We’re Measuring More — But Are We Learning Better?

What our MEAL in India study reveals — and what we’ll unpack together in our webinar.

Dear Readers,

Organisations across India are investing more in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) than ever before. Frameworks are being built, data is being collected, and reports are being produced at scale.

But this raises an important question: what is actually shaping MEAL practice in the development sector today — and is it leading to better learning and decision-making?

Our Status of MEAL in India 2025 report looks closely at this question. It captures both the progress being made and the persistent gaps that continue to hold MEAL back.

Three Findings That Should Make Us Pause

• 84% of NGOs report having a Theory of Change or results framework.
  Yet only 30% of impact reports actually use these frameworks to guide evaluations or decision-making. For many organisations, Theories of Change are treated as compliance documents rather than living tools for learning.

• More than half (53%) of impact assessments include no benchmarking.
  Without benchmarks, it becomes impossible to interpret results meaningfully — we cannot tell whether observed changes are significant, exceptional, or simply reflective of broader trends.

• 70% of impact reports present communities as homogeneous groups.
  Data is rarely disaggregated by gender, caste, age, income, or geography. While some reports mention barriers faced by specific groups, they lack the structured analysis needed to understand who benefits, who doesn’t, and why.

These are just three of the twelve insights highlighted in the report.

What We’ll Explore Together

To share more findings and reflect collectively, we’re hosting an open conversation on the future of MEAL in India on December 22, 2025, at 4:00 PM IST.

This session is a space to explore, as a sector:

• How do we shift MEAL from compliance to learning?

• What does equity-centred evaluation look like in real practice?

• How can community voices move beyond being data sources to becoming sense-makers?

• What will it take to build MEAL systems that inform real decisions — not just reports?

Whether you are a CSR leader, NGO practitioner, funder, researcher, or ecosystem partner — if you care about evidence, learning, and community voice, we hope you’ll join us. We look forward to the conversation.

Warmly,
4th Wheel Social Impact Team