Strengthen Your Grant Proposal with Expert Evaluation Support
The Excellence in Engagement and Evaluation team at The Ohio State University’s Center on Education and Training for Employment has supported faculty-led research and evaluation for over 20 years. We partner with faculty to design, implement, and evaluate projects that lead to meaningful, measurable outcomes. Whether you’re preparing a grant proposal or managing a funded initiative, we offer tailored evaluation services that enhance your project’s impact and competitiveness.
We specialize in community-engaged evaluation and bring decades of experience supporting initiatives in education, health, workforce development, and other sectors that advance public well-being across Ohio and beyond.
Services We Offer
Program evaluation (process and outcome)
Needs assessment
Development and application of logic models and theories of change
Research design (qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and more)
Project planning and management
Survey development and validation
Focus groups and interviews
Data collection, analysis, and visualization
Report writing and dissemination of findings and insights
We’ve partnered with faculty across the College of Education and Human Ecology and the Ohio State University to support projects that make a difference in communities including:
Workforce Development
Collaborating with the College of Education and Human Ecology faculty to evaluate a Columbus City Council initiative designed to connect residents to career pathways.
Youth Development
Serving as a third-party evaluator for College of Education and Human Ecology faculty implementing Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded public health projects in Ohio schools.
Healthy communities through local policy and partnerships
Serving as a third-party evaluator for OSU Extension faculty implementing a CDC funded project designed to empower residents to advance healthy options and sustainable food systems.
Why Partner With us?
Relationships
We build strong relationships with our partners to tailor our services in ways that align with their goals and priorities. We listen and invest in your work to achieve your vision and desired project outcomes.
Community-Engaged Methods
We collaborate with the communities impacted by your work to strengthen data collection, analysis, and implementation strategies.
Customized Evaluation Design
We co-design evaluation plans that align with your project goals and sponsor expectations,
ensuring relevance for you, your participants, and your funders.
Infrastructure Support
We provide integrated infrastructure support for including project management and strategic coordination, ensuring smooth implementation and alignment with sponsor requirements.
Diverse Methodological Expertise
Our team offers tailored mixed-method approaches, combining qualitative and quantitative strategies to fit your research design.
Proven Track Record
We have partnered on federal, state, and nonprofit agency-funded projects across education, workforce development, health, community engagement, and other sectors.
Ready to reach new heights? Let's get there, together.
Wondering when to connect?
Faculty are encouraged to reach out during the early stages of project development—especially when preparing a grant proposal or designing a new initiative. We offer consultations to explore how evaluation can strengthen your work and align with sponsor expectations.
Faculty Testimonials
“I was connected with Dr. Melissa Ross and Dr. David Julian to collaborate on a grant submission. I’ve worked with them and their teams on over a half-dozen grant submissions since that time. Every time, the Excellence in Engagement and Evaluation team brings a relationship-focused approach to helping build positive partnerships that result in the development of logic models, infrastructure planning, methodological approaches, and evaluation strategies for our grants. Their extensive expertise creates value added to every project and the outcomes have changed lives throughout Ohio and the country.”
– Dr. Brett Zyromski, Associate Professor & Program Chair of the Counselor Education Program at The Ohio State University
“I have had the pleasure of working with the Excellence, Evaluation, and Engagement team on a project called Career 500, a project designed to connect at least 500 unemployed or underemployed residents with career pathways that offer long-term stability and growth. I have learned so much from working with the evaluation team. Their professionalism and passion comes through as we implement the Career 500 project. I look forward to future collaborations with the Center on Education and Training for Employment.”
