EvaluATE

What EvaluATE does

EvaluATE is the designated evaluation hub for the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, operating as a non-profit center based at The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 2008, the organization serves evaluators, ATE project leaders and staff, grant specialists, and college administrators within the ATE program by providing a comprehensive suite of free, open-access resources, including a library of 189+ evaluation resources organized around an ATE Evaluation Tasks Framework, free one-on-one coaching, Community Conversations webchats, open-access webinars, an ATE Evaluator Directory, and the annual ATE Survey (conducted since 2000). The center also produces research on evaluation practices within the ATE community, including studies on evaluation plan trends, evaluator procurement, equity and inclusion measurement, and sentiment analysis.

EvaluATE's underlying technology is a web-based information hub and resource center rather than a proprietary software product. The organization does not develop or sell technology products; instead, it distributes evaluation frameworks, templates, checklists, guides, toolkits, and webinars through its website (evalu-ate.org) and a dedicated ATE Survey portal (atesurvey.evalu-ate.org). All services and resources are provided at no cost to users, with content marketing, community engagement, and direct outreach via email, LinkedIn, and conferences serving as the primary go-to-market channels.

The business model is 100% grant-funded by the NSF, with no commercial revenue streams, no paid pricing tiers, and no private investors. EvaluATE has received cumulative NSF funding of approximately $18.9 million across multiple award cycles spanning 2008 to 2028, including the current 2024-2028 award (NSF Award 2332143) of $6,211,812. The organization operates with a small core team of approximately five listed staff members under Principal Investigator Lyssa Wilson Becho and Co-Principal Investigator Lori Wingate, supported by partnerships with Western Michigan University (host institution), The Rucks Group (external evaluators since 2012), and KMotion (web/graphic design since 2020).

Name

EvaluATE

Legal name

EvaluATE

Website

https://evalu-ate.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EvaluATE is the NSF-designated evaluation hub for the Advanced Technological Education program, providing free open-access resources, coaching, webinars, and the annual ATE Survey to evaluators, project staff, grant specialists, and college administrators from its base at Western Michigan University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Evaluation Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC)

Keywords

• Evaluation support services
• STEM education evaluation
• Evaluation resource center
• Program evaluation tools
• Evaluation professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NSF Grant Funding: EvaluATE is 100% funded by National Science Foundation grants. The organization operates as an NSF-supported center providing free services to the ATE community. Funding periods include 2024-28 ($6,211,812), 2019-23 ($4,973,312), 2016-21 ($1,599,872), and prior grants totaling over $18 million since 2008.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EvaluATE is the evaluation hub for NSF's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, providing evaluation support services and resources to evaluators, project leaders, grant specialists, and college administrators. Its core offerings include a comprehensive Resource Library (189+ evaluation guides, templates, checklists, and toolkits), one-on-one evaluation coaching, Community Conversations (webchats), open-access webinars, the ATE Evaluator Directory, the annual ATE Survey with public data dashboard, and research on ATE evaluation practices. All services are provided free of charge to the ATE community.

Product overview

EvaluATE is a resource and support center (not a software product) that serves as the evaluation hub for NSF's Advanced Technological Education program. It offers a unified portfolio of services including a comprehensive Resource Library (with guides, checklists, templates, toolkits, webinars, videos), ATE Evaluation Coaching (one-on-one support), Community Conversations (peer-learning webchats), open-access Webinars, an ATE Evaluator Directory, the annual ATE Survey (conducted since 2000), and Research on Evaluation studies. These offerings are organized around an ATE Evaluation Tasks Framework covering seven evaluation areas: Management, Engagement, Planning and Design, Data Collection and Analysis, Interpretation, Communication and Dissemination, and Quality Review. All resources are open-access and target evaluators, project leaders, grant specialists, and college administrators working with the ATE program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ATE Survey: Annual survey collecting information about ATE projects' and centers' activities and achievements, conducted since 2000.

Products and services

• Resource Library

Quantifiable outcome

• ATE projects reported direct service to over 70,000 students in 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Rucks GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2012External evaluation team that has worked with EvaluATE since 2012. The Rucks Group conducts outcome-oriented evaluation addressing questions of sustained learning, use, and impact. Team includes Michael FitzGerald (Senior Research and Evaluation Associate), Lana J. Rucks (Principal Consultant), and Spencer Queen (Data Analyst).
• Western Michigan University - The Evaluation CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvaluATE is based at The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. This is the host institution for the project, providing administrative and academic infrastructure support.
• ATE and STEM Education OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvaluATE collaborates with other ATE and STEM education organizations. These partnerships allow the organization to better serve the ATE community through shared resources and coordinated efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Nonprofit research institution conducting education policy research, program evaluation, and survey research for federal agencies. Comparable as a high-credibility evaluation provider that informs federal education program design.
• Abt Associates: Professional services firm conducting research, evaluation, and technical assistance across federal education, workforce, and health programs. Comparable as a major federal contractor performing program evaluation at scale.
• WestEd: Large nonprofit education research and development organization conducting program evaluation, technical assistance, and applied research across K-12, higher education, and workforce development. Comparable because WestEd performs many of the same external evaluation functions EvaluATE supports.
• Mathematica: Independent research and evaluation firm with extensive federal education evaluation contracts (NSF, IES, ED). Performs large-scale program evaluations, surveys, and RCTs — overlapping strongly with EvaluATE's evaluation methodology and survey analytics work.
• Education Development Center (EDC): Global nonprofit addressing education, health, and economic opportunity through research, evaluation, and program design. Comparable as a long-standing provider of NSF/IES-funded STEM education evaluation and capacity-building services.
• SRI International: Nonprofit research organization with an education division conducting program evaluation, STEM education research, and federally funded evaluation studies. Comparable as an evaluator-of-record for major federal STEM education initiatives.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research institution affiliated with the University of Chicago, conducting program evaluation, survey research, and policy analysis for federal agencies. Comparable as a high-credibility academic-affiliated evaluator with federal contract experience.

Others

• The Rucks Group: External evaluation consultancy that has served as EvaluATE's outcome-oriented evaluation partner since 2012. Comparable as a practitioner of the same outcome-based evaluation work EvaluATE's hub is designed to support across the ATE community.
• American Evaluation Association (AEA): Professional membership association for evaluators across all sectors. Comparable as a community-building and professional development organization serving the same evaluator audience as EvaluATE, though as an association rather than a federal hub.

Direct peers

• CADRE (Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education): NSF-funded resource center serving the DRK-12 (Discovery Research K-12) program community. Operates with the same hub-and-spoke model as EvaluATE — providing resource libraries, webinars, and community support to researchers/evaluators funded by a specific NSF program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evalu-ate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about EvaluATE