Alana R.
Kinarsky, PhD
Dr. Alana Kinarsky helps foundations, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations answer a hard question: is this program actually working. She designs and leads evaluations — mixed-methods studies, policy analysis, implementation research — that give funders and boards evidence they can act on.
She works as a research data analyst at UCLA's School of Education while running ARK Evaluation, her independent consultancy founded in 2015.
Currently building PolicyCoder, a searchable library of evaluation policies — join the waitlist ↗
Evaluation Projects
Select evaluation reports from projects I've worked on that are publicly available.
Strength, Stress, and Support
A study of nearly 2,500 American Jewish teens conducted in partnership with Stanford and Jewish Federation of North America, examining wellbeing, stress, and sources of support.
Completed 2025 · BeWell
Read the full report ↗Campus Commons Pilot Year
Lead evaluator for the pilot year of the Bronfman Fellowship's Campus Commons program, assessing implementation and early outcomes.
Completed 2025 · Bronfman Fellowship
Read the full report ↗Evaluation Policy
Evaluation policies shape how organizations understand, plan, and use evaluation. They are essential for managing evaluations effectively at scale.
The Evaluation Policy Research Hub collects resources to help practitioners and scholars understand existing evaluation policies and write new ones.
Visit the Evaluation Policy Hub ↗Government
Resources and guidance on evaluation policies for government agencies and programs.
Foundations
Research on evaluation policies in philanthropic organizations and recommendations for writing new ones.
Emerging Research
Scholarly publications on evaluation policy and emerging practices across sectors.
PolicyCoder
An interactive tool that turns a 75+ library of evaluation policies into a searchable, comparable resource. Through PolicyCoder, practitioners can browse various evaluation policies and learn from them.
PolicyCoder will be launching October 2026.
Research & Publications
My academic research looks at how evaluation actually happens in practice. That includes analyzing evaluation policy across the philanthropic sector, mapping how US foundations spend on evaluation, and studying the federal evaluation market. I also write on evaluation theory, and earlier research looked closely at the experience of foster youth.
Below is a selection of my published research. For a full list, visit my Google Scholar page.
- 2023 Kinarsky, A. R., & Christie, C. A. The intent and influence of evaluation policies and strategies in the philanthropic sector.Evaluation and Program Planning, 100, 102343.
- 2022 Kinarsky, A. R., & Christie, C. A. Analysis of evaluation policies in the philanthropic sector.American Journal of Evaluation, 43(2), 175–192.
- 2022 Fierro, L. A., Kinarsky, A. R., Echeverria-Estrada, C., Sabat Bass, N., & Christie, C. A. The importance of implementation: Putting evaluation policy to work.New Directions for Evaluation, 2022(173), 49–62.
- 2019 Kinarsky, A. An analysis of evaluation policy in the philanthropic sector (Doctoral dissertation).University of California, Los Angeles.
- 2026 Kinarsky, A. R., & Christie, C. A. (forthcoming). Exploring U.S. foundation evaluation funding through grant data: Insights and limitations.In Unfinished Business: Learning, Evaluation and Power in Philanthropy.
- 2018 Kinarsky, A. R. The evaluation landscape: US foundation spending on evaluation.New Directions for Evaluation, 2018(160), 81–96.
- 2018 Lemire, S., Fierro, L. A., Kinarsky, A. R., Fujita-Conrads, E., & Christie, C. A. The US federal evaluation market.New Directions for Evaluation, 2018(160), 63–80.
- 2023 Kinarsky, A. R., & Fujita-Conrads, E. Evaluation theory synopses.Evaluation Roots: Theory Influencing Practice, 255.
- 2019 Dillman, L., Scott, C., & Kinarsky, A. R. The case study: The women affirming motherhood program.New Directions for Evaluation, 2019(163), 19–26.
- 2017 Kinarsky, A. R. Fostering success: Understanding the experience of foster youth undergraduates.Children and Youth Services Review, 81, 220–228.
BE IN TOUCH
I'm here to help you design and deliver an evaluation (or evaluation policy!) that gives you meaningful and actionable information. Let's work together!
Send me an email to schedule a free intro call. I will share practical advice and we can figure out together how I can support your work.