The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act) established a government-wide expectation for program evaluation in 2019 that the White House then declared a core function of government, reshaping the landscape for measuring impacts and using evidence in the United States. In this special virtual event about the latest in the Issues in Evaluation Series with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Data Foundation to explore the 5-year impacts of the Evidence Act on the field of program evaluation. This virtual event also includes the American Evaluation Association and Washington Evaluators as partners. During the event, speakers and participants will explore:

• Significant gains: How the Evidence Act bolstered evaluation practices and policies within federal agencies, including capacity building, data infrastructure, and learning agendas.
• Persistent hurdles: Navigating the complexities of data access, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring sustained momentum for evidence-informed decision-making.
• Charting the future: Emerging trends and priorities on the horizon, from innovative evaluation methodologies to fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

During this webinar GAO, the Data Foundation, the American Evaluation Association, and Washington Evaluators had a dynamic discussion with leading evaluators and contributors to evaluation policy as we explore the Evidence Act's legacy and envision a future where evaluation empowers program managers and policymakers to learn, improve, and effectively achieve program and policy goals.

This virtual event primarily targets the evaluation community, including federal, state, and local government evaluators, non-profit and academic practitioners, and policy intermediaries.