J-PAL South Asia and Brevo Foundation Partner to Strengthen Social Connections in India
J-PAL South Asia and Brevo Foundation announced a five-year partnership at the Common Ground: India–France Development Dialogue 2026. The partnership was announced by Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director, J-PAL South Asia and Armand Thiberge, founder and CEO of Brevo, Chairman of the Brevo Foundation in the presence of Esther Duflo, Nobel Laureate and Co-founder of J-PAL; Scientific Director, J-PAL South Asia. Brevo Foundation is the endowment fund of Brevo, the European leader in customer relationship management (CRM) platforms.
Through a grant of €786,000 the partnership will support research on strengthening social connections to improve the outcomes of low-income populations in India. This partnership aims to identify and evaluate approaches that can improve the living conditions of disadvantaged populations, with particular attention to NGO-led innovations.
Esther Duflo, Scientific Director, J-PAL South Asia, highlighted the importance of this initiative in a time of increasing digital connection and in-person disconnection, stating:
“People’s opportunities are shaped not only by the services and resources they can access, but also by the networks and relationships around them. J-PAL's research has highlighted how these connections can shape people’s lives and opportunities. As India and France celebrate the Year of Innovation, this partnership with the Brevo Foundation will enable J-PAL South Asia to work with NGOs in India to test promising solutions and strengthen their measurement and learning.”
The partnership has two pathways:
Finding and testing what works on social connection
The first pathway will be an open call for research proposals by J-PAL affiliated researchers rigorously studying innovations implemented by NGOs that aim to strengthen social ties, connections and networks. Selected proposals will receive support for scoping studies or randomised evaluations, along with advisory support to the NGOs on strengthening M&E systems. This approach is part of the Brevo Foundation’s mission: to act for social connection, at both the individual and societal level.
Scaling the Graduation Approach
The second pathway aims to support the national expansion of the Graduation Approach through the Government of India’s Samaveshi Aajeevika Yojana. This pathway will support J-PAL South Asia’s efforts to embed and disseminate the utilisation of the Common Minimum Monitoring Framework with the government’s technical assistance partners across states.
Why evidence, and why now?
Created to extend Brevo’s commitment to philanthropy, the Brevo Foundation places connection, dialogue and exchange at the heart of its work, in France and in India. The partnership with J-PAL South Asia is its first public statement and reflects a desire to support evidence-based initiatives, from experimentation through to advocacy.
Speaking about the partnership, Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director of J-PAL South Asia, said:
“Strengthening social ties and connections are an important and emerging area of inquiry, with significant scope to better understand how they can contribute to improved outcomes for vulnerable populations. This partnership illustrates our commitment to turning scientific evidence into concrete action.”
Armand Thiberge, founder and CEO of Brevo and Chairman of the Brevo Endowment Fund, says
“By helping companies and organizations strengthen the bond with their community, we contribute to their success. With the Brevo Foundation, we are serving another kind of connection: social connections, which helps people escape poverty and, more broadly, build a cohesive society.”
For more information about J-PAL South Asia’s work, visit the J-PAL South Asia website.