IPL Impact Protocol Labs
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Open-source impact infrastructure

Tracing impact from donor pledge to verified outcome.

Impact Protocol Labs builds open-source tools for UN agencies, pooled funds, INGOs, and government partners — helping them verify that programmes deliver real outcomes, not just reported activity.

In plain terms: when donors pledge to pooled funds, the cash is tracked carefully until it reaches each implementing organisation — but what is actually achieved on the ground is mostly self-reported. IPL builds the open-source layer that closes that gap, with the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office as the first reference deployment.

Where this work fits Engagement options
About

A specialist team building complementary infrastructure for impact accountability — designed to extend existing pooled-funding modalities, not to replace them.

Pooled funding has become the modality of choice for coordinated, multi-donor action across the development sector — from the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office to bilateral pooled instruments and INGO-administered funds. These structures handle financial flows with rigour, anchored by certified disbursement reporting and well-established institutional accountabilities.

Impact Protocol Labs builds the complementary layer that sits alongside this architecture: independent verification of outcomes, community attestation of activity, and portable evidence that travels with programmes. The work attaches to existing programme architectures and adds an independent line of sight on what was achieved on the ground — without disrupting the financial-flow reporting that already underpins these instruments.

The team is multidisciplinary — covering MEAL system design, technical engineering, participatory governance, and legal-substrate work — and operates across six cities on four continents. Engagements range from advisory and Results Framework strengthening through to full pilot deployments scoped to a host fund's specific decision cycle.

What we build

Six capability areas, scoped to specific points in the programme delivery chain.

Each capability area corresponds to a defined deliverable type. Engagements typically combine three to four of these, depending on the host fund's stage and architecture.

01

Impact measurement frameworks

Custom indicator design aligned to the SDGs, IRIS+, GRI Standards, OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, and the host programme's Theory of Change. Cross-cutting outcome indicators that can be applied consistently across multiple implementing organisations, drawing on established institutional precedents — including non-Western frameworks such as the African Union's Agenda 2063.

Aligned to · SDGs · AU Agenda 2063 · IRIS+ · GRI · OECD-DAC
02

Verification and audit infrastructure

Tamper-resistant data pipelines with timestamped, attributable, independently verifiable evidence trails. The evidentiary standard pooled funds and multilateral partners are increasingly being asked for, designed to corroborate rather than replace PUNO reporting.

Standards · UNEG norms · IATI
03

Community-attestation tooling

Mobile-first, low-bandwidth, multilingual attestation tools with consent frameworks built in. Designed for participatory validation by the communities programmes serve, with documented dispute-resolution protocols, anonymisation, and right of withdrawal.

Protocols · UN data privacy · do-no-harm
04

Participatory governance design

Multi-stakeholder governance architectures: equitable validation mechanisms, community feedback loops, and dispute resolution that ensure assessment reflects lived experience without slowing operational reporting cycles.

Aligned with · UNSDG operational guidance
05

End-to-end MEAL system design

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning system design from Results Framework through real-time dashboards to independent evaluation support. Built for adaptive management and continuous programme improvement, with a focus on cycle-time reduction.

Methodology · RBM · OECD-DAC criteria
06

Real-time dashboards and portable credentials

Stakeholder-specific dashboards translating verified outcome data for Steering Committees, donors, and implementing partners. Verified outputs can be issued as portable impact credentials, recognised across implementing partners and pooled funds in standard, interoperable formats.

Interop · IATI · UNSDG joint-programme schemas
Approach

Five design principles, drawn from MEAL practice and pooled-fund governance.

These principles shape the architecture of every engagement. They are not preferences; they are the operating constraints that make a complementary verification layer credible to UN counterparties.

  1. Additive, not substitutive.

    A complementary layer must operate alongside the certified financial reporting and contractual instruments that anchor the pass-through modality. We do not propose alternatives to MOU and SAA templates, the AA mandate, or PUNO programmatic accountability — only finer-grained visibility past the second link in the chain.

    Operating substrate · UNSDG · MPTFO

  2. Corroboration over replacement.

    Community attestation does not replace PUNO reporting. It runs alongside it, surfacing the corroboration delta — where attestation aligns with PUNO reporting, where it diverges, what was learned. The PUNO retains programmatic accountability; the complementary layer adds an independent line of sight.

    Methodology · triangulation · OECD-DAC

  3. Locally-defined indicators alongside standardised ones.

    Cross-cutting outcome indicators enable comparability; locally-defined success metrics — designed with and owned by communities of the global majority — ensure that what is measured reflects what matters in context, not only what is legible to external frameworks. Communities are treated as authorities on their own development, not as data sources for externally-designed evaluation systems. Measurement that cannot be read back to those it concerns is not accountability.

    Reference · community ownership · OHCHR · AU Agenda 2063

  4. Consent as architecture, not procedure.

    Consent frameworks, anonymisation, and right of withdrawal are designed into the data model from the outset, not bolted on. Community participation is opt-in, compensated where appropriate, and reviewed by an independent ethics peer reviewer before deployment in any field context.

    Standards · UN data privacy · do-no-harm

  5. Open-source as default, not concession.

    All software developed in client engagements is released under permissive open-source licences (Apache 2.0 for code, CC BY 4.0 for documentation and frameworks). IPL's commercial model is consultancy-and-integration, not licensed software — so the underlying tools remain available to the broader development community.

    Licensing · Apache 2.0 · CC BY 4.0
Where this work fits

Three contexts where IPL is the right partner.

IPL is a specialist team. The work fits cleanly into specific institutional contexts — defined decision cycles, a named host fund or programme, and a clear scope owner. Three of those contexts are below.

Context 01

A pooled fund preparing its next Results Framework cycle.

The fund's Steering Committee is approaching a programmatic-delivery decision — a new operational year, an expanded portfolio, or a strategic review. The Results Framework needs strengthening ahead of the cycle, with sharper outcome indicators and a verification approach that holds across the partner ecosystem.

IPL delivers Pre-cycle architecture audit; outcome indicator design with implementing partners and community representatives; integration roadmap ready for the next governance cycle.
Context 02

A new joint programme or pooled fund being shaped.

A new instrument is in the design phase — a joint programme between agencies, a thematic pooled fund being formed, or a multi-country programme entering its operations-manual stage. The architecture is being set now, and verification can be designed in from the start rather than retrofitted later.

IPL delivers Greenfield MEAL system design; Results Framework architecture; verification layer specified for the operations manual, open-source from day one.
Context 03

An implementing partner seeking independent verification.

An INGO or implementing partner is responding to donor pressure for independent verification of impact claims — or is positioning ahead of it. Internal monitoring is sound but lacks an independent layer that donors can rely on, and traditional evaluation cycles are too slow or too thin.

IPL delivers Independent verification layer; community attestation infrastructure; donor-ready evidence package aligned to OECD-DAC criteria and IRIS+ indicators.

If none of these contexts fit cleanly: general interest is welcome, but the work has the most impact where there is a named decision cycle to deliver into. A short discovery conversation is the best way to test fit before any scoping — and we will say directly if the timing is not right yet.

Foundation

What the work is built on — published research, specific frameworks, and prior delivery.

Research

Mapped 51 verified UN-system Ethereum/EVM projects with the ETH×UN Impact Framework.

Teodor Petričević's 2025 Ethereum Foundation Next Billion Fellowship produced a triple-proof verification model (on-chain data, off-chain documentation, community narrative) validated with 11 Ethereum organisations and five UN/impact-management experts. Among the published findings: more than 60 per cent of projects in the cohort tracked KPIs idiosyncratically, without clear linkage to specific SDG indicators. The work was co-developed with Razali Samsudin and Selin Arpaci.

Research

Recalibrating Value, Identity & Impact Through The Blockchain (Bartlett & Samsudin, 2023).

A long-form analysis of 65 impact projects assessed against the SDG framework, examining the conditions under which decentralised infrastructure can support — rather than displace — institutional impact measurement. Co-authored by Razali Samsudin (IPL CEO) and Cole Bartlett (Sustainable ADA), it underpins the methodological approach taken in subsequent IPL engagements.

Frameworks aligned to

SDG indicators, AU Agenda 2063, IRIS+, GRI Standards, OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, IATI standard, UNEG norms.

All IPL engagements align to recognised institutional frameworks — including non-Western reference standards. The SDG indicator framework anchors outcome attribution. The African Union's Agenda 2063 Results Framework grounds IPL's work in the continent's own development priorities. IRIS+ and GRI Standards inform private-sector and reporting alignment. OECD-DAC criteria (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability) shape evaluation design. UNEG norms govern evaluation conduct. IATI structures financial-flow disclosure.

Prior delivery

Participatory governance for Amnesty International's 10-million-supporter base.

Razali Samsudin (Tech Project Lead) and Gareth Fakhry (Legal and Governance Lead) jointly lead the Human Rights DAO initiative at Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand — participatory governance architecture for a 10-million-supporter constituency. The work covers governance models for civil-society organisations, token design, and pluralist governance. Findings are documented in a co-authored token whitepaper, published as a preprint on SSRN (the paper has not been peer-reviewed).

Team

A small specialist team, multidisciplinary by design.

Four named principals across MEAL, technical, legal-governance, and product disciplines, supported by three named advisors. Operating across Auckland, London, Munich, Paris, Brescia, and Zagreb.

Principal · Co-Founder

Razali Samsudin

CEO & Co-Founder

Researcher and educator with 17 years across education, sustainability, and social impact. MSc Sustainable Development (Université Paris Dauphine), MSc Environmental Technology (Imperial College London), Zinc Visiting Fellow. Co-author of Recalibrating Value, Identity & Impact Through The Blockchain (2023). Tech Project Lead on the Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand Human Rights DAO initiative, co-leading with Gareth Fakhry; co-author of the HRDAO token whitepaper (SSRN preprint). Has led SDG-aligned impact measurement research across programmes in Europe and Southeast Asia.

Imperial College London · Paris Dauphine · Zinc · HRDAO Tech Lead
Principal

Teodor Petričević

Product & Growth Lead

Twenty years in impact venturing and ecosystem design. At UNDP's Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab), leads partnerships and alternative-finance mechanisms for civil society and start-ups globally. 2025 Ethereum Foundation Next Billion Fellow: developed the open-source ETH×UN Impact Framework. Member of the UNDP Innovation Team and the UN Blockchain Group; spearheads the SDG Blockchain Accelerator and UN Blockchain Community of Practice.

UNDP AltFinLab · UN Blockchain Group · EF Fellow 2025
Senior specialist

Marcella Pasotti

MEAL Lead

Formerly MEAL and Innovation Focal Point at the International Organization for Migration (IOM, UN Migration). Specialist expertise in results-based monitoring frameworks, evidence-based programme delivery, and adaptive management across humanitarian and development contexts. Working knowledge of UN system reporting requirements and Results Framework design.

IOM (UN Migration) · MEAL · Innovation focal point
Senior specialist

Gareth Fakhry

Legal & Governance Lead

Lawyer (New Zealand Bar), 20 years' practice. Partnerships and Special Projects Manager at Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand. Project Lead on the Amnesty Human Rights DAO initiative — leading governance design, legal architecture, and partner engagement, with Razali Samsudin as Tech Project Lead. Co-author of the HRDAO token whitepaper, published as a preprint on SSRN.

Amnesty International · NZ Bar · HRDAO Project Lead
Advisors

Cole Bartlett

Technical advisor

Co-founder of Sustainable ADA and Impact Web3. Co-author of the 2023 research Recalibrating Value, Identity & Impact Through The Blockchain, with Razali Samsudin.

Selin Arpaci

Impact & product advisor

Technical University of Munich and GovStack. Co-developer of the ETH×UN Impact Framework as a 2025 Ethereum Foundation Next Billion Fellow.

Sarah Margono Samsudin

Digital tech & learning

Digital tech and learning at the INS Vodafone Foundation. Previously UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development, and CDP.

Roadmap

A staged rollout — specification, pilot, then institutional adoption.

A staged rollout designed to deliver verifiable value within each Steering Committee decision cycle.

Q2 2026 · current

Specification and pilot scoping

Verification-layer specification and reference architecture published. Initial case study and pilot proposal materials prepared for direct partner engagement. Pilot proposals open with selected host-fund counterparts.

Q3 2026

First pilot in delivery

A 14-week pilot attached to one host fund, against two to three live programmes. Open-source repository active.

Q4 2026

Second pilot, governance layer beta

Participatory validation, dispute resolution, and audit-trail infrastructure released in beta. Field deployment in a contrasting host fund.

Q1 2027

Dashboards and reporting module

Steering-Committee-ready dashboards and automated stakeholder reporting pipelines, with credential export in standard, interoperable formats.

Q2 2027

Open API and integration toolkit

Integration toolkit for existing programme-management systems. Documentation and reference implementations published.

2028

Institutional adoption

Graduation pathway from pilot to host-fund Operations Manual, with the verification layer in routine use across multiple joint programmes and pooled funds.

Engagement

Three engagement modes, scaled to context.

The right entry point depends on where the host fund or programme sits in its delivery cycle, and what is already in place. All engagements begin with a structured discovery conversation. A tailored proposal follows, anchored against UN consultant fee-range guidance.

Engagement A

Framework engagement

A focused indicator-framework and MEAL-architecture engagement for organisations with a theory of change but no operational measurement structure. Light-touch, four to six weeks, no software build — produces a practical, ready-to-use framework that integrates with tools already in use.

  • Theory-of-change mapping and outcome-indicator design
  • MEAL system architecture review against existing data and reporting
  • Indicator schema aligned to SDGs, AU Agenda 2063, IRIS+, and programme context
  • Data-collection guidance and indicator registry delivered in four to six weeks
  • No software build required — integrates with existing systems
Discuss a framework engagement
Engagement B

Pilot engagement

A scoped pilot attached to a chosen host fund — equally applicable to a mature fund or one entering its first delivery year. Designed to deliver findings and an integration roadmap within a single governance decision cycle.

  • Architecture audit with the host fund's monitoring team
  • Outcome indicator design with implementing partners and community representatives
  • Verification-layer build, open-source from day one, with independent peer review
  • Field pilot across two to three live programmes
  • Findings package and integration roadmap, ready for the host fund's governance cycle
Discuss a pilot — get in touch
Engagement C

Strategic advisory

An ongoing advisory retainer for funds, agencies, or implementing organisations seeking embedded monitoring, evaluation and learning expertise — and participatory governance and verification support — without a full pilot scope.

  • Results Framework review and strengthening
  • Indicator-set design support, with cross-cutting marker design
  • MEAL system architecture review
  • Steering Committee briefings and decision-support material
  • Independent peer-review participation
Open an advisory conversation
Engagement

Opening a structured conversation.

If your fund is approaching its next Results Framework cycle, or if a new fund is being shaped, IPL would welcome a structured conversation about a pilot scoped to the fund's specific architecture and decision cycle.

Email Impact Protocol Labs