Our MERL Consulting: Surfacing Actionable Insights for Grantmakers

Value Stream Consulting
Aug 12
5 min read

Updated: Aug 16

In our recent article, Dusting Off MERL: How a Proven Framework is Getting a Modern Upgrade to Drive Impact at the Initiative Level, we reintroduced the MERL framework: Monitor, Evaluate, Research, Learn, and how it can strengthen your grantmaking strategy.

In this article, we will show you how MERL comes to life in our work: through a synergy of experience and proven technology. It’s this combination that allows us to design solutions that don’t just collect data, they create clarity, alignment, and measurable impact.

The People Behind the Process

Our five-person MERL consulting team represents decades of grantmaking and data analytics experience:

Nick - Former Tableau representative and data analysis expert. Nick has delivered a-ha moments and innovative data products with the United Nations, national foundations, and local non-profits. Transforms complex data into clear, actionable dashboards using Power BI and Metabase. Connects everyday questions with your data to inform better decision-making. Over a decade of experience creating actionable insights through data visualization in products such as Tableau, Google Cloud, and Salesforce.

Karen - Over 20 years of "boots on the ground" foundation operations and grant management experience. Ensures MERL tools fit seamlessly into grantmaking workflows and compliance requirements in order to provide valuable and actionable insights from the data.

George - 10 years extending GMS with middleware. Uses AWS to build secure, scalable integrations that connect your data and automate reporting.

Cassidy - 4 years implementing Grant Management Systems (GMS). Specializes in smooth, efficient MERL deployments that integrate with your existing platforms.

Teja - Master’s degree in Business Analysis. Ensures every MERL solution starts with clear requirements, strong process mapping, and measurable outcomes. Experience in leveraging Power BI for data transformation and visualization to deliver actionable insights.

The MERL Technology We Deploy

Our expertise, your impact, powered by tools we’ve tailored for grantmakers:

AWS & BridgePoint - For our MERL team, AWS is more than just a middleware layer for API integrations, it’s the backbone of a powerful data ecosystem. Our BridgePoint offering is Value Stream Consulting's package of AWS services designed specifically for grantmaking organizations. With BridgePoint, we help clients not only streamline system-to-system connections, but also create a centralized repository where data can be cleaned, reformatted, and enriched for advanced reporting and dashboards.

Because AWS operates on a pay-for-what-you-use model, most foundations, whose storage and processing requirements are modest, see monthly subscription costs as low as $5. Even more complex AWS environments, including one or more open-source platforms, can run for as little as $40 per month, not per user, but for the entire enterprise. One of the advantages of this approach is the flexibility to deploy open-source tools like Metabase, a simpler-to-learn, license-free data, business analysis, dashboard, and reporting tool similar to Power BI, giving large-staffed organizations access to interactive dashboards without any incremental per-user cost.

This architecture also positions our MERL team to integrate AI capabilities for data summarization, predictive analytics, natural language querying, and automated insights, turning raw, disparate datasets into actionable intelligence. The result is a flexible, scalable infrastructure that supports deeper evaluation, better decision-making, and measurable impact.

Power BI – A powerful BI workhorse that turns raw application, funding, and impact data into interactive dashboards and reports. Uncover trends, measure outcomes, and guide funding strategies to maximize community impact.

Metabase – A simpler, cost effective, open source alternative to Power BI that makes complex data easy to explore and visualize, no advanced tech skills required.

GMS Platforms & Databases We Support

We currently work with:

Salesforce
Fluxx
GivingData
HubSpot
SQL Server

Our toolkit gives us access to nearly all grant management systems and databases. If your GMS isn’t listed here, let us know, we can likely support it too.

Why this Synergy Matters

Technology alone can’t deliver impact, it needs the insight, context, and strategic thinking that experienced people bring.

Likewise, even the most capable team needs the right tools to turn vision into reality.

By combining these two forces: experience + technology, we help grantmakers:

See the right data at the right time
Integrate systems for efficiency and accuracy
Build reporting that meets the needs of boards, funders, and stakeholders
Spend more time focusing on mission, not wrestling with data

The result is a MERL approach that is practical, sustainable, and deeply aligned with your grantmaking goals.

As we expand our MERL consulting practice for grantmaking clients, we’re embracing a fundamental shift: moving the “R” in MERL, Monitoring, Evaluation, R, and Learning, from Reporting to Research.

This change isn’t just a matter of semantics. It’s about aligning grantmaking strategy with Value Stream Management (VSM) principles and ensuring every activity in the MERL cycle adds real value to the communities and causes our clients serve.

Two Approaches, Two Outcomes

Over the years, grantmakers have interpreted the “R” in MERL in two ways:

1. Reporting: Compliance-Focused Grantmakers

For compliance-oriented organizations, such as government funders, large institutional philanthropies, or regulated programs, Reporting has been the dominant interpretation.

Here, the focus is on:

Documenting activities and outputs.
Demonstrating accountability to boards, regulators, or funders.
Meeting contractual obligations.

Outcome focus: Satisfying compliance requirements.

2. Research: Progressive, Learning-Driven Grantmakers

Progressive, strategy-driven funders interpret the “R” as Research, turning MERL into a tool for transformation, not just recordkeeping.

Here, the focus is on:

Asking deeper “why” and “how” questions.
Generating new evidence to inform decisions.
Exploring systemic drivers of change.
Sharing insights to strengthen the field as a whole.

Outcome focus: Driving learning, strategy, and measurable improvement.

Why We’re Adopting “R” for Research

In our MERL consulting work, we still view Reporting as essential, but we place it within the “M” for Measurement. Measurement covers the tracking and documentation that ensures transparency, accountability, and regulatory compliance.

By moving “R” to Research, we free it to:

Add value beyond contractual reporting cycles.
Support strategic decision-making with deeper insights.
Advance field-wide learning through evidence-based contributions.
Foster innovation by identifying opportunities and testing new approaches.

The Value Stream Management Connection

Value Stream Management teaches that every process should directly create value for the intended beneficiaries, in grantmaking, that means the communities and causes our clients support.

Reporting, while important, is largely non–value-adding, it serves governance and accountability but doesn’t directly improve outcomes.
Research is inherently value-adding, it generates actionable knowledge that informs better strategies, improves program design, and amplifies impact.

By adopting Research as the “R,” we help our clients transform MERL from a compliance framework into a value-creation engine.

Final Thought: In grantmaking, Reporting ensures accountability. Research ensures advancement. Our role is to help our clients do both, but to put the emphasis where it creates the most value.

We’re redefining the “R” in MERL so it works harder, smarter, and in direct alignment with the principles of Value Stream Management, delivering not just oversight, but outcomes.