Does my funder set a percentage for evaluation?
Whether your funder sets a percentage for evaluation is something your solicitation will tell you, so check it, and if it says anything about evaluation costs, follow it. Some solicitations name no percentage at all and tie the evaluation budget to the plan instead. Here's one example. The National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program requires proposals to request funds for an evaluator who is independent of the project, and it says the requested funds must match the scope of the evaluation activities developed with the project team. It doesn't name a percentage. Other funders and programs handle evaluation costs differently, so read your own solicitation, and ask your program officer or grants office if it's unclear.
What makes an evaluation cost more or less?
What makes an evaluation cost more or less is the amount of work the plan asks for. These all affect the investment amount:
- the number of sites
- the number of participants
- how often data is collected
- qualitative data collection (focus groups or interviews) versus quantitative data collection (surveys or institutional data)
- how often there are reports, meetings, or presentations
- travel
Each item on that list takes evaluator time, so a change to any of them changes the budget. That's why the same percentage can be generous for one project and far too little for another. What a particular evaluator will charge for the work is a separate question, asked when you're hiring. What does an external evaluator actually cost? covers it.
What happens if I under-budget the evaluation?
If you under-budget the evaluation, reviewers may conclude that you won't be able to carry out the evaluation you proposed, and that can lower their confidence in the project overall. Under-pricing is a common problem when the project team doesn't work with an evaluator during the proposal phase. For example, a plan might describe interviews, focus groups, and several rounds of surveys while the budget pays for far less than that.
The problem doesn't end at review. An evaluator who is brought in after the award and handed a budget that doesn't match the plan may find the plan difficult, or sometimes impossible, to carry out well. Agreeing on the scope and the budget with your evaluator before you submit avoids both problems.
How do I keep the evaluation affordable without weakening it?
To keep the evaluation affordable without weakening it, focus on the questions that matter, start from data that already exists, and collect only what's missing. More data isn't necessarily better data. Every additional survey, measure, or group you ask creates work for participants, project staff, and the evaluator, and it adds cost.
We believe an evaluation should collect enough of the right data to answer the questions that matter. That means deciding what needs to be measured, when, who needs to be asked, and what the project will actually do with the information. Records your institution already keeps, such as enrollment or completion data, can sometimes answer a question without a new survey.
What does weaken an evaluation is cutting the budget without cutting the plan. Planning the evaluation with an evaluator keeps the scope and the budget in line, so the plan you submit is one the budget can pay for. What can an evaluator actually do for me before I submit the proposal? describes that work.
The Grantibly perspective
Lauren's perspective
Evaluation is sometimes treated as money that has to be carved out of a grant because a funder requires it. We want project teams to think differently about that investment.
Good evaluation can help you avoid spending time and resources on strategies that aren't working, identify opportunities for improvement earlier, strengthen future funding applications, communicate results more effectively, and make better decisions about where to invest limited resources. It can also help you tell the story of your work with evidence, which matters when you're communicating with funders, institutional leaders, community partners, and participants.
