Who we are
We’re a small purpose-driven consultancy that exists to support organisations build strong programmes, advocacy demands and campaigns, communicate about their impact, understand their funding-base and explore what is and what is not working.
Based in Scotland, but with a global network of associates, merl brings a wide variety of grounded experience in collaboratively developing monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks and plans, capacity building, programme development, management and funding. We use this knowledge to understand our clients’ needs and support them to integrate learning and research processes into their work. We use system-thinking and people-centred feminist approaches to deliver services which fit our clients’ needs.
Our principles
Collaborative & Co-Produced: We centre co-production in our ways of working. Collaborating meaningfully with clients, communities, and partners. We aim to share power, learn together and make space for lived experience and professional expertise to shape the process and outcomes at every stage.
Trauma-Informed & People-Centred: We bring a trauma-informed lens to our work, recognising the impact of individual and collective experiences on how people engage, participate and make decisions. We prioritise psychological safety, build trust, and adapt our approaches to meet people where they are.
Anti-racist & Equity-Driven: We take an active anti-racist stance and strive to challenge and dismantle inequity in all forms. This includes regularly checking-in on our unconscious biases, interrogating power dynamics, seek to understand who is and who isn’t being consulted and influencing decision-making and value lived-experience.
Practical & Transformative: Our work is grounded in the realities of practice. We create tools, insights and recommendations that are immediately useful and designed for long-term impact - supporting people and organisations to shift systems, not just tick boxes.
Accessible & Inclusive: We ensure our work is inclusive in both process and output. This means creating space for meaningful participation, communicating in clear and engaging ways and designing outputs that are accessible in form, language, and format.
A diverse network of Consultants
We believe in ensuring that we are representative of the target population and are topic experts. We have a UK and global network of lived and grounded experience consultants from over 16 countries.
merl’s network means that projects can include different team members, drawing on sector and/or lived-experience expertise to meet the needs of our clients.
We also collaborate with other consultancies such as The Research People and Learning and Change.
If you would like to join our network or collaborate please get in touch.
Joanna Knight - Founding Director
“merl helped our grantee partners reflect on and refine how they track and assess their progress. Joanna did a great job taking a real interest in the projects, taking into consideration the specific situations of each organisation, offering guidance in a really supportive posture. Her fluid communication and respect for deadlines were also greatly appreciated.” Marie Laure Muchery, Fund Director, Civitates