Social Connections for Human Development (SCHD) Incubator
The Social Connections for Human Development (SCHD) Incubator supports partnerships between researchers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in India to develop and evaluate interventions that seek to better understand, strengthen, or leverage social connections.
About SCHD Incubator
The relationships and networks that people are part of shape their opportunities, behaviours, and outcomes. There are important gaps in our understanding of how social connections do this, and of which programmes and approaches can strengthen or leverage them for individuals and communities.
Through the SCHD Incubator, J-PAL South Asia and Brevo Foundation will bring together or support established teams of researchers with expertise in rigorous research and evaluation and NGOs with experience implementing programmes and working directly with communities. Together, these teams will generate rigorous and concrete evidence for policy and practice.
The SCHD Incubator is supported by Brevo Foundation and implemented in partnership with J-PAL South Asia.
Key Facts
Office:
Scientific Advisors:
Arun Chandrasekhar
Sharon Barnhardt
Status:
Research RFP: Opens November 2026
Eligibility:
Researcher–NGO teams proposing research to be implemented in India. Further details will be announced soon.
Geography:
India
Contact:
J-PAL South Asia and Brevo Foundation partnership
The J-PAL South Asia and Brevo Foundation partnership was introduced at Common Ground, a convening hosted by J-PAL South Asia, the Fund for Innovation in Development (FID), and Agence Française de Dévelopement (AFD) on October 15, 2026. The partnership was signed between J-PAL South Asia Executive Director, Shobhini Mukerji and Chairman, Fonds de Dotation Brevo, Armand Thiberge.
The partnership aims to:
Support researcher–NGO partnerships to develop and evaluate interventions that seek to better understand, strengthen, or leverage social connections.
Fund rigorous research on important, policy-relevant questions related to social connections and networks.
Request for proposals
Request for proposals (RFP) will open in November 2026 with a Letter of Intent (LOI) stage. Shortlisted teams will then be invited to submit full proposals.
Call for proposals opening soon.
Partner
Partnership team
Antara Keswani
Policy Manager
J-PAL South Asia
Namitha Sadanand
Policy & Training Lead
J-PAL South Asia
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