Claremont McKenna College
Path Consulting
A student-run consulting group providing research and policy analysis to local governments, public agencies, and nonprofits. All of our work is volunteer and free of charge.
For clients
A team of students takes on one defined project for your organization and delivers a finished research product by the end of the semester. No cost, no contract, and about two hours of your staff's time.
Work with PathFor students
We recruit across all five Claremont Colleges at the start of every semester. Members work on one client engagement, interview practitioners and public officials, and present to the client.
Join PathA few things we have worked on
Los Angeles County Development Authority Continuum of Care and Coordinated Access System evaluation
LACDA asked us to evaluate the systems that move people from the street into housing across Los Angeles County, with attention to coordination with Public Housing Authorities.
We compared outcomes against Chicago, Maricopa County, Miami-Dade County, and Denver, and proposed a proactive engagement program plus centralized HMIS oversight.
Placement delays trace to coordination gaps between agencies rather than to capacity alone.
San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments Cost review of the Jump Start Bus Rapid Transit projects
SGVCOG needed updated costs for the dedicated bus lanes, signal priority upgrades, and shelters slated for delivery before the 2028 Olympics.
We rebuilt the estimate from the feasibility study, benchmarked it against comparable California BRT projects, broke costs out by segment, and adjusted for inflation.
Projected costs ran 26 to 31 percent above the original estimate, indicating a need to revisit bids and contingencies.
Claremont Mayor Sal Medina Tiny homes as transitional housing
Homelessness in Claremont had roughly doubled since 2020 against limited shelter capacity. The Mayor asked whether a tiny homes village was realistic for the city.
We delivered a research report, a public-facing article, and a funding roadmap, drawing on interviews with unhoused residents, cost analysis, and programs in Tacoma and Santa Clara.
Comparable programs moved up to 40 percent of residents into permanent housing. Homekey and HHAP are the viable funding routes.
For Clients
Research capacity, at no cost to you.
Path Consulting is a student research team at Claremont McKenna College. Each semester we take on one defined project for a city, an agency, or a nonprofit and deliver a finished product.
Who we are
Path is a student-run consulting group at Claremont McKenna College. We work with city governments, regional agencies, school districts, elected officials, and nonprofits, mostly in Los Angeles County and the San Gabriel Valley.
- Research reports and policy memos
- Comparative studies across jurisdictions
- Program and cost evaluations
- Tracking spreadsheets and databases
- Council, board, and public-facing materials
What a partnership involves
What kind of work you can hand us
Research that keeps sliding down the list. A comparison of how peer jurisdictions handled a problem, a cost estimate nobody has checked, background ahead of a council decision, or an evaluation of a program against what it was meant to do.
What it costs
Nothing. Our work is volunteer. There is no contract to negotiate, no invoice, and nothing to route through procurement.
How much of your staff's time
An hour at the start to scope the question and an hour at the end to walk through the findings. Anything beyond that is up to you.
How long it takes
One semester. We scope before the term begins and deliver before it ends.
What you get at the end
A written product your staff can hand to a council or a board, with the underlying research documented so it can be verified. A presentation if you want one.
What we will not take on
Legal or engineering work, anything requiring a licensed professional, and questions where a student team would be out of its depth. We will tell you if that is the case.
How an engagement runs
Scoping
We meet before the semester begins, define the question, and agree on the deliverable.
The semester
A team works through research, interviews, and analysis on an agreed check-in schedule.
Delivery
You receive the finished product before the term ends, with a presentation if you want one.
For Students
Consulting and government work with impact.
Path Consulting is a student-run consulting group at Claremont McKenna College. We recruit across all five Claremont Colleges at the start of every semester.
Student-run. Locally focused.
Path partners with city governments, regional agencies, school districts, elected officials, and nonprofits. Teams of four to six students take on one client for the semester, meet weekly, and deliver a finished product before the term ends.
What joining involves
Who we work with
City governments, regional agencies, school districts, elected officials, and nonprofits. Deliverables go to councils and boards. Past memos have reached a member of Congress and been carried into conversations with Metro.
Who you talk to
Members interview mayors, agency directors, nonprofit executives, and county staff. You will be on those calls.
What you learn
Comparative policy research, cost modeling, program evaluation, and writing for someone who has to make a decision.
How teams are structured
Four to six students per client. First-semester members write sections of the final deliverable and present to clients.
Moving into leadership
Team leads come from returning members. Leadership positions open each spring and carry the client relationship and the work plan.
Who can apply
Undergraduates at any of the five Claremont Colleges, from any major. No prior experience required.
What a semester looks like
Every team runs the same arc, scoped with the client before the term begins and delivered before it ends.
Scoping
The team meets the client, defines the question, and agrees on the deliverable.
Research
Interviews, public records, comparative jurisdictions, budget and program data.
Analysis
Cost review, program evaluation, or benchmarking against peer agencies.
Delivery
A written product for a council or board, usually with a presentation.
Becoming a Path member
Training
Research methods, interview practice, and our writing standards, before your first client meeting.
Leadership
After a semester you can apply to lead a team, owning the client relationship and the work plan.
The community
Members meet through events and retreats throughout the year, and stay connected well past graduation.
Completed work
Engagements with city governments, regional agencies, school districts, elected officials, and nonprofits.
Los Angeles County Development Authority Continuum of Care and Coordinated Access System evaluation
LACDA asked us to evaluate the systems that move people from the street into housing across Los Angeles County, with attention to coordination with Public Housing Authorities.
We compared outcomes against Chicago, Maricopa County, Miami-Dade County, and Denver, and proposed a proactive engagement program plus centralized HMIS oversight.
Placement delays trace to coordination gaps between agencies rather than to capacity alone.
San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments Cost review of the Jump Start Bus Rapid Transit projects
SGVCOG needed updated costs for the dedicated bus lanes, signal priority upgrades, and shelters slated for delivery before the 2028 Olympics.
We rebuilt the estimate from the feasibility study, benchmarked it against comparable California BRT projects, broke costs out by segment, and adjusted for inflation.
Projected costs ran 26 to 31 percent above the original estimate, indicating a need to revisit bids and contingencies.
Claremont Mayor Sal Medina Tiny homes as transitional housing
Homelessness in Claremont had roughly doubled since 2020 against limited shelter capacity. The Mayor asked whether a tiny homes village was realistic for the city.
We delivered a research report, a public-facing article, and a funding roadmap, drawing on interviews with unhoused residents, cost analysis, and programs in Tacoma and Santa Clara.
Comparable programs moved up to 40 percent of residents into permanent housing. Homekey and HHAP are the viable funding routes.
Claremont Mayor Pro Tem Corey Calaycay Uncontested elections after district voting reform
Claremont wanted to know whether the shift from at-large to district-based voting, adopted to comply with the California Voting Rights Act, was reducing the number of contested races.
We built a comparative dataset of 21 small California cities and tracked outcomes before and after each transition, then delivered options on candidate recruitment and filing.
Contested races fell more than 20 percent. Appointments to vacant seats more than doubled.
Claremont Unified School District Why a special election cost twice its estimate
The district's 2023 special election cost nearly double its estimate. Board President Kathryn Dunn asked why, and whether any of it could be recovered.
We examined California election law, county reimbursement mechanisms, and comparable districts. Our memo set out legislative options and was shared with Representative Judy Chu's office.
Cost underestimation is structural, not local. Small districts face the highest barriers to recovering funds.
Touchstone Mental Health Zoning and community barriers to supportive housing
Local opposition had stalled Touchstone's Lincoln on the Creek project in Edina, Minnesota. They asked how stigma and zoning restrictions block supportive housing statewide.
We delivered a comparative analysis of legislation similar to Minnesota's SF-1370 alongside outreach materials, a virtual facilities tour proposal, and an interview series with residents.
A legislative comparison and a public engagement package built for use in front of a planning commission.
Claremont Homeless Advocacy Program Structuring a relaunched street outreach program
CHAP closed in 2020. Its board asked how to bring it back and what the new organization should do.
We interviewed leadership at three California homelessness organizations and delivered a board memo on referral partnerships, volunteer dispatch, target populations, and nonprofit status.
Volunteer street outreach fills a gap other regional providers do not cover. Referrals should come through professional case managers.
Fall 2026 engagements are being scoped now and will be listed here once confirmed.
Get in touch about a project or about joining.
- Mailing address
- 888 Columbia Avenue
Claremont, California 91711