Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab

Name

Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab

Legal name

Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab

Website

https://coloradolab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Evaluation Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHALAJ

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

Keywords

• Evidence-based decision making
• Program evaluation services
• Policy research consulting
• Data integration collaborative
• Government research partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: Primary funding from government partnerships including state agencies, the Colorado Department of Human Services, Colorado Department of Early Childhood, and other state departments. Operates through a Cooperative Purchasing Agreement allowing governmental entities to contract for research and evaluation services.
2. Private Philanthropy: Seed funding from private philanthropy when the organization launched in 2017. Ongoing partnerships with philanthropic funders including foundations that support evidence-building initiatives.
3. Early Educator Investment Collaborative Grant: The Colorado Department of Early Childhood received a $3.85 million grant from the Early Educator Investment Collaborative to catalyze change in ECE workforce compensation, with Colorado Lab overseeing evidence-building work.
4. Federal Funding Administration: Manages federal stimulus funding evaluations, including over $700 million in federal and state stimulus funding for early childhood programs administered by CDEC.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab provides research, evaluation, strategic consultation, and data integration services to Colorado government and community partners. It brokers connections between government agencies and external researchers, runs evidence-building hubs in early childhood, workforce, and child welfare, and operates the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC) to securely connect administrative data across state systems. Its work is directed at producing actionable evidence for policy, budget, and program decisions.

Product overview

Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab operates as a research and evaluation organization offering a portfolio of evidence-building services through its core products and evidence-building hubs. The main offerings include the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC), a data integration collaborative that securely connects administrative data across state systems, and the Evidence-Building Hubs framework that coordinates evaluation investments on behalf of state and philanthropic sponsors. Supporting products include the Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) Framework with associated tools and resources, and specialized evidence-building hubs for early childhood (stimulus evaluation, workforce, universal preschool), workforce development, and Family First prevention services. The organization also provides legislative EBDM tools, dashboards, and facilitates the Colorado Partners in Evaluation (CO-PIE) community of practice. These products work together to support government and community partners in using data to drive policy and practice decisions across Colorado.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC): A data integration collaborative based out of the Governor's Office of Information Technology that supports timely and cost-efficient research, evaluation, and analytics.
• Early Childhood Stimulus Evaluation Hub
• Early Childhood Workforce Evidence-Building Hub
• Family First Evidence-Building Hub
• Universal Preschool Evidence-Building Hub
• Workforce Development Evidence-Building Hub

Products and services

• Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC) A data integration collaborative housed in the Governor's Office of Information Technology that securely connects and protects administrative data from multiple state systems to support research, evaluation, and analytics for Colorado government and community partners.
• Evidence-Building Hubs A portfolio approach that coordinates evaluation investments toward a shared vision on behalf of sponsors (typically state government or philanthropy organizations), creating efficiencies by reducing administrative burden, improving alignment among multiple actors, and producing high-quality synthesized evidence.
• Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) Framework A framework with four strategic goals (shared understanding of EBDM, supporting the state budgeting process, supporting the legislative process, and guidance for funders) that represents the intersection of best available research evidence, decision-maker expertise, and community needs.
• Universal Preschool Evidence-Building Hub An evidence-building hub overseeing all evidence-informed design and evaluation work of Colorado's Universal Preschool Program on behalf of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.
• Family First Evidence-Building Hub A hub coordinating rigorous evaluation of programs and services within Colorado's Family First prevention strategy, supporting evidence-based services for children, youth, and families under the Colorado Department of Human Services.
• Workforce Development Evidence-Building Hub A hub funded by governmental and philanthropic partners supporting data-driven insights and transformative change for Colorado's workforce, partnering with the Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative, Colorado WORC, Opportunity Now, and WorkRise at the Urban Institute.
• Early Childhood Stimulus Evaluation Hub A time-limited hub coordinating and overseeing high-quality evaluations of nearly 20 stimulus-funded strategies on behalf of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.
• Early Childhood Workforce Evidence-Building Hub An evidence-building hub overseeing Work on behalf of a $3.85 million grant from the Early Educator Investment Collaborative, supporting planning and implementation of compensation increases for early care and education professionals in Colorado.
• Family First Fidelity Monitoring Dashboard A statewide dashboard enabling State Program Intermediaries to upload quarterly data on provider adherence to evidence-based programs, standardized into a three-point scale, used by the Colorado Department of Human Services to track fidelity to evidence-based models.
• Colorado WORC Dashboard A dashboard tracking the effectiveness of Colorado career training programs, using data from the Linked Information Network of Colorado (LINC) to access Colorado Department of Labor and Employment data and provide insights on workforce development program outcomes.
• Colorado Prosecutorial Dashboards Public-facing dashboards released for 8 judicial districts to promote transparent, data-driven prosecutorial practices and provide prosecutorial metrics across Colorado's justice system.
• Legislative EBDM Tools Tools for legislators including the SMART Act Hearing Cue Card, Legislative Hearing Cue Card, Program Evaluation guidance for bill drafting, and State-Funded Grant Programs guidance to support evidence-based decision making during legislative processes.
• EBDM Tools and Resources Resources supporting evidence-based decision making including the EBDM Glossary, Vision and Strategy documents, Introduction to EBDM slide deck, Theory of Change slide deck, and tools for supporting the state budgeting and legislative processes.
• Colorado Partners in Evaluation (CO-PIE) A community of practice established in partnership with Philanthropy Colorado and ResultsLab to support collaboration among funders and grantees in using data for learning, creating a psychologically safe space for trust and joint learning among philanthropic and nonprofit partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served all three branches of Colorado government, 10 state agencies, and 37 local agencies in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Colorado Partners in Evaluation (CO-PIE)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Cross-system community of practice established in partnership with Philanthropy Colorado and ResultsLab. Supports collaboration to enhance how funders and grantees use data for learning. Includes philanthropy members (Women's Foundation of Colorado, The Colorado Trust, Caring for Denver Foundation, Gates Family Foundation) and nonprofit members.
• Colorado Department of Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner for Family First Evidence-Building Hub and multiple evaluation projects. Colorado Lab provides strategic guidance to meet evidence requirements for Family First and ensures strategic investments in evidence building for programs and services for children, youth, and families.
• Colorado Department of Early ChildhoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Early Childhood Stimulus Evaluation Hub, Universal Preschool Evidence-Building Hub, and Early Childhood Workforce Evidence-Building Hub. CDEC received over $700 million in federal and state stimulus funding, with Colorado Lab coordinating evaluations of nearly 20 stimulus-funded strategies.
• Colorado Governor's Office of Information TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLINC (Linked Information Network of Colorado) is a data integration collaborative based out of the Governor's Office of Information Technology that supports timely and cost-efficient research, evaluation, and analytics. Partnership enables secure data connection across state systems.
• Colorado General AssemblycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports legislative process through EBDM training, SMART Act hearings preparation, bill drafting guidance, and cue cards for legislators. Goal 3 of EBDM strategy focuses on equipping General Assembly members with tools to employ evidence-based decision making.
• MDRCmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal research partner conducting Child First randomized controlled trial as part of Family First Evidence-Building Hub. MDRC conducts studies of programs and policies that affect people with low incomes.
• University of Colorado - Kempe CentermajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal research partner for Telehealth-Enhanced Multisystemic Therapy (TE-MST) evaluation. Dr. Suzanne Kerns leads evaluation through Rocky Mountain MST Network located at the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect.
• University of Denver Graduate School of Social WorkmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDr. Heather Taussig serves as Principal Investigator for Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF-P and FHF-T) evaluations. Dr. Taussig directs the FHF program, an evidence-based mentoring program developed with NIH funding.
• Colorado State University Social Work Research CentermajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal research partner selected to evaluate Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) through randomized controlled trial. Partnered with Human Services Research Institute on previous RCT that yielded promising Clearinghouse rating.
• OMNI InstitutemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal research partner selected to evaluate Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). OMNI conducted mixed-methods process and outcome evaluation of SBIRT Colorado from 2006 to 2016 resulting in numerous peer-reviewed publications.
• Center for Policy ResearchmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal research partner selected to conduct school-based, cluster randomized controlled trial for Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) evaluation. CPR conducts rigorous evaluations of child welfare, homeless youth, and workforce initiatives.
• University of DenvercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab is housed at the University of Denver. Provides institutional support and academic partnership for research activities.
• Philanthropy ColoradomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in establishing Colorado Partners in Evaluation (CO-PIE) community of practice. Founding partner in initiative to adopt community of practice approach to enhance funder capacity for data-driven learning.
• ResultsLabmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner in CO-PIE initiative. Collaborates with Colorado Lab and Philanthropy Colorado on community of practice for evidence-based decision making in philanthropy.
• Workforce Development Evidence-Building Hub PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative (CEEMI), Colorado Wage Outcomes Result Coalition (Colorado WORC), Opportunity Now, and WorkRise at the Urban Institute. Supports data-driven insights for workforce development.
• WorkRise at the Urban InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Workforce Development Evidence-Building Hub and funder of Cash for Coloradans program providing direct cash support to career-readiness program participants.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Results for America: National nonprofit advancing evidence-based decision making in government, with whom the Colorado Lab has worked and been recognized by. Operates a closely aligned mission of building state and federal EBDM capacity, including data use, evaluation, and outcome measurement.
• Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP): University of Pennsylvania initiative that helps state and local governments responsibly integrate and use administrative data for research and policy — Colorado Lab Deputy Executive Director Dr. Whitney LeBoeuf previously helped launch AISP. The most direct functional peer on data integration infrastructure.
• MDRC: Social policy research organization conducting rigorous evaluations of programs affecting low-income populations; an external research partner of the Colorado Lab running the Child First randomized controlled trial. Operates a comparable mix of evaluation, RCT design, and government-partnered research.

Broad incumbents

• Mathematica: Large national policy research and evaluation firm serving federal, state, and philanthropic clients with program evaluation, survey research, and data analytics. Comparable in offering portfolio but with a much broader geographic and topical footprint than the Colorado Lab.
• Urban Institute: Major social and economic policy research organization whose WorkRise initiative is a partner in the Colorado Lab's Workforce Development Evidence-Building Hub. Overlapping mission on data-driven policy and a national scope that contrasts with the Colorado Lab's state-bounded remit.
• RAND Corporation: Large, broad-scope policy research organization that conducts program evaluation, applied research, and policy analysis for government and philanthropy. Overlaps with the Colorado Lab on evaluation services and EBDM frameworks, but operates at vastly greater scale and topic breadth.

Emerging players

• Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago: Research center focused on children, youth, and families, producing policy research and evaluation closely aligned with several Colorado Lab evidence-building hubs (Family First, Early Childhood). Comparable in topical specialization but operates nationally and at a larger scale.
• WestEd: Nonprofit education research, development, and service organization working with state agencies and school districts. Comparable on the education-focused portion of the Colorado Lab's portfolio (Universal Preschool hub) and on its government-contracting model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coloradolab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab