What James Bell Associates does

James Bell Associates (JBA) is a privately-held evaluation research and consulting firm founded in 1979 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia at 2000 15th Street North. The firm specializes in program evaluation, capacity building, cost analysis, performance improvement, and communications support for federal health and human services (H&HS) agencies, with primary clients including the Children's Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). The firm is structured as a small business with 50+ multidisciplinary staff members and is led by founder James Bell as President.

JBA delivers its work through a portfolio of long-running federal programs including the Tribal Evaluation Institute (TEI, continuous since 2010 with three consecutive contract awards), the Multi-Site Implementation Evaluation of Tribal Home Visiting (MUSE), the Home Visiting Applied Research Collaborative (HARC), the Technical Assistance on Evaluation for Discretionary Grant Programs (continuous since 1999, assisting 350+ grantees), and the National Home Visiting Resource Center (NHVRC). The firm also publishes practitioner toolkits (Cost Evaluation Toolkit, Formative Evaluation Toolkit, Data System Improvement Toolkit, Process Mapping Tool) and produces the annual Home Visiting Yearbook. The underlying capability is methodological—rigorous mixed-methods program evaluation, performance measurement, and community-engaged research—rather than commercial software or technology products.

The business model is sales-led and contract-driven, generating revenue almost exclusively through federal contracts and grants via competitive procurement processes, sole-source follow-on awards, and subcontractor roles with prime contractors such as Johns Hopkins University, ICF, the Urban Institute, ZERO TO THREE, and the Education Development Center. Contract structures are predominantly multi-year (typically 5-year) performance-based and IDIQ awards. The founder retains ownership and operating control, with no disclosed external investment, parent company, or M&A activity.

Name

James Bell Associates

Legal name

James Bell Associates, Inc.

Website

https://jbassoc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

James Bell Associates is a privately-held federal evaluation research firm that conducts program evaluation, capacity building, cost analysis, and performance improvement for U.S. health and human services agencies including the Children's Bureau, ACF, HRSA, CDC, and NIH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research and Evaluation Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Program evaluation services
• Capacity building consulting
• Cost analysis evaluation
• Health human services
• Child welfare research

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

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. Federal Government Contracts: JBA generates revenue primarily through federal government contracts and grants from agencies including the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other federal health and human services agencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

James Bell Associates is a research and evaluation consulting firm that delivers independent program evaluation, capacity building, cost analysis, performance improvement, and communications support to federal health and human services agencies. The firm operates a portfolio of long-running multi-year evaluation and technical assistance projects (such as TEI, MUSE, HARC, and the Title IV-E Waiver Demonstrations) for clients including the Children's Bureau, ACF, HRSA, CDC, ASPE, and NIH, and publishes toolkits and resources that support evidence-based practice in child welfare, tribal evaluation, and home visiting.

Product overview

James Bell Associates is a research and evaluation consulting firm offering a portfolio of specialized programs and toolkits for health and human services evaluation. The core offerings include five fundamental capabilities (Program Evaluation, Capacity Building, Cost Analysis, Performance Improvement, and Communications) that underpin their specialized programs. Major programs include the Tribal Evaluation Institute (TEI), Multi-Site Implementation Evaluation of Tribal Home Visiting (MUSE), Home Visiting Applied Research Collaborative (HARC), and Technical Assistance on Evaluation for Discretionary Grant Programs. They also produce practical toolkits including the Cost Evaluation Toolkit, Formative Evaluation Toolkit, Data System Improvement Toolkit, and Process Mapping Tool. The firm publishes the annual Home Visiting Yearbooks and maintains the National Home Visiting Resource Center. Their work focuses on child welfare, child and family development, tribal evaluation, and healthcare, serving federal agencies including the Children's Bureau, HRSA, ACF, and CDC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tribal Evaluation Institute (TEI) Provides tribal grantees with technical assistance promoting rigorous performance measurement, data management, continuous quality improvement, evaluation, and dissemination activities; serves Tribal MIECHV recipients.
• Tribal Home Visiting Evaluation Institute 3 (TEI 3) 5-year contract supporting Tribal MIECHV grantees in conducting rigorous performance measurement, continuous quality improvement, data management and reporting, and evaluation activities.
• Multi-Site Implementation Evaluation of Tribal Home Visiting (MUSE) First multi-site, multi-model evaluation of home visiting in tribal communities using a community-engaged approach with extensive stakeholder input.
• Tribal Home Visiting Resource Institute for Excellence (THRIVE)
• Home Visiting Applied Research Collaborative (HARC) Practice-based research network dedicated to supporting improved outcomes for children and families through home visiting research, advancing innovative methods and precision home visiting.
• Technical Assistance on Evaluation for Discretionary Grant Programs Provides evaluation technical assistance to Children's Bureau discretionary grantees across 55 priority areas including community collaborations, trafficking response, and evidence-based practices.
• Evaluation Technical Assistance for Title IV-E Waiver Demonstrations Provided evaluation technical assistance to over 30 state child welfare agencies and one tribal agency for waiver demonstration projects from 1998-2019.
• Cross-Center Evaluation of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative 5-year evaluation examining technical assistance services provided by Capacity Building Centers for States, Tribes, and Courts to help child welfare systems improve outcomes.
• National Home Visiting Resource Center (NHVRC) Resource center providing information on home visiting's benefits, cultural adaptations for tribal communities, and research gaps.
• MIECHV Technical Assistance Resource Center Technical assistance resource center supporting Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program awardees.
• Infant-Toddler Court Program Evaluation National evaluation of infant-toddler court programs helping implement performance measures for child welfare courts and judges.
• HealthySteps Outcome Pilot Project Evaluation of evidence-based interdisciplinary pediatric primary care program promoting nurturing parenting and healthy early childhood development.
• Trauma-Informed Approaches Project bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to share research and identify opportunities for addressing adverse childhood experiences through trauma-informed approaches.
• Prenatal Alcohol and Other Drug Exposures in Child Welfare Multi-phase study examining tribal child welfare policies and practices related to identifying, assessing, and caring for children and families affected by prenatal substance exposure.
• Research-Tested Intervention Programs (RTIPs) Searchable database of evidence-based cancer control programs administered by National Cancer Institute for program planners.
• Home Visiting Yearbooks Annual publications (2017-2025) providing comprehensive landscape of home visiting programs and evidence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 48 grants to 29 tribal communities through Tribal Evaluation Institute
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• TellengercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2019Subcontractor on the 5-year Tribal Home Visiting Evaluation Institute 3 (TEI 3) contract awarded by ACF to provide targeted technical assistance to Tribal MIECHV grantees.
• Michigan Public Health InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2019Subcontractor on TEI 3 project providing public health expertise and support for tribal home visiting evaluation activities.
• Face-to-Face Integrated TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2019Subcontractor on TEI 3 project contributing technology and integration capabilities for data management and reporting.
• Education Development Center (EDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Trauma-Informed Approaches project to connect research, policy, and practice to build resilience in children and families, funded by ASPE.
• ZERO TO THREEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner leading THRIVE (Tribal Home Visiting Resource Institute for Excellence) providing culturally responsive technical assistance to Tribal MIECHV recipients.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead coordinator of Home Visiting Applied Research Collaborative (HARC), with JBA providing research and evaluation support.
• Child TrendscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in HARC collaborative providing research and evaluation expertise in home visiting programs.
• Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, University of ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on MUSE (Multi-Site Implementation Evaluation of Tribal Home Visiting) project providing tribal community engagement expertise.
• ICFmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSubcontractor partner on prenatal alcohol and drug exposure projects providing additional research and evaluation capacity.
• Urban InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in National Home Visiting Resource Center (NHVRC) providing data and research coordination for home visiting landscape analysis.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mathematica Policy Research: Mathematica is a nonpartisan research organization that conducts rigorous program evaluation, technical assistance, and policy research for federal agencies, mirroring JBA's federal evaluation model and customer base across HHS, ACF, and related agencies.
• MDRC: MDRC is a social policy research nonprofit that designs and evaluates programs for low-income populations, including federal evidence-building initiatives overlapping with JBA's child welfare and family services evaluation portfolio.
• Education Development Center (EDC): EDC is a global nonprofit addressing education, health, and economic opportunity through research, evaluation, and TA; JBA partners with EDC on federal Trauma-Informed Approaches work and shares a similar federal health/human services clientele.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: NORC is an independent research organization delivering rigorous social science research, program evaluation, and data collection for government and nonprofit clients, with similar federal health and human services contracts to JBA.
• Westat: Westat is an employee-owned research firm providing statistical research, evaluation, survey, and technical assistance services to U.S. federal agencies — directly comparable to JBA's federal evaluation and TA business model.
• Urban Institute: Urban Institute is a DC-based economic and social policy research organization that conducts federal program evaluations; JBA's founder James Bell is a former Urban Institute Senior Member and JBA partners with Urban Institute on the National Home Visiting Resource Center.
• Child Trends: Child Trends is a nonprofit research organization focused on improving the lives of children and families through rigorous research; it partners with JBA in HARC and serves the same federal client base in child welfare and home visiting evaluation.

Broad incumbents

• RTI International: RTI International is a major independent research institute offering social and statistical sciences, evaluation, and survey research for federal clients across HHS, ACF, and CDC — competing with JBA for federal evaluation work at substantially greater scale.
• Abt Associates: Abt Associates is a large global research and consulting firm with deep federal health and human services evaluation work — a much larger incumbent competing for the same federal evaluation contracts and IDIQ vehicles.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): AIR is a large behavioral and social science research organization conducting federal program evaluations, technical assistance, and capacity building — a broad incumbent competing for the same federal evaluation vehicles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jba_news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@jamesbellassociates
• Facebookfacebook.com/JBANews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/james-bell-associates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about James Bell Associates