For organizations nearly ready for a community-owned approach to evaluation.
You've likely already completed the Readiness Guide (if not, we recommend you start there). We'll discuss what surfaced during that conversation and determine where we should focus in order to make ownership possible in your next evaluation. Common focus areas include:
If you're still building strong relationships, we help clarify who is in your orbit and identify realistic engagement pathways. For some collaborators, though, the first COE focuses on current program participants.
Community ownership takes time. If your current timeline is too tight, our team can support you to build an on-ramp for your next evaluation. This can include:
If your budget is uncertain or constrained, we can help you identify the bare minimums that must be resourced for non-extractive participation, then help determine if a phased approach or a subsidized/equity pathway is a good fit.
Community ownership can feel unfamiliar or risky. We'll walk you through our existing guardrails and scaffolding so you can see what ownership looks like in practice (and what keeps it safe and viable).
We'll also identify any real constraints your organization is operating under (legal, safety, feasibility, budget, timeline) and document them transparently for community members to consider as they set governance protocols and make decisions.
If the challenge is sustaining ownership, we help you build lightweight post-evaluation infrastructure, including templates, tracking tools, and engagement pathways with affected communities so that ownership doesn't end with a final report.
If you're serious about community ownership, the COE-llaborator Program helps to identify and address predictable constraints before the evaluation begins. That way, the process is less likely to stall due to timeline, budget, participation support, or decision-making misalignment.
We generally recommend people contract an evaluator at least 2 months sooner than they otherwise would. If taking part in the COE-llaborator Program, we recommend starting conversations one month prior to that. For example, if you would otherwise contract an evaluator on a four-month timeline, we recommend you start conversations about the COE-llaborator Program no less than 7 months before a final report is due. For some, this may mean preparing for a future evaluation cycle, rather than the nearest one.
The program typically produces:
Discussing what surfaced while you completed the Readiness Guide is free. If you choose tailored support, pricing depends on region, and equity subsidies may be available when cost is a barrier. If you complete the program and then contract the Studio for an evaluation, we typically credit program fees toward that evaluation.
We can discuss your context and develop an actionable path toward community-owned evaluation.