About Us

The Institute for Evaluation and Research (TIER Institute) is a Kansas-based firm with more than twenty years of experience. Throughout that time, we have helped organizations and researchers do work that is ethical, well designed, and built to last. Today, we work with nonprofits, public agencies, and independent researchers from our home base in Redfield, KS.

Our mission: to inspire, empower, and engage organizations and individuals to achieve economic and environmental sustainability.

TIER started as a consulting practice built on one idea: programs get better when the people running them can see what is working. Today, TIER Institute operates three divisions.

• TIER IRB: independent, HHS-registered ethical review for social-behavioral, educational, and evaluation research.
• Program Evaluation: a supportive partner from program design through reporting.
• Training & Professional Development: workshops, coaching, and curriculum design through ABAX Solutions.

Our work has supported projects with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and HUD, and state partners in Missouri and Mississippi.

Because we have designed studies, collected data, and written proposals ourselves, we understand research from the investigator’s side. As a result, our advice is practical. We know what reviewers look for, and we also know what busy program staff can realistically deliver.

In addition, we keep our services connected. For example, a team that comes to us for IRB review can later use our evaluation support or training. That way, one partner understands the whole project from start to finish.

Above all, we believe good research should be accessible. Small nonprofits, independent evaluators, and doctoral students deserve the same careful support that large institutions receive. Therefore, we keep our pricing clear, our timelines realistic, and our communication direct.

“Invariably professional and ethical.”
Kathy Jenkins, AOK Services