External evaluator for NSF ATE and S-STEM proposals

The National Science Foundation’s technical-education program will not fund a project that has not budgeted for an independent evaluator, and its scholarship program asks for an external evaluation plan. If you lead a community college project, we can be the evaluator you name.

Talk to us about it

What the solicitations say

Advanced Technological Education (ATE), NSF 24-584: “funds to support an evaluator independent of the project must be requested” (solicitation). The evaluator may work at your institution only if they sit in a separate unit with a different reporting line.
The ATE evaluation plan is a named subsection of the project description. It must line up with the project’s goals, name the data sources, instruments and methods, and give a timeline for data collection and reporting (EvaluATE checklist).
At proposal stage the evaluator supplies the evaluation plan, a biosketch and a letter of commitment, and is named in the proposal (EvaluATE checklist).
Budget: “ATE evaluations are generally between 4 and 10% of a project’s direct costs” (EvaluATE).
ATE award sizes: up to $475,000 for small projects, including institutions new to ATE; up to $1,000,000 for projects; $1.2 to $3 million for consortia; up to $7.5 million for centers.
S-STEM, NSF 25-514, asks for “a rigorous, clear and specific external evaluation plan”, carried out by an evaluator external to the project (solicitation).

Facts on this page were checked against the official sources on September 20, 2026. Rules change; rely on the official announcement or regulation linked here, not on this summary.

Where we fit

An ATE evaluator’s job, in the solicitation’s words, is to analyze the data and inform the project team’s decisions. That is formative, hands-on work.

The evaluation plan and logic model for your proposal, with the biosketch and letter of commitment
Student, faculty and employer surveys, developed with your project team as the solicitation expects
Focus groups and interviews with students, faculty and industry partners
Quantitative analysis of enrollment, completion and placement data, on top of sound data management
Expert data visualization for your annual reports and advisory board
Final reporting in multiple formats: full report, executive summary, slide deck, one-page brief or dashboard

Mixed methods is our default design: qualitative and quantitative data, collected together and reported as one story.

Timing

ATE proposals are due on October 1, 2026, and on the first Thursday of October each year after that (program page). S-STEM proposals are due on the first Tuesday of March; the next date listed is March 2, 2027. Evaluators are best brought in while the project is still being designed. Our free evaluation plan covers both programs.

Several other NSF education programs that used to expect an external evaluator had no open solicitation when we checked, after the 2025 cuts and reorganization. Always confirm on nsf.gov that a solicitation is live before you plan around it.

Writing an ATE or S-STEM proposal?

Tell us the program, the track and your deadline. You will hear back within one business day.

Every inquiry is confidential. We never sell or share your information. Privacy policy.