Data+Soul Research
Data+Soul Research is a Boston-based research and evaluation consulting firm serving nonprofits, government agencies, and foundations. It offers evaluation, facilitation, and training services supported by proprietary tools including the Story+Data Map and Data Equity Deck.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersGreater Boston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Data+Soul Research does
Data+Soul Research is a Boston-based research and evaluation consulting firm founded in 2016 by Min Ma. Originally operating as MXM Consulting, the firm rebranded to MXM Research Group LLC in March 2021 and adopted its current name Data+Soul in March 2024 to better reflect an equity-centered, human-centered positioning. The firm serves nonprofit organizations, local government agencies, private foundations, and their grantees, with a focus on culturally responsive evaluation (CREE) and assets-framed approaches that re-center community voice over programs. As of 2024 the team had grown to more than ten members, up from five in 2021, including new finance and operations staff added that year.
Core offerings fall into three service lines: Evaluation + Learning Services (external evaluations, sprint evaluations, coalition evaluation using Ripple Effects Mapping, Outcome Harvesting, and Social Network Analysis); Facilitation + Design Services (human-centered workshop facilitation, participatory budgeting design, strategic planning); and Training + Technical Assistance (coaching for nonprofits and grantees, evaluation capacity building). The firm markets two proprietary branded tools: the Story+Data Map, a person-centered planning framework that replaces traditional logic models by uniting theory of change and data on one page; and the Data Equity Deck, a 52-card physical product sold for $25 through the firm's e-commerce store as part of the Data+Soul Studio sub-brand.
The business model is predominantly professional services delivered via direct relationship-based consulting engagements, supplemented by workshop fees, coaching retainers, and modest product sales. GTM combines account-based consulting with conference presence at PEAK Grantmaking, BARI, AEA Summer Institute, and CREA, plus word-of-mouth referrals within the Greater Boston Evaluation Network. Named clients span Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Boston Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, CORE Mental Health, Waltham Partnership for Youth, Jumpstart, Pao Arts Center, and University of Colorado Boulder, with several multi-year relationships dating to 2017.
Data+Soul Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Data+Soul Research
- Legal name
- MXM Research Group LLC
- Website
- https://dataplussoul.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Data+Soul Research is a Boston-based research and evaluation consulting firm serving nonprofits, government agencies, and foundations. It offers evaluation, facilitation, and training services supported by proprietary tools including the Story+Data Map and Data Equity Deck.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Data+Soul Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Sector Research and Evaluation Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)
Keywords
Where Data+Soul Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Greater Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Data+Soul Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Evaluation and Consulting Services: Professional services including external evaluations, collaborative learning partnerships, evaluation technical assistance, and coaching for nonprofits, government agencies, foundations, and their grantees.
- Training and Facilitation: Workshops and training sessions including the signature half-day workshop offered in multiple cities and a longer 6-week virtual cohort and makerspace. Also facilitation services for community sessions and program design.
- Data Equity Deck Sales: Physical product (52-card deck) sold through the Data+Soul Store for $25, designed to inspire reflection on data, evaluation, and equity.
- Data+Soul Studio: Training platform and virtual makerspace for researchers and evaluators to build data + soul into their practice, including workshop series for applied researchers and evaluators.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Data Equity Deck - 52 cards for reflection and conversation on data, evaluation, and equity |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Signature half-day workshop |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Coaching and Technical Assistance |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Data+Soul Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Data+Soul Research is a research and evaluation consulting firm that delivers Evaluation + Learning Services, Facilitation + Design Services, and Training + Technical Assistance to nonprofits, foundations, and local government agencies. The firm applies equity-centered, culturally responsive methodologies, including its proprietary Story+Data Map tool, Ripple Effects Mapping, and Outcome Harvesting, to help social-sector organizations document impact and center community voice. It also sells the Data Equity Deck (a 52-card reflection tool) and runs workshops and virtual cohorts through the Data+Soul Studio.
Product overview
Data+Soul Research is a research and evaluation consulting firm that offers a portfolio of services and products centered on equitable evaluation and data practices. The core offerings include Evaluation + Learning Services, Facilitation + Design Services, and Training + Technical Assistance. The company also markets the Data Equity Deck (a 52-card deck for reflection on data and equity) and the Story+Data Map (a planning tool for program design and evaluation) through its Data+Soul Studio sub-brand. The firm primarily operates as a service-based consultancy rather than a software product company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Data Equity Deck: A deck of 52 cards designed to inspire deep reflection and conversation about data, evaluation, and equity for evaluators and researchers.
- Data+Soul Studio
Products and services
- Evaluation + Learning Services
- Facilitation + Design Services
- Training + Technical Assistance
- Data Equity Deck
- Story+Data Map
- Data+Soul Studio
Quantifiable outcome
- Staff at Pao Arts Center developed ownership of evaluation processes and confidence using data for program improvement and communications
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Data+Soul Research
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Data+Soul Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Data+Soul Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Boston Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA)coreSecond-year partnership to evaluate the Immigrants Lead Boston (ILB) program, learning about impacts of the 2024 cohort on leadership and civic engagement of immigrant leaders. Data+Soul conducted focus groups with alumni, adapting data collection to center alumni joy and connection.
- Pao Arts CentercoreEvaluation technical assistance partnership to build evaluation infrastructure for this AAPI-serving arts and cultural center in Boston's Chinatown. Data+Soul provided structured time for staff to update evaluation practices and build internal capacity for data collection, analysis, and storytelling.
- Center for Resilience and Well-Being at University of Colorado BouldercoreEvaluation partnership where the Center serves as research partner supporting Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence's work to end violence. Used the Story+Data Map to develop an evaluation plan that honors the expertise of all partners.
- Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN)coreCommunity-based organization working to end violence against adults, youth, and children through support, advocacy, education, and community organizing in Boulder, Colorado. Partnering with University of Colorado's Center for evaluation support.
- Healing Together Project / Umbrella, InccoreUsed Story+Data Map to inform strategic planning, evaluation planning, and needs assessment for a project bringing together organizations across Vermont to support families to heal from domestic violence, including work with non-custodial parents.
- Greater Worcester Community FoundationcoreHired to evaluate the ripple effects of a five-year arts and culture grantmaking initiative, understanding impacts on grantees, fellow artists, and the community using Ripple Effects Mapping methodology.
- Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) - Health ServicescoreContracted to conduct three iterative sprint evaluations of a sexual health program for Black and Brown young adults (18-25 years old) in Boston, focusing on mental and sexual health needs, barriers, and program improvement opportunities.
- Waltham Partnership for YouthcoreLong-term partnership since 2017 supporting Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) implementation and analysis. Also commissioned a city-wide transportation equity study centered on youth using community surveys in multiple languages.
- CORE Mental Health (formerly CHNA 17)coreOngoing evaluation partnership since 2017 with a regional coalition working to dismantle racial inequities in mental health. Used Outcome Harvesting and Social Network Analysis to monitor coalition outcomes across six cities/towns near Boston.
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC)coreEvaluating the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative (HNI), examining the extent to which BIDMC created a successful model for community-driven funding across seven community collectives in Boston and Chelsea.
- JumpstartcoreJoint three-month analysis sprint with Jumpstart's evaluation team to analyze program data as they prepared to launch FY26 programming, focusing on key program characteristics that support children served by the early childhood education organization.
- City of BostoncorePartnered with the City of Boston as it launched its inaugural participatory budgeting cycle, conducting evaluation of participatory decision-making processes.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Data+Soul Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Innovation Network: Nonprofit research and consulting organization providing evaluation, learning, and capacity-building services to nonprofits and foundations. Comparable in custom evaluation projects and equity lens.
- Equal Measure: Philadelphia-based evaluation and capacity-building consultancy focused on social sector outcomes and equity. Comparable in delivering evaluation technical assistance to foundations and their grantees.
- Harder+Company Community Research: Bay Area-based evaluation and research firm partnering with nonprofits, foundations, and government on equity-centered program evaluation. Comparable focus on culturally responsive, community-grounded evaluation practice.
- Spark Policy Institute: Evaluation and strategic planning firm specializing in systems change, collective impact, and community-level research. Comparable in serving social sector coalitions and using participatory research methods.
- Informing Change: Research and evaluation firm serving foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies with mixed-methods evaluation, learning, and capacity-building support. Closely comparable in approach, methods, and client base.
- TCC Group: Social sector consulting firm offering strategy, evaluation, and capacity-building services for nonprofits, foundations, and grantees. Directly comparable in custom research, evaluation, and learning-partnership engagements with philanthropic clients.
- Engage R&D (formerly ORS Impact): Evaluation firm focused on strategy and learning for foundations and nonprofits, including outcome harvesting and systems change measurement. Directly comparable in methodology and clientele.
Broad incumbents
- Mathematica: Major policy research and evaluation firm serving federal agencies, foundations, and nonprofits on large-scale social program evaluation. Comparable practice area but at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
- WestEd: Large national nonprofit that conducts research, evaluation, and technical assistance for education, health, and human services. Overlaps with Data+Soul in custom evaluation work but at significantly larger scale across multiple regions.
Emerging players
- Center for Evaluation Innovation: Foundation-focused evaluation intermediary promoting strategic philanthropy assessment and outcomes-based approaches. Partially overlapping with Data+Soul's CREE and theory-of-change orientation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Data+Soul Research social profiles
Digital presenceData+Soul Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Data+Soul Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Data+Soul Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Data+Soul Research 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 Data+Soul Research
What does Data+Soul Research do?
Data+Soul Research is a research and evaluation consulting firm that delivers Evaluation + Learning Services, Facilitation + Design Services, and Training + Technical Assistance to nonprofits, foundations, and local government agencies. The firm applies equity-centered, culturally responsive methodologies, including its proprietary Story+Data Map tool, Ripple Effects Mapping, and Outcome Harvesting, to help social-sector organizations document impact and center community voice. It also sells the Data Equity Deck (a 52-card reflection tool) and runs workshops and virtual cohorts through the Data+Soul Studio.
Is Data+Soul Research a public or private company?
Data+Soul Research is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Data+Soul Research founded?
Data+Soul Research was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Data+Soul Research based?
Data+Soul Research is headquartered in Greater Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Data+Soul Research make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Evaluation and Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are training and Facilitation, data Equity Deck Sales and data+Soul Studio.
Who are Data+Soul Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Innovation Network, Equal Measure, Harder+Company Community Research, Spark Policy Institute, Informing Change, TCC Group and Engage R&D (formerly ORS Impact). Broad incumbents are Mathematica and WestEd. Center for Evaluation Innovation is listed as an emerging player.
Does Data+Soul Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for Data+Soul Research.
What industry is Data+Soul Research in?
Data+Soul Research's product category is Social Sector Research and Evaluation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAE, Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom). Its NAICS code is 541720 and its SIC code is 8742.