SECURED BY OUR CLIENTS
$1,500,000
On a recent survey of our clients, 20 out of 21 respondents said that Cobblestone was successful in helping their organization secure external funding.
On a recent survey of our clients, 20 out of 21 respondents said that Cobblestone was successful in helping their organization secure external funding.
The client was awarded the U.S. Department of Education grant, with the evaluation section earning full points from the review panel. From proposal through implementation, Cobblestone served as a trusted evaluation partner, conducting both formative and summative activities to document progress and support continuous improvement.
The Challenge
One of our higher education clients had an exciting idea for a project at their institution to help students be retained after their freshman year in college. They wanted to apply for a U.S. Department of Education grant to support this effort. They needed an evaluator to help them think through how to measure their proposed project’s impact at their institution and aligned to evaluation requirements specified by the funder.
Our Solution
During the proposal phase, we worked in collaboration with the grant writing team to understand their proposed project activities and desired outcomes for their students and faculty. In this process we developed a logic model that helped to articulate project activities, outputs, and outcomes. We also designed an evaluation plan that facilitated a feedback process that they could use to refine their project over the years as well as integrated performance measures to report to the funder on their progress annually.
The Impact
Case Study
They are a critical grant team member… The staff is comprised of individuals with extraordinary talents who support different components of the proposal. They are extraordinarily skilled at what they do, have the resources needed to work with us, are creative, quickly get a picture of your organization, and are dedicated to getting you funded. Their follow-up and evaluation services are designed to provide the formative evaluation information needed for continuous improvement and a valuable outcome, leading to increased capacity to apply for and win other grants.
Anne L. Rothstein, Ed.D.
Professor Emerita
City University of New York (CUNY), Lehman College
Beyond project management and evaluation, Cobblestone was a key collaborator during the proposal development phase. Their team provided insightful feedback that allowed me to refine my narratives and submit highly competitive, strong proposals to my funding agencies. I truly enjoy working with the Cobblestone team. Their expertise adds a layer of quality and reliability that is hard to find elsewhere. At this point, I cannot imagine managing a successful project without them and I look forward to our continued partnership.
Jeyoung Woo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Civil Engineering
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Portfolio
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Focus Area
Curriculum | Government Funded | Higher Education | K-12 | Nonprofits | STEM
Government Funded Grants
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Work
Examples
See Our Work
Conference Presentations & Publications
Work
Examples
See Our Work
Conference Presentations & Publications
Work
Examples
Cobblestone has spent nearly two decades evaluating federally funded programs across education, workforce development, and STEM. We have served as the external evaluator on grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies, conducting rigorous implementation and outcome evaluations that meet federal reporting requirements. Whether you need an evaluator at the proposal stage or are already in the midst of a funded project, we bring the expertise and experience to deliver credible, actionable evaluation work.
85+
GOVERNMENT GRANTS EVALUATED
FAQs
Many federal grant competitions require applicants to include an evaluation plan — and some require a letter of commitment from a named external evaluator. Bringing an evaluator on during the proposal phase allows them to help develop a rigorous, feasible evaluation plan that strengthens your application and positions you for successful implementation if funded. We work with organizations at the proposal stage and provide letters of commitment for competitive grant applications.
Federal education grants — including those funded by the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Department of Labor — typically require an independent external evaluation as a condition of the award. Requirements vary by program and funding opportunity, but evaluations are generally expected to assess both implementation (Is the program being delivered as designed?) and outcomes (Is it achieving its goals?). Federally funded evaluations often involve Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight, required reporting to program officers, and alignment with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) or other federal accountability frameworks. Cobblestone has extensive experience navigating these requirements across a range of federal grant programs.
Evaluation costs vary based on scope, timeline, data collection methods, and the complexity of the program being evaluated. Small-scale evaluations may run $10,000–$25,000; comprehensive multi-year federal grant evaluations are typically budgeted at 5–10% of total grant funds. We provide detailed proposals with transparent cost breakdowns, and we are experienced in right-sizing evaluation plans to fit realistic budgets without sacrificing rigor. Contact us to discuss your project and get a sense of what a well-designed evaluation would involve.