Participatory Evaluations Cohort

Building the capacity of nonprofit organizations to develop and implement evaluation strategies

AMPT's Participatory Evaluations Cohort, in collaboration with the Praxis Institute, aims to build the capacity of participants to develop and implement evaluation strategies for program improvement, stakeholder engagement, and collaborative data planning, through a cohort model.

The Praxis Institute is a versatile and multicultural team with years of experience and life lessons from working with the not for profit sector, government, academia, schools, and community based organizations. They are educators, youth workers, racial healing practitioners, artists, coaches, activists, evaluators, researchers, and not for profit leaders. Praxis works with partners who are justice oriented and committed to high quality youth and community programming. Their hands-on approach is inclusive of all stakeholders and is grounded in the application of anti-racist, healing-centered, research based and participatory engagement strategies.


This in-person experience provides participants:

  • Tools, skills, and competencies necessary to develop and implement evaluations strategies based on organizational needs, goals, and community context. 

  • Space to contribute to the collective reimagining and manifestation of evaluations, and a research-aligned curriculum to help bridge theory into practice.

  • Opportunities to build strong organizational relationships with other nonprofit leaders across the Chicagoland area.

  • 2 one-on-one coaching sessions with a Praxis Institute team staff. 

Applications Close September 10th at 11:59 PM CDT

  • AMPT is prioritizing Black and Latine-led nonprofit organizations on the south and west sides of Chicago, with an organizational budget of $2 million or less, who have not previously participated in this cohort.

    1. Evaluation Planning: Data Collection & Analysis
      Understanding different methods and practices for conducting an evaluation and reflecting on our own experience those methods.

    2. Participatory Methods & Strategies
      Deepen our understanding of the core principles that underpin participatory methods and strategies in evaluation.

    3. Liberatory Methods 
      Reflecting on our knowledge of and experience with utilizing liberatory methods in our evaluation processes (e.g., centering community knowledge, challenging power imbalances, critical reflection, inclusive decision making, challenging inequities, transformative action).

    4. Mindfulness Practices in Evaluations
      Mindfulness as a practice to help evaluators manage stress, build resilience, and maintain focus and clarity throughout the evaluation process.

    5. Logic Models
      Understand the core components of a logic model for use in applying participatory planning and evaluation strategies with staff, leadership, community, and board members. 

    6. Formative and Summative Method
      Understand the key difference in using formative and summative evaluation methods and the benefit of each approach in the development of evaluation plans. 

  • Cohort meets monthly for 6 months HYBRID from October 2025 to March 2026, for 3.5 hours each session. 

    Participants are welcome to bring a team member to join cohort sessions. This cohort series is highly interactive and will require your full attention:

    • Session 1: Thursday, October 9th, 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    • Session 2: Thursday, November 13th, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM 

    • Session 3: Thursday, December 11th, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

    • Session 4: Thursday, January 15th, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

    • Session 5: Thursday, February 12th, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

    • Session 6: Thursday, March 12th, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Testimonials

Our Impact

  • “This cohort helped me see that taking baby steps towards a more democratic evaluation approach in my org is possible and needed. Learning from other leaders in the work, hearing about similar struggles and questions, and contributing to collective solutions was a great experience.”

    2022 Cohort Member

  • “Our organization is relatively young and we kind of felt that we weren't ready for the cohort. In time and in coaching, we were able to see that it isn't a competition and that every organization is at different places and come from many different backgrounds and situations. The cohort really gave us the reassurance and support to understand and move forward.”

    2022 Cohort Member

  • “We learned more than the mechanical aspects of evaluations. The content inserted social/emotional support; centered decolonized frameworks. It was an affirming space.”

    2022 Cohort Member