The MERL Tech Initiative

The MERL Tech Initiative sits at the intersection of digital technology and the social sector. We support thoughtful tech-enabled program design, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL). We convene communities to share good practice and improve humanitarian, development, human rights and peace building outcomes. We advocate for responsible, ethical, realistic approaches that center people, communities and societies. We work as a collaborative group of consultants with deep experience in holistic MERL and digital programming. Our expertise includes key adjacent areas, including digital transformation, data governance, data privacy policy and practice, design research, trust and safety, safeguarding, gender, youth, digital inclusion, and social and behavior change communication (SBCC). We lead the MERL Tech Natural Language Processing Community of Practice (NLP-CoP), which explores opportunities and challenges with NLP and GenAI applications for MERL. We convene the New York City Technology Salon, which brings together technologists and social sector practitioners for intimate, in-person, off-the-record conversations on emerging opportunities and challenges. We collaborate with other communities of practice, networks, and professional associations to organize events, develop content, and create space for learning, professional development, and influence.