The Foraker Group

We’re excited to share a new resource for nonprofits across the Northwest: nwnonprofitcapacity.org.

Together with our nonprofit association partners in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, we’ve created a shared home for research on nonprofit capacity across our five states.

The site brings together two important studies: the 2026 Evaluation Capacity Study, based on conversations with more than 110 nonprofit leaders about how they evaluate their impact, and the 2024 Nonprofit Capacity Survey, which asked 967 nonprofits to identify their strengths and areas where they need more support.

Why evaluation? Because nonprofits are increasingly being asked to show the difference their work makes — and most nonprofit leaders want to know that, too. But evaluation is also an area where many organizations feel the least equipped. In the 2024 survey, evaluation ranked as both a top need and the lowest-rated capacity across the Northwest. That finding led us to take a deeper look.

Now, the research is available for everyone. You can explore the findings, check out reports from each state, and use two short self-assessments to get a better sense of where your organization stands.

Take a look, explore the findings, and see what they might mean for your organization.

This research was conducted with Dialogues In Action and funded by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.