Know a program evaluator before you need one.
Finding the right evaluation expertise for your grant-funded initiative shouldn’t begin when a proposal is due or after a project is already underway.
Ask a Program Evaluator is an informal network of independent program evaluation consultants connecting grants professionals with practical evaluation expertise throughout the grant cycle. Bring us questions about evaluation planning, outcomes and measures, data collection, implementation, reporting, or other challenges related to evaluating grant-funded programs. Participating consultants may provide brief pro bono guidance as well as paid consulting support, while helping organizations build evaluation knowledge, strengthen internal capacity, and develop relationships with trusted specialists they can call when a funded project requires external evaluation expertise.
How We Can Help
Program evaluators bridge the gap between program design and proven impact. Evaluators can work alongside you across the entire grant lifecycle—helping build competitive proposal frameworks (planning), providing real-time data to refine ongoing implementation (formative), and measuring final outcomes to demonstrate success to funders (summative).
We help your program by highlighting your program’s areas of excellence and where improvement is needed. Ideally, we begin working with you before a program is designed and written for funding, and we can help you write the proposal, develop appropriate metrics, and write up the results.
Within the Ask A Program Evaluator network, each evaluator has a specific area of expertise. When you contact us, we will route your request to the appropriate evaluator. If your question can't be fully answered by e-mail, a free video consultation may be the next step. Each evaluator in our network negotiates their own rates and contracts for more in-depth support needs.
Our current network encompasses expertise in evaluation design, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and determining the power of an evaluation. We can also help you with literature reviews, environmental scans, interviews/focus groups, surveys, strategic planning, cost-benefit analyses, and creating benchmarks and data dashboards.
You have options! You can use our "Ask a Question" button, email hello@askaprogramevaluator.com, or reach out to one of us individually at the e-mails in our bios.
After you reach out, you'll get a direct response from an evaluation expert. You can choose to ask questions by email, or schedule a discovery call to talk face-to-face. From there, you can decide together on a more formal working relationship.
There is no wrong time to reach out. While we can do our best work if consulted before the program is developed, we are happy to work with you at any stage of the project. In other words, it's never too late!
Meet the Program Evaluators
Melissa Levitt Seldin, PhD
Pittsburgh, PA
Melissa supports nonprofits, and local, state, and federal government agencies in conducting evidence-based impact assessments, data analysis for complex social programs, and grant writing for programs of all sizes. She has PhD from the City University of New York, and supports the evaluation process from conceptualization through continual improvement and beyond.
Areas of Interest: PreK-12 Educational Programs; Family Support Programs; Culturally Responsive Evaluation; and Media Effectiveness.
Emma Alston, MPH
Lynchburg, VA
Emma is an independent evaluator, applied researcher, and grant writer and the founder of Ginkgo Leaf Writing & Consulting. She works with nonprofits and academic institutions to design practical evaluations, strengthen measurement and data use, and integrate evaluation into grant-funded initiatives. Her work bridges evaluation, research, and grant development to turn complex programs and questions into useful, feasible approaches.
Areas of Interest: Program Design and Strategic Planning; Data Visualization and Reporting; Behavioral and Rural Health; Healthcare Workforce Development and Higher Education; Clinical Research; and Violence Prevention.
.jpg)
Jessica Martone
Long Beach, CA
Jessica is an evaluator and researcher with more than 15 years of experience supporting nonprofits, grant-funded programs, and research studies. She works across the full evaluation process, from logic models and evaluation planning through data collection, analysis, and reporting, and has served as an external evaluator for state and federal grants. Her experience also includes organizational capacity building and clinical research. Jessica holds a PhD and Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago.
Areas of Interest: Nonprofit and Grant-Funded Program Evaluation; Evaluation Capacity Building Worskhops/Training; Logic Models and Evaluation Planning; and Research Design and Execution.
Terra Schehr
Baltimore, MD
Founded in 2024 by Terra Schehr, an institutional effectiveness and planning professional with over 25 years of experience solving complex organizational challenges, SchehrStrategies LLC specializes in designing evaluation frameworks that satisfy funders while driving program improvement—adapting best practices to fit each client's unique culture and needs.
Areas of Interest: Gap Analysis/Needs Assessment; Organizational Effectiveness/Outcomes Evaluation; and Stakeholder Engagement/Participatory Planning for Higher Education and Non-Profit Organizations.
Contact Us:
Have a question, or want to meet with a program evaluator?
Evaluators in our network are located across the U.S. and work both virtually and in-person with grant professionals all over the world. Send us a note, and we'll help connect you with an expert that fits your needs!