Program Assessment & Monitoring
Our program assessment practice is based on a foundational approach that seeks accurate programmatic information and actionable recommendations, and is grounded in rigorous methods and evidence-based practices that document success, build capacity, and support innovation. The MSG evaluation team is comprised of seasoned project managers, analysts, and SMEs with decades of research and evaluation experience at the Federal and state level, all of whom have a penchant for thinking outside-the-box.
Impact analysis helps our clients to understand the potential consequences of change, and is a necessary step when considering potential changes to policy or regulations. MSG has worked closely with several federal agencies to conduct large scale impact analyses, including an effort with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine the impacts of five major HUD programs on combined housing and transportation costs in HUD-assisted communities.
All organizations require a sound understanding of their funding priorities in order to function efficiently. MSG has worked with numerous clients to develop estimates of the return on investment of particular initiatives and grant programs. For example, MSG worked closely with the National Science Foundation to understand and document a multi-year investment in Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education. This project resulted in agency and programmatic recommendations along with a publicly accessible report detailing the impacts for a wide audience of policy and decision-makers.
Program Integrity and Accountability
With a broad base of experience in research directed to assessing the extent to which programs meet their goals, the MSG team conducts studies of program integrity and accountability, including the assessment of improper or erroneous payments. The firm is currently supporting USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service with innovative studies on erroneous payments, one in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and one related to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Both will provide clients with actionable insights to reduce errors and ensure that program resources are targeted to those eligible for benefits.
Portfolio analysis helps our clients to understand how their mix of funding investments are supporting their overall objectives. MSG is currently leading a comprehensive, mixed-methods study design to examine the effectiveness of NSF's SEES(Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability) grant program, analyzing a cross-directorate portfolio that promotes research and education activities to address issues of sustainability.
Program Design & Improvement
MSG works collaboratively with our clients to develop programs that align with their strategic objectives. With many years of experience as practitioners, administrators, and policymakers, our staff are well-versed on meeting the needs of various stakeholders.
Design, Planning, and Data Collection
Our evaluation approach begins with a process of iterative collaboration to understand the client's research objective and is grounded in the flexibly to develop a program-specific approach to our client's needs. We excel in designing rigorous studies and frameworks, using both experimental and quasi-experimental methods that leverage the data our clients already collect and gathering any new information to address project needs. Most importantly, MSG helps our clients to use data by collaboratively exploring what information has been collected, how to validate and discuss early findings, how to conduct new rigorous analyses based on emerging insights and collaboration, and how to share and use findings to guide program success and future evaluation priorities.