Recognising the value of high-quality evaluations, The Ian Potter Foundation presents a list of External Evaluation Providers (EEP) recommended for grantees and the philanthropic community. The list includes organisations, consultancy agencies and individuals selected via expressions of interest by the Foundation's Research & Evaluation team

This document is organised by program area and is shared with grantees (prospective, past and current) and other foundations in an effort to improve the quality of evaluations conducted for philanthropically funded projects.

For grant applicants wishing to include evaluation costs in their budget, we recommend requesting an estimate from several evaluators based on a brief that states:

• the type of evaluation you require
• the data you have available 
• your preferred timeline.

We have provided an example evaluation brief and request for quotation template to help organisations engage an experienced evaluator.

Grant recipients are not required to select an evaluator from the EEP list. In providing this document, the Foundation does not endorse or guarantee the quality of the listed evaluators' work. 

The selection of evaluators is predominantly based on submissions via an open call on the Australian Evaluation Society website, plus some submissions received by the Foundation on behalf of our existing grant recipients.  

The most outstanding submissions are added to the current list. Selected candidates have submitted a work sample to the Foundation showing strong outcomes measurement, experience with the government sector and a willingness to build their clients' capacity. The vast majority also had excellent financial analysis abilities and evidence of a diverse team; this is noted where this is not the case.

If you are already on EEP, you will receive a proforma email enquiring about your interest in remaining on the list every two years. Expressions of Interest will re-open every four years. 

As the quality of applications improves from year to year, prior applications will be re-assessed against the current submissions. Evaluators will remain on the EEP list as long as their contracted work is of outstanding quality. 

Limited feedback on expressions of interest may be provided upon request, and evaluators whose work is not chosen in a given year are welcome to reapply with new material in subsequent years.

How to submit

We will next announce Expressions of Interest for inclusion on the EEP list via the Australian Evaluation Society website in 2030.