Research, evaluation, and donor compliance in Kenya

Turn field evidence into donor-ready decisions.

NM Research helps NGOs, development partners, and public institutions structure baselines, prove impact, and submit compliance-ready reports with academic rigor and practical speed.

Plan NGO Compliance Support Structure a Baseline

3: flagship advisory lanes
4: priority research themes
4: advisory delivery pipelines

Evidence pipeline

A defensible path from programme question to funder review.

1Frame

Define the funder-facing question

Clarify programme logic, indicators, risks, assumptions, and the decisions the evidence must support.

2Field

Collect defensible evidence

Deploy CAPI instruments, enumerator protocols, supervision plans, and data quality checks.

3Model

Analyze with auditability

Build reproducible tables, dashboards, causal models, maps, and source-linked annexes.

4Submit

Deliver donor-ready outputs

Package findings into executive narratives, compliance files, and proposal or reporting materials.

Policy advisory pipeline

A practical route from policy problem to implementable decision.

1Scope

Define the policy decision

Clarify the mandate, decision window, stakeholders, fiscal constraints, and evidence threshold.

2Diagnose

Interrogate the system

Review administrative data, budgets, service delivery records, interviews, and institutional incentives.

3Options

Model feasible choices

Compare trade-offs, implementation risks, equity effects, and value-for-money implications.

4Brief

Package decision-ready advice

Deliver executive memos, policy notes, dashboards, and implementation roadmaps for leadership review.

Capacity building pipeline

A structured path from skills gap to institutional practice.

1Assess

Map capability gaps

Identify team roles, workflow bottlenecks, data skills, reporting obligations, and supervision needs.

2Design

Build applied learning modules

Translate real programme materials into practical clinics, templates, exercises, and job aids.

3Train

Facilitate hands-on delivery

Run focused sessions for programme teams, enumerators, analysts, managers, and partner institutions.

4Embed

Institutionalize the workflow

Leave behind checklists, QA routines, review cadences, and reusable tools for daily delivery.

Data systems pipeline

A governed route from scattered records to reusable intelligence.

1Map

Inventory data assets

Locate datasets, forms, registers, dashboards, metadata, ownership rules, and reporting requirements.

2Clean

Standardize and validate

Resolve formats, duplicates, missingness, indicator definitions, and quality flags before analysis.

3Build

Create usable evidence products

Develop tables, charts, dashboards, annexes, and reproducible scripts for internal and external use.

4Govern

Protect reuse and accountability

Document access rules, update cycles, privacy controls, and source trails for future reporting.

Built for institutional buyers

NGO Programme Teams

Development Partners

County Governments

Research Consortia

Grant Committees

Policy Units

What we do

Three high-stakes service lanes, built around the way funders review evidence.

NGO Compliance & Donor Reporting

Submission-ready reporting systems for NGOs that need evidence, annexes, and narratives to satisfy institutional funders.

Donor reporting packs with results narratives, indicator tables, and annex evidence
Compliance calendars, documentation trails, and review-ready M&E files
USAID, EU, FCDO, and institutional donor reporting support
Evidence-backed grant proposals and submission-ready technical narratives

Plan compliance support

Baseline Structuring & Impact Evaluation

Methodologically rigorous study architecture for baselines, midlines, endlines, and causal evaluation work.

Logical frameworks, theories of change, indicators, and sampling plans
CAPI field operations, enumerator management, and data quality assurance
RCT, DiD, matching, and quasi-experimental evaluation designs
Field-to-report pipelines with reproducible tables, charts, and audit trails

Structure a baseline

Applied Research & Public Sector Advisory

Applied economics, public finance analysis, and policy advisory for institutions working in Kenya and the region.

Public finance reviews and expenditure efficiency analysis
Market research, labor dynamics, and economic policy briefs
County governance, own-source revenue, and service delivery assessments
Decision-ready dashboards and executive evidence notes

Scope a research brief

Trust architecture

Credibility needs its own interface.

Institutional review teams need more than polished prose. They need donor alignment, defensible methods, ethical data handling, and a clear trail from fieldwork to findings.

Donor-aligned documentation

Reports are structured around indicators, assumptions, annexes, and review evidence that funders can interrogate.

Ethical field operations

Study designs account for informed consent, data minimization, enumerator supervision, and Kenya Data Protection Act expectations.

Econometric credibility

The team can move from descriptive dashboards to causal identification when the research question requires it.

Latest Publications

Research outputs with citation-ready metadata.

Browse publications

monograph

When Incentives Misfire: The Silent Cause Of Corporate Failures

A forthcoming monograph on principal-agent misalignment, governance failure, and institutional risk in development contexts.

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working paper

Digital Credit Reporting And Women's Economic Empowerment

An ongoing quasi-experimental analysis of credit infrastructure, gender gaps, and inclusion outcomes in Kenya.

Read publication

field note

Structuring Baseline Surveys For Donor Compliance

A practical view of how theories of change, sampling plans, and CAPI instruments become submission-ready evidence aligned with institutional donor requirements.

Read publication

Institutional materials

Evidence work is easier to trust when the process is visible.

Our assignments are supported by field planning tools, advisory collateral, anonymized data review formats, and practical checklists for programme teams.

NM Research branded fieldwork diary used as a planning toolkit visual

Field operations

Fieldwork planning toolkit

Field teams need clear instruments, supervision notes, and a reliable plan before data collection starts.

NM Research branded business card and contact collateral

Trust collateral

Institutional contact collateral

Advisory engagements move faster when the contact path and institutional handoff are clear.

Illustrative NM Research dashboard showing county-level outcome indicators

Case studies

Case-study dashboard visual

Programme evidence is organized into reviewable indicators, notes, flags, and funder-facing outputs.

Baseline Survey Readiness Checklist cover from NM Research

Lead magnet

Baseline checklist cover

A practical pre-field checklist helps teams avoid weak indicators, missing consent, and poor audit trails.

Browse by topic

Find services, insights, and data products by institutional need.

Development Programmes

Evidence systems for NGOs and implementation partners.

Baseline StudiesImpact EvaluationM&E SystemsDonor Reporting

Public Finance & Governance

Fiscal, institutional, and county-level advisory work.

Public FinanceCounty GovernanceService DeliveryRevenue Analysis

Markets & Livelihoods

Applied research on enterprise, agriculture, youth, and labor markets.

Agricultural Value ChainsYouth LivelihoodsDigital EconomyMarket Research

Health, Climate & Inclusion

Research areas aligned with donor priorities and social impact.

Health EconomicsClimate FinanceFinancial InclusionWomen’s Economic Empowerment

Data & visualization showcase

Built for structured, unstructured, panel, cross-sectional, and time-series evidence.

Programme teams can review indicators, disaggregate outcomes, compare counties, and package downloadable annexes for donor or board review.

View Data Showcase

Panel

Baseline outcome tracking

Maps

County service indicators

Time Series

Market and price monitoring

Cross Section

Programme beneficiary profiles

Trust signals

Rigorous methods, practical delivery.

Climate Finance & Environmental SustainabilityAgricultural Economics & Food SystemsYouth Livelihoods & The Digital EconomyHealth Economics & Systems Strengthening

Impact evaluation using RCTs and quasi-experimental designs

Advanced econometric modeling and causal identification

Survey design, sampling, CAPI deployment, and field QA

Data protection, research ethics, and donor-compliant documentation

Interactive dashboards, tables, charts, and map-based reporting

Case Studies & Impact

Selected project patterns.

View all

Youth Livelihoods

EU-Aligned Baseline Framework For A Livelihoods Programme

Donor context: EU

Context tags indicate reporting alignment or funder familiarity; they do not imply donor endorsement.

Challenge: A development partner needed a defensible baseline, theory of change, and M&E framework before implementation.
Approach: Theory of change review, sample architecture, instrument design, enumerator protocols, and QA dashboards.
Result: The client received a donor-ready baseline package with measurable indicators, QA controls, and a clear compliance trail.

Read case study Discuss similar work

Public Sector Advisory

County Revenue And Service Delivery Diagnostic

Challenge: A county-facing institution required evidence on local revenue performance and expenditure bottlenecks.
Approach: Administrative data review, stakeholder interviews, fiscal trend analysis, and executive synthesis.
Result: Decision makers gained a practical roadmap for strengthening revenue administration and prioritising service delivery.

Read case study Discuss similar work

Financial Inclusion

Digital Credit Reporting And Women's Economic Empowerment

Challenge: The research question required careful identification of gendered credit access effects in Kenya.
Approach: Quasi-experimental identification, descriptive financial inclusion analysis, and policy-facing synthesis.
Result: The ongoing work is being prepared as a policy-facing research output for institutional and academic audiences.

Read case study Discuss similar work

Contact

Ready to structure a baseline, proposal, evaluation, or donor report?

Email info@nmresearch.org, call +254 (0) 725 809 189, or send a project inquiry and our advisory team will respond.

Start a Conversation

Turn field evidence into donor-ready decisions.

Three high-stakes service lanes, built around the way funders review evidence.

NGO Compliance & Donor Reporting

Baseline Structuring & Impact Evaluation

Applied Research & Public Sector Advisory

Credibility needs its own interface.

Donor-aligned documentation

Ethical field operations

Econometric credibility

Research outputs with citation-ready metadata.

When Incentives Misfire: The Silent Cause Of Corporate Failures

Digital Credit Reporting And Women's Economic Empowerment

Structuring Baseline Surveys For Donor Compliance

Evidence work is easier to trust when the process is visible.

Fieldwork planning toolkit

Institutional contact collateral

Case-study dashboard visual

Baseline checklist cover

Find services, insights, and data products by institutional need.

Development Programmes

Public Finance & Governance

Markets & Livelihoods

Health, Climate & Inclusion

Built for structured, unstructured, panel, cross-sectional, and time-series evidence.

Baseline outcome tracking

County service indicators

Market and price monitoring

Programme beneficiary profiles

Rigorous methods, practical delivery.

Selected project patterns.

EU-Aligned Baseline Framework For A Livelihoods Programme

County Revenue And Service Delivery Diagnostic

Digital Credit Reporting And Women's Economic Empowerment

Ready to structure a baseline, proposal, evaluation, or donor report?

Get the baseline readiness checklist and field notes.