Our mission is to contribute to the strategy, growth and effectiveness of nonprofits, foundations and government organizations by providing high quality research, evaluation, capacity building and philanthropic strategy consulting. We are unique in our commitment to combining rigorous, credible research processes with commitments and processes to enhance community participation and representation. We believe the process is as important as the outcome and determines how communities can use and benefit from research.
We prioritize work that supports the autonomy of marginalized populations. We have long standing experience working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, communities of color, Roma communities, people who use drugs, people living with infections diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, communities affected by violence, immigrants, youth and children, rural and urban communities, women and socioeconomically disadvantaged people.
We are dedicated to serving nonprofits, foundations and government organizations with a client-centered, practical approach. By using an individualized approach for each project, we take the time to understand the relevant stakeholders and context and contribute productively to desired outcomes.
Principles that guide our work include:
- Usefulness: Provide information and analyses to make important decisions, improve the efficiency of programs and lend an outsider perspective on effectiveness.
- Rigor: Identify the right tool for the job, resulting in concise, yet rigorous and credible results that are fit for purpose.
- Respect: Recognize the knowledge and experience of people who work at the community level and ensure they play a central role in decisions about policies and programs.
- Participation: Prioritize the involvement of affected communities through the use of participatory action approaches to data collection, analysis and implementation.
- Equity: Foster the efficient, effective and accountable use of public and private resources towards equitable service provision.
- Empowerment: Build the capacity of activists and organizations, and where appropriate, develop mechanisms to independently sustain research and/or evaluation work.
- Access: Redistribute access to expert consulting services by offering sliding scale and affordable rates to clients with fewer resources.