Why we’re watching: In an era when impact and evidence are gaining traction, IDinsight is an under-the-radar player with a key role. This nonprofit consultancy gathers and operationalizes the data and evidence used by some of the biggest private funders in the world.

Leadership: Ruth Levine, CEO.
Staff: Over 200.
Notable hires: Leonard Oruko and Linda Zuze, two new directors for eastern and southern Africa.
$: Approximately $20 million in revenue in 2020.
HQ: San Francisco.
Tidbit: IDinsight received a $12 million grant from the $2.7 billion that MacKenzie Scott donated in June.
Follow: Catherine Cheney.

Analysis: How do you know if a project is delivering the kind of cost-effective impact that deserves more investment? If it’s not, how do you steer it in the right direction? One place some big West Coast donors are turning is IDInsight, a San Francisco-based non-profit consultancy. Its CEO came from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, while its previous CEO left to join GiveWell; the Gates Foundation is among its largest funders; and last year it received a $12 million grant from billionaire MacKenzie Scott. When private funders see themselves in the evidence camp, as many West Coast funders do, they often turn to IDinsight for data and analytics tools. That means IDinsight’s influence could grow along with the rise of tech wealth, with eight of the world’s 10 richest people now coming from the tech industry. This is the pick-and-shovel indicator of the evidence gold rush. — RK.

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