Inform Evaluation & Research

What Inform Evaluation & Research does

Inform Evaluation & Research is a private, Wilton, New Hampshire-headquartered professional services firm founded in 2019 that delivers program evaluation, visitor studies, and educational research to STEM and conservation education institutions across the United States and Canada. The firm is co-led by Joy Kubarek, Ph.D. (former Shedd Aquarium evaluation department founder) and Brian Johnson, Ph.D. (former Wildlife Conservation Society Director of Educational Research and Evaluation) and operates with a distributed team of five-plus Ph.D.-level researchers. Core service lines comprise outcomes-based evaluation design, evaluation capacity building (workshops, coaching, training), visitor studies and audience research (including needs assessments and front-end evaluations), education research, and technical support for logic model development, instrument development, data analysis, and proposal writing.

The business generates revenue primarily through bespoke, quote-based consulting engagements — multi-year evaluation studies, capacity-building workshops, and training — supplemented by a self-paced online course, "Evaluation in Informal Science Settings," delivered via Thinkific at an introductory price of $525 USD (rising to $688 USD after fall 2026) with a 20% group discount for two or more participants. Named institutional clients include NASA's Universe of Learning, Houston Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, National Audubon Society, Montclair State University, Tennessee Aquarium, and Wonder Works Children's Museum, with multi-year anchor engagements (e.g., Montclair State external evaluator role since 2019 across NSF and USDA programs; evaluation capacity building with 40-plus San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance education staff).

Go-to-market is sales-led through direct client relationships, professional referrals, and thought leadership — peer-reviewed publications in MDPI and Springer journals, conference presentations at AZA, American Alliance of Museums, Visitor Studies Association, and NAAEE, plus committee participation on AZA's Social Science Research and Evaluation Scientific Advisory Group. The firm maintains a lightweight collaborator network (Spotlight Impact for data visualization; Woodland Park Zoo and Baltimore Museum of Industry for inclusion and audience research) that extends delivery capacity without proportionate full-time hiring. There are no external investors, no M&A activity, and no AI/ML product surface disclosed in the available data.

Name

Inform Evaluation & Research

Legal name

Inform Evaluation and Research

Website

https://informeval.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Inform Evaluation & Research is a US professional services firm founded in 2019 that delivers program evaluation, visitor studies, and educational research for STEM and conservation education institutions such as zoos, aquariums, science centers, museums, and schools across the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research and Program Evaluation Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research, Evaluation & Program Effectiveness Reporting (EDADAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Institutional Effectiveness & Continuous Improvement Reviews (EDADAGAD), Assessment & Item Writing / Test Content Development (EDAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Program evaluation services
• Visitor studies research
• Evaluation capacity building
• Informal science education
• Outcomes-based evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Remote (New England, Pacific Northwest, Southeast, Southwest)

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Evaluation and Research Services: Professional consulting services for program evaluation, visitor studies, and educational research. Multi-year evaluation and research studies as well as evaluation capacity building and training engagements with STEM and conservation education institutions.
2. Online Evaluation Course: Self-paced online course 'Evaluation in Informal Science Settings' with over 9 hours of video instruction, practical exercises, live sessions, and reference materials. Currently offered at $525 USD (introductory price, increasing to $688 after fall 2026). Group discounts of 20% available for 2+ participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Inform Evaluation & Research is a professional services firm that conducts program evaluation, visitor studies, and educational research for STEM and conservation education institutions. Core offerings include outcomes-based evaluation design, evaluation capacity building (training and coaching), visitor studies and audience research, education research collaborations, and technical support such as logic model and instrument development. The firm also sells a self-paced online course, "Evaluation in Informal Science Settings," for informal science education professionals.

Product overview

Inform Evaluation & Research is a consulting firm offering a portfolio of evaluation and research services rather than a unified software platform. The core offerings include outcomes-based evaluation, evaluation capacity building, visitor studies and audience research, education research, and technical support. The company also offers one formal educational product: the 'Evaluation in Informal Science Settings' online course, which is a self-paced training program. All services are tailored for STEM and conservation education institutions including zoos, aquariums, museums, and schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evaluation in Informal Science Settings A self-paced online course for informal science education professionals that builds evaluation competencies, covering evaluation fundamentals, logic models, data collection methods, data analysis, and communicating results; includes over 9 hours of video instruction, practical exercises, live sessions, and reference materials.
• Outcomes-Based Evaluation Design and implementation of evaluations focused on understanding what audiences learn from programs and exhibits, and determining whether intended outcomes are being met; delivered to zoos, aquariums, museums, and other STEM and conservation education institutions.
• Evaluation Capacity Building Teaching and coaching services that help organizations develop evaluation knowledge, skills, and a positive evaluation culture through workshops, coaching sessions, and training programs.
• Visitor Studies and Audience Research Audience research services including needs assessments and front-end evaluations that surface visitor needs, interests, motivations, and characteristics to inform program and exhibit design decisions.
• Education Research Research collaborations with academic institutions and social scientists to uncover new insights in education theory and practice, including consulting on grant-funded studies.
• Technical Support Additional capacity and expertise support for tasks including logic model development, instrument development, data analysis, and proposal writing for evaluation projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformed evaluation culture across client organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Spotlight Impact (Nick Visscher)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNick Visscher, Principal Owner of Spotlight Impact Data Design in Seattle, WA, collaborates with Inform team on data visualization, report, and presentation design for client projects. Brings nearly 20 years of interdisciplinary experience in cultural organizations.
• Woodland Park Zoo (Stephanie Bohr)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephanie Bohr, Director of Learning Programs & Partnerships at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, collaborates with Inform on trainings and dialogue to advance the field's conversations and practices for meaningful inclusion in programming and evaluation.
• Baltimore Museum of Industry (Beth Maloney)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeth Maloney, Director of Curatorial Affairs at Baltimore Museum of Industry, collaborates with Inform on projects that strengthen audience-centered decision-making. Brings 25 years of experience in exhibition development and evaluation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Institute for Learning Innovation: Research organization focused on lifelong, informal, and free-choice learning. Comparable in advancing evaluation practice and research for science centers, museums, and informal learning institutions.
• Knology: Social science research firm specializing in studies of informal science learning environments. Comparable in producing peer-reviewed research and evaluation for zoos, museums, and science engagement programs.
• Randi Korn & Associates: Long-established visitor studies and program evaluation firm focused on museums, zoos, aquariums, and historic sites. Directly comparable in service mix, client base, and domain specialization in informal learning evaluation.
• People, Places & Things Research: Evaluation and audience research firm serving museums, zoos, and cultural institutions. Directly comparable in offering visitor studies, front-end and formative evaluation, and exhibit/program research.
• Kalliopeia Consulting: Evaluation consulting practice serving cultural and educational institutions including museums, aquariums, and nature-based organizations. Comparable niche focus on informal learning evaluation and capacity building.

Broad incumbents

• Mathematica: Nonpartisan research organization with extensive education and program evaluation practice. Comparable in producing rigorous evaluation deliverables for federally funded programs including STEM education.
• Westat: Large research and evaluation firm with deep practice in education, museum, and informal learning evaluation. Often competes for the same federal RFPs (NSF, IMLS) but offers broader methodological capability and staffing capacity.
• RAND Corporation: Major research institution conducting policy, education, and program evaluation. Overlaps in serving NSF/IMLS evaluation needs but as part of a much broader research portfolio rather than informal science specialization.
• Abt Associates: Large research and consulting firm with significant practice in education and social program evaluation. Competes on federal evaluation contracts while operating across many domains beyond informal science.
• American Institutes for Research: Large behavioral and social science research organization conducting education and informal learning evaluation. Overlaps in serving federal clients on STEM/conservation learning research but at greater scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/informeval

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Inform Evaluation & Research