickets are available with membership discounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Caring Campus Academy - CCN Member Pricing |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Caring Campus Academy - Non-Member Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Training Session Structure |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Institute for Evidence Based Change product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IEBC provides coaching-based services to community colleges, universities, and K-12 systems through its Caring Campus initiative, in which trained coaches work with faculty and professional staff to implement campus-wide behavioral commitments that increase student connectedness and improve retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes. The organization also offers the Data Use program, helping institutions translate institutional data into actionable decisions, alongside paid training (Caring Campus Academy), a network membership (Caring Campus Network), and an annual national conference.
Product overview
IEBC offers two primary program areas: Caring Campus and Data Use. Caring Campus is a coaching-based initiative that helps colleges and universities create campus-wide cultures of care to improve student connectedness and success. It includes distinct programs for Faculty and Staff, the Caring Campus Academy (training), the Caring Campus Network (membership with resources), and the annual Caring Campus Conference. The Data Use program helps institutions make sense of data and turn it into actionable information for student success decisions. IEBC also publishes research reports and provides workshops/webinars. The organization partners with colleges nationwide through coaching, consultation, and professional development services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Caring Campus A coaching-based initiative in which IEBC coaches college faculty and professional staff to implement intentional, campus-wide behavioral commitments that increase student engagement and connectedness, leading to improvements in retention, persistence, and success for all students. Sold as an institutional coaching engagement to community colleges, universities, and K-12 systems.
- Caring Campus Academy Online training program delivered via Zoom that ensures all faculty, staff, and administrators understand the importance of fostering belonging and the specific Caring Campus behavioral commitments. Training runs 2-5 sessions over one semester depending on role. Pricing is $250-$450 per individual for CCN members and $399-$599 for non-members, with group discounts for 10+ participants.
- Caring Campus Network Annual membership program that connects Caring Campus colleges and universities to share resources, access a searchable database, attend virtual roundtables, receive tiered certifications (Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold), and learn from peer institutions to support institutionalization and sustainability. Free membership offered to current Caring Campus institutions and to new institutions completing implementation coaching.
- Caring Campus Conference Annual national conference bringing together faculty, staff, administrators, and researchers to learn about and celebrate student success through belonging and culture of care. Registration fees apply with CCN member discounts; the conference serves as a major customer acquisition and retention event.
- Data Use Services that help people and organizations make sense of data and turn it into useful, usable, and actionable information for making decisions that lead to student success for all. Sold to educational institutions including K-12 systems, colleges, and universities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20% improvement in course success at some participating colleges
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Institute for Evidence Based Change
Customer profileNamed customers33 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Institute for Evidence Based Change technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Institute for Evidence Based Change partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- California Community Colleges Chancellor's OfficecoreState agency funding and expanding Caring Campus partnership across California. 62 California colleges involved through this partnership.
- Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia UniversitycoreCCRC conducts ongoing research on Caring Campus implementation and impact, producing multiple reports validating the initiative's effectiveness.
- Campaign for College OpportunityminorCalifornia-based organization focused on college access and success.
- EdInsights CenterminorEducation research and consulting organization.
- California Academic Partnership ProgramminorCalifornia initiative supporting academic partnerships.
- Education SectorminorEducation research organization.
- Coachella Valley Economic PartnershipminorRegional economic development partnership.
- Hawaii Department of EducationminorState education agency in Hawaii.
- University of Hawaii SystemminorState university system in Hawaii.
- San Bernardino County Office of EducationminorCounty education office in California.
- Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa Regional Occupational ProgramminorRegional vocational education program in California.
- Los Angeles County Chief Executive OfficeminorCounty government office in California.
- California Community College Athletic AssociationminorAthletic association for California community colleges.
- Achieving the DreamcoreNational reform network for community colleges. IEBC coaches serve as Achieving the Dream Leadership Coaches. Collaboration on data coaching and student success initiatives.
- Aspen InstituteminorThe Aspen Institute's recognition that 'A culture of caring has become a hallmark of excellent community colleges' validates the Caring Campus approach.
- Dana Center at University of Texas at AustinminorIEBC coaches work with the Dana Center on math pathways initiatives.
- Mance CreativeminorWebsite design vendor for iebcnow.org.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Institute for Evidence Based Change competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WestEd: Nonprofit education research, development, and service agency. Former IEBC COO Jordan Horowitz worked at WestEd as a senior project director. Operates in overlapping community college improvement and student success consulting spaces.
- Achieving the Dream: National nonprofit reform network serving community colleges with leadership coaching, data use, and student success initiatives. Highly comparable to IEBC — IEBC coaches serve as Achieving the Dream Leadership Coaches, and the two organizations partner on data coaching and student success work.
- Aspen Institute College Excellence Program: Program that recognizes and supports community colleges achieving excellence, citing 'a culture of caring' as a hallmark. Operates in the same community college reform ecosystem and frequently references IEBC's Caring Campus as a leading practice.
- Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit focused on community college transformation, workforce preparation, and equity — overlapping with IEBC on student success and postsecondary reform with comparable funder base (Lumina, Gates, ECMC).
- National Center for Inquiry & Improvement: Nonprofit focused on community college student success, Guided Pathways, and equity reforms — overlapping strongly with IEBC's Caring Campus and Data Use offerings.
- MDRC: Education and social policy research organization that conducts rigorous evaluations of community college interventions. Comparable to IEBC as both operate in the community college student success evidence-building space with shared funder relationships.
- Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University: Research center at Teachers College, Columbia University that conducts the independent research validating Caring Campus. Operates in the same community college student success space with overlapping concerns around equity, retention, and guided pathways.
- Charles A. Dana Center at UT Austin: Education research and development center focused on math pathways and community college improvement. IEBC coaches work with the Dana Center on math pathways — strong overlap in community college reform methodology.
- Texas Success Center: Texas-based community college reform initiative supporting Texas Pathways. Multiple IEBC coaches (Jo-Carol Fabianke, Martha Ellis, Linda Watkins) work directly with the Texas Success Center, reflecting close operational overlap.
Emerging players
- Civitas Learning: Education analytics platform helping colleges improve student retention and success through data-driven insights. A technology-enabled alternative to IEBC's coaching approach in the same student success outcome category.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Institute for Evidence Based Change social profiles
Digital presenceInstitute for Evidence Based Change financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Institute for Evidence Based Change leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Institute for Evidence Based Change funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Institute for Evidence Based Change 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 Institute for Evidence Based Change
What does Institute for Evidence Based Change do?
IEBC provides coaching-based services to community colleges, universities, and K-12 systems through its Caring Campus initiative, in which trained coaches work with faculty and professional staff to implement campus-wide behavioral commitments that increase student connectedness and improve retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes. The organization also offers the Data Use program, helping institutions translate institutional data into actionable decisions, alongside paid training (Caring Campus Academy), a network membership (Caring Campus Network), and an annual national conference.
Is Institute for Evidence Based Change a public or private company?
Institute for Evidence Based Change is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Institute for Evidence Based Change founded?
Institute for Evidence Based Change was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Institute for Evidence Based Change based?
Institute for Evidence Based Change is headquartered in Long Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Institute for Evidence Based Change make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Coaching Engagements are the primary driver. The others are caring Campus Network Membership, caring Campus Academy Training and conference Revenue.
Who are Institute for Evidence Based Change's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WestEd, Achieving the Dream, Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, Jobs for the Future (JFF), National Center for Inquiry & Improvement, MDRC, Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University, Charles A. Dana Center at UT Austin and Texas Success Center. Civitas Learning is listed as an emerging player.
Does Institute for Evidence Based Change have an API?
No public API is recorded for Institute for Evidence Based Change.