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 at hello@askaprogramevaluator.com, we will route your request to the appropriate evaluator.
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 emails 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
Evaluator and Grant Writer
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 expertise in PreK-12 Educational programs, family support programs, culturally responsive evaluation, and media effectiveness.
Emma Alston, MPH
Program Design Specialist
Emma Alston, MPH is a program evaluator, applied researcher, and grant writer specializing in public health, health sciences, and human services. Her expertise includes evaluation and study design, measurement, mixed-methods data collection and analysis, data visualization, and reporting. Through Ginkgo Leaf Writing & Consulting, she helps nonprofit, academic, and governmental organizations translate complex programs and research ideas into practical evaluation approaches, compelling proposals, and useful evidence for decision-making.
Areas of expertise include: behavioral health, rural health, family violence prevention, healthcare workforce development, higher education, and clinical research and trials.
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Jessica Martone
Strategic Advisor
Jessica has over 15 years of research and evaluation experience supporting nonprofit organization evaluation and capacity building, serving as the external evaluator for state and federal grants, and designing and conducting research studies including clinical trials. Jessica supports all aspects of the evaluation process from creating a logic model to developing an evaluation strategy and then collecting, analyzing, and reporting data. Jessica received her PhD and Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago and resides in Long Beach, California.
Areas of expertise: nonprofit evaluation, capacity building workshops/training, research design/execution
Terra Schehr
Evaluation Advisor
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.
SchehrStrategies LLC is based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Services are offered nationally and internationally in-person, using online communication channels, and via hybrid modalities.
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 with grant professionals all over the world. Send us a note, and we'll help connect you with an expert that fits your needs!