What NSF Consulting does

NSF Consulting is an Australian professional services firm that provides program evaluation and social research to government agencies and not-for-profit organisations across metropolitan and regional Australia. Founded in 2004 by Natalie Fisher, the firm operates as a small, founder-led consultancy delivering bespoke evaluation frameworks, social research studies, and strategic advice to federal, state, and local government clients, as well as arts, cultural, and health-sector not-for-profits. There is no proprietary technology platform; the firm's core "technology" is its methodological expertise in program logic models, theory-based evaluation, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and capabilities such as Community Panels for ongoing stakeholder consultation.

NSF Consulting generates revenue through project-based professional services fees, with pricing determined by scope, complexity, and timeline and negotiated directly with clients. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, reaching clients through professional networks, industry conferences (including the Australasian Evaluation Society Conference), and content marketing via a long-running blog covering evaluation methodology and project case studies. The firm has extended its offering beyond traditional consulting by launching an online course, "Practical Evaluation for Local Government," which signals modest productisation of its expertise. Customers are concentrated in the public and not-for-profit sectors, with named logos spanning City of Sydney, Arts Victoria, Australian War Memorial, Museum of Australian Democracy, Australia Council for the Arts, multiple NSW local councils, Queensland Government, Department of Industry, and NFPs such as Canteen, Family Planning NSW, and Dementia Australia. The firm occasionally collaborates with external partners such as Pragmatic Research to extend survey design and data analysis capabilities.

Name

NSF Consulting

Legal name

NSF Consulting Pty Ltd

Website

https://nsfconsulting.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NSF Consulting is an Australian consultancy, founded in 2004 by Natalie Fisher, providing program evaluation and social research services to federal, state, and local government agencies and not-for-profit organisations across metropolitan and regional Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Program Evaluation and Social Research Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Program evaluation services
• Social research consulting
• Government evaluation services
• Arts program evaluation
• Not-for-profit research

Headquarters

HQ city

Rose Bay

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: NSF Consulting generates revenue through professional consulting fees for program evaluation and social research services provided to government agencies and not-for-profit organisations. Services are delivered on a project basis with pricing based on scope, complexity, and timeline.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NSF Consulting provides specialist program evaluation and social research services to government agencies, arts and cultural organisations, and not-for-profit entities across metropolitan and regional Australia. Services include assessing whether programs achieve their intended outcomes, exploring stakeholder and community perspectives through surveys, interviews and focus groups, and delivering plain-English reports with strategic advice. The firm also offers an online course, Practical Evaluation for Local Government, for professional development in evaluation methodology.

Product overview

NSF Consulting offers two core consulting services: Program Evaluation and Social Research. Program Evaluation assesses what works, for whom, and why, determining whether desired outcomes are being achieved through methodologies including program logic models and evaluation frameworks. Social Research explores stakeholder and community issues through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and feedback forms. Additionally, the company offers an online course called 'Practical Evaluation for Local Government' for professional development in the evaluation sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Program Evaluation

Named customers18 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Pragmatic ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF Consulting collaborates with Pete Wilson from Pragmatic Research on survey design projects for clients in the arts, cultural and NFP sectors. This partnership provides clients with expertise in survey methodology and data analysis.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Behavioural Insights Team (BIT): BIT is an international social science and behavioural research consultancy working with governments globally. Overlaps with NSF on program evaluation and social research methodology, but at much larger scale and with global reach.
• Urbis: Urbis is an Australian professional services firm providing economics, planning, social research, and policy advice to government and private clients. Comparable to NSF on social research and government engagement, with a much broader service portfolio.
• ACIL Allen Consulting: ACIL Allen is a major Australian professional services firm offering policy evaluation, economics, and regulatory advisory. Overlaps with NSF on government program evaluation but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Nous Group: Nous Group is an Australian and international management consultancy with strong public-sector evaluation and policy practice. Comparable on public-sector client base and evaluation methodology, though substantially larger and more diversified.

Direct peers

• ARTD Pty Ltd: ARTD is an Australian management consulting firm specialising in policy, program evaluation, and reviews for government and not-for-profit clients. Directly comparable to NSF Consulting in core methodology, customer base (Australian federal/state agencies), and evaluation focus, though larger in scale.
• Pragmatic Research: Pragmatic Research is the survey and research firm with which NSF Consulting collaborates on projects (Pete Wilson). Operates in adjacent research methodology services for arts, cultural, and NFP clients in Australia.
• Clear Horizon: Clear Horizon is an Australian evaluation and social research consultancy that supports governments, NGOs, and philanthropists with monitoring, evaluation, and learning services. Shares NSF's niche focus on evaluation methodologies and not-for-profit/public-sector clients across Australia.
• The Social Deck: The Social Deck is an Australian social research and evaluation consultancy working with government and not-for-profit clients. Comparable to NSF on methodology (qualitative research, program evaluation) and target segments (Australian public sector and NFPs).

Regional players

• Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI): TACSI is an Australian social innovation organisation that conducts research, prototyping, and evaluation with communities and government. Adjacent to NSF on evaluation and social research for the Australian NFP/public sector, though with a stronger innovation/design focus.

Others

• Australasian Evaluation Society: AES is the peak professional body for evaluation practitioners in Australia and New Zealand. Not a competitor but a relevant peer context — NSF's founder presents at AES conferences, indicating active engagement with this community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NSFConsulting
• Facebookfacebook.com/nsfconsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nsf-consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 NSF Consulting