Learn + Build Collaborative
I help mission-driven organizations understand their communities, build capacity for meaningful change, and show their impact.
About Me
Learn + Build Collaborative is my independent consulting practice. I help mission-driven organizations understand the people they serve, strengthen the systems they work within, and build the capacity to create lasting change.
I’m Joanna Prout, PhD, MSW, a mixed-methods evaluator and capacity-building partner with more than 15 years of experience across behavioral health, public health, education, housing, and community systems. I’ve worked with federal agencies, state and local governments, universities, health care organizations, and nonprofits to design evaluations, strengthen data systems, develop practical tools and trainings, and build the internal capacity needed to sustain improvement over time.
Before evaluation, I worked as a therapist, educator, and community organizer. That shapes how I work: rather than arriving with predetermined answers, I work alongside you to understand your goals, ask better questions, and co-create practical strategies that fit your communities, resources, and realities.
I measure success by what happens after a project ends: organizations that are stronger, more confident, and better equipped to continue the work long into the future.
How I Can Help
Every organization is different, but the challenges are often the same: understanding community needs, putting plans into action, and showing results. My work falls into two connected areas, and most projects combine both.
Learn
Evaluation & Data Systems
Find out what’s changing for the people you serve, your programs, and the systems around them. I design evaluations that combine program data and surveys with the voices of staff, partners, and community members, then turn results into practical next steps.
Services include:
Program, grant, and systems change evaluation
Theories of change, logic models, and outcome maps
Community needs and asset assessments
Interviews, focus groups, and surveys
Performance measures, reporting systems, and dashboards
Reports, briefs, and data storytelling
Build: Capacity Building, Training & TA
Help your team collect, understand, and use its own data and put evidence into everyday practice. I work alongside staff and partners to build the skills, routines, and tools they need, so the work lasts after our project ends.
Services include:
Training and technical assistance (TA)
Workshops, webinars, and online toolkits
Guides, curricula, and implementation resources
Learning collaboratives and communities of practice
Coaching for leaders and staff
Continuous quality improvement (CQI)
Strategic and implementation planning
Learn: Evaluation & Data Systems
Find out what’s changing for the people you serve, your programs, and the systems around them. I design evaluations that combine program data and surveys with the voices of staff, partners, and community members, then turn results into practical next steps.
Services include:
Program, grant, and systems change evaluation
Theories of change, logic models, and outcome maps
Community needs and asset assessments
Interviews, focus groups, and surveys
Performance measures, reporting systems, and dashboards
Reports, briefs, and data storytelling
Build: Capacity Building, Training & TA
Help your team collect, understand, and use its own data and put evidence into everyday practice. I work alongside staff and partners to build the skills, routines, and tools they need, so the work lasts after our project ends.
Services include:
Training and technical assistance (TA)
Workshops, webinars, and online toolkits
Guides, curricula, and implementation resources
Learning collaboratives and communities of practice
Coaching for leaders and staff
Continuous quality improvement (CQI)
Strategic and implementation planning
How I Work
Whether you’re starting a new initiative or reporting results to a funder, I can support every stage of the cycle. What we learn at the end feeds the next round of planning.
The cycle:
Assess: build a shared picture of community strengths, needs, and context
Plan: clarify goals and activities, and decide how progress will be measured
Implement: roll out the strategy, monitor progress, and adapt
Report: share results, reflect on lessons, and plan next steps
Repeat: results feed the next assessment
Let’s Start a Conversation
Whether you're exploring an evaluation, strategic planning process, capacity-building initiative, or simply looking for a thought partner, I’d love to hear about your project.
Email: joanna@learnbuildco.com
Or complete the form below and I’ll be in touch within two business days.
