Our Approach
We create spaces where people can ask important questions, share diverse perspectives, and discover new possibilities.
We're interested in the messy middle — where evidence meets context, good intentions meet organizational reality, and different perspectives figure out how to move forward together.
How We Help
Support at every stage of the work
Organizations need support at different stages of their work, from designing new initiatives to building and enhancing long-term systems for learning and improvement. The Open Canopy helps organizations design, learn, adapt, and grow by bringing together evidence and collaborative learning at any stage in the life of an organization or project.
Building strong foundations for meaningful change
Whether you are launching a new initiative, developing a policy, or seeking funding for an innovative idea, we help you clarify where you're going and how you'll know you're getting there.
Generate evidence that informs action
As programs and policies move into implementation, we help organizations gather meaningful information about what is happening, what is working, and where opportunities for improvement exist.
Enhancing systems and capacity that make learning last
Sustainable improvement happens when organizations have the skills, structures, and culture needed to support ongoing learning.
Track Record
Example Projects
We have worked with a variety of clients in the government and non-profit sectors.
Example Workshops
- Introduction to Evaluation Capacity Building at the American Evaluation Association's (AEA) 2024 Summer Evaluation Institute.
- 2-day session on Building Evaluation Capacity in Organizations at the American Evaluation Association 2023 Conference.
- Infonex webinar (November 18, 2025): Strengthening Capacity: Skills & Systems for Actionable Policy Evaluation. INFONEX, Effective Policy Evaluation Virtual Conference.
Example ECB Projects
- Co-led the process of updating and writing CDC's Framework for Program Evaluation (2024).
- Led the writing of a fully-online e-textbook for CDC: Planting the Seeds for High-Quality Evaluation in Public Health.
Example Evaluations
- Evaluation of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Sub-county Assessment of Life Expectancy Project.
- Evaluation of New Data Sources for CDC's National Syndromic Surveillance Program.
- Multi-year, longitudinal mixed-methods evaluation of a federal cybersecurity workforce development program.
Testimonials
Clients' Experiences
The workshop was fantastic. Great inputs, great discussions, great dynamics between theory and exercises.
Best workshop I have been to. I loved being able to work independently but check in as needed. I am very happy with the amount of material. I have a lot of ideas to take home.
...showed an outstanding ability to listen and take complex, often academic concepts, and translate them to accessible, easy to use templates, tools, and graphics. The resulting products have been loved by our grantees.
Join Us Under the Canopy
Let's learn together, strengthen our work, and create meaningful change.