Page in progress
Evaluation for programs addressing missing and murdered Indigenous women
Work on missing and murdered Indigenous women asks communities to talk about the worst thing that has happened to them. An evaluator who does not understand that will get thin data and do harm getting it. Our experience in this field is extensive.
We have worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Movember, among many others.
What this work requires of an evaluator
- The community’s terms come first. Some say missing and murdered Indigenous women, some say people or relatives. We use the language the community uses.
- Tribal data sovereignty. The Tribe decides what is collected, who holds it, who sees it and what is published. Tribal research review and council approval are part of the timeline, not an obstacle to it.
- Trauma-informed data collection: interviews and talking circles on the participants’ terms, with support available, and with the right to stop at any point.
- Honest numbers. Cases are undercounted and misclassified across jurisdictions, so every figure is reported with its limits.
- Findings go back to the community first, in a form it can use.
What we do in this field
We are a mixed-methods practice. The numbers show what changed and by how much. Interviews, focus groups and observations show why. We design both into the evaluation from the start, read each against the other, and report them as one story.
- Logic models and evaluation plans for grant applications and community response plans
- Needs assessments built on community voice as well as case data
- Interviews, focus groups and surveys with families, advocates, tribal leaders, law enforcement and service providers
- Process and outcome evaluation of response protocols, victim services and prevention programs
- Qualitative and quantitative analysis across tribal, state and federal data sources
- Data management that protects the people behind the data
- Expert data visualization, and final reporting in multiple formats: full report, executive summary, slide deck, one-page brief or dashboard
Funding and next steps
Facts below were checked against the official sources on September 20, 2026. Rely on the solicitation itself, not on this summary.
- The Justice Department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation for FY2026 (O-BJA-2026-172662) is open to federally recognized tribes and tribal consortia, with a Grants.gov deadline of October 15, 2026. Its Purpose Area 2 funds comprehensive justice system strategic planning, up to $150,000 over 36 months, leading to a Tribal Action Plan (OJP fact sheet). Strategic planning of that kind rests on a needs assessment.
- The Office for Victims of Crime Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside lists “needs assessment and strategic planning” among the uses of its formula funds (FY2026 opportunity, now closed; the program runs each year).
- Research is outside the scope of most Office on Violence Against Women grant programs; the main exception is its Research and Evaluation Initiative. Recipients may use funds for assessments for quality assurance and internal improvement (FY2026 Application Companion Guide). Check the allowable costs in your own solicitation before you budget for an evaluator.
- Several states in the lower 48 have their own task forces or offices for missing and murdered Indigenous people, and some commission studies and needs assessments.
If you are applying, we will write the evaluation plan, logic model or needs assessment design with you at no charge. See the free evaluation plan.
Working on a response plan, a grant or a program?
Tell us about the community and what you need to learn. You will hear back within one business day.
Every inquiry is confidential. We never sell or share your information. Privacy policy.