Social Research and Demonstration

What Social Research and Demonstration does

Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) is a Canadian non-profit research organization founded in 1991 and headquartered in Ottawa. The organization was created specifically to develop, field test, and rigorously evaluate new programs, with a stated mission to help policymakers and practitioners identify policies and programs that improve the well-being of all Canadians — with special concern for disadvantaged populations — and to raise the standards of evidence used in assessing those policies. SRDC serves federal and provincial government departments, municipalities, and non-profit organizations, and its research focuses on 12 policy areas including adult learning, post-secondary education, employment, immigration and settlement, health, housing, income security, and social finance.

SRDC's core offering is a portfolio of 12 interconnected research and evaluation capabilities rather than a commercial software product. These include experimentation services built around randomized controlled trials and quasi-experiments; full-spectrum program evaluation and performance measurement; survey design and data management; data sciences applied to survey and administrative datasets; policy research using literature reviews and multi-jurisdictional comparisons; strategic program review; collective impact evaluation; behavioural economics experiments (practiced since 2001); socio-economic impact assessment including social impact bond measurement; health economics evaluation; knowledge mobilization and workshop facilitation; and capacity building. Differentiating technical elements include long-term participant tracking infrastructure, methodological rigor established over 30+ years, and 550+ completed projects.

SRDC operates a professional services revenue model with no commercial product sales. All work is procured through commissioned research contracts and grants from government departments (notably Employment and Social Development Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation), provincial bodies such as the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, and non-profit partners. Pricing is custom-scoped per project, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization employs between 11 and 50 staff and operates exclusively within Canada, with no disclosed subsidiaries, funding rounds, or ownership changes.

Name

Social Research and Demonstration

Legal name

Social Research and Demonstration Corporation

Website

https://srdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) is a Canadian non-profit research organization founded in 1991 that designs and evaluates social programs through randomized controlled trials, behavioral economics, and policy research for federal and provincial governments and non-profits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Research Contracts: SRDC operates as a non-profit research organization that conducts commissioned research, evaluations, and policy analyses primarily for federal and provincial government departments, municipalities, and public organizations. The organization was established in 1991 specifically to develop, field test, and rigorously evaluate new programs. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts and grants rather than commercial product sales.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SRDC is a non-profit research organization that develops, field tests, and rigorously evaluates social programs through randomized controlled trials, policy experiments, behavioural economics studies, survey design, data sciences, and econometric impact assessments. Its work spans policy areas such as adult learning, employment, income security, immigration and settlement, health, housing, post-secondary education, Indigenous communities, and social finance for government and non-profit clients in Canada. Revenue is earned through commissioned project-based research contracts and grants rather than commercial product sales.

Product overview

Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) is a non-profit research organization offering a portfolio of research and evaluation service capabilities rather than a traditional product. SRDC provides 12 interconnected core capabilities including Experimentation, Program Evaluation/Performance Measurement, Survey Design and Data Management, Data Sciences, Policy Research, Strategic Program Review, Collective Impact Evaluation, Behavioural Economics, Socio-Economic Impact Assessment, Health Economics, Knowledge Mobilization/Workshop Facilitation, and Strengthening Capacity. These capabilities work together to help policymakers and practitioners develop, field test, and rigorously evaluate programs that improve the well-being of Canadians.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experimentation Services Policy experiments for government and non-profit clients that rigorously test innovative program ideas and delivery processes using randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs across policy areas including employment, education, health, immigration, and income security.
• Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement Services Full range of program evaluation services covering program design and development, delivery, outcomes, and impact assessment commissioned by federal, provincial, municipal, and non-profit clients.
• Survey Design and Data Management Services Survey design and data management expertise stemming from long-term tracking of participants in large-scale demonstration projects, with attention to sample design, collection tools, data cleaning, and participant privacy.
• Data Sciences Services Analysis of survey and administrative datasets to identify population profiles, behavioural patterns, program outcomes, statistical relationships, and predictive models for evaluation clients.
• Policy Research Services Policy analyses using literature reviews, environmental scans, in-depth interviews, and multi-jurisdictional comparisons to support evidence-based policy development.
• Strategic Program Review Services System-level analyses and reviews examining alignment of government programs with population needs for strategic decision-making by public-sector clients.
• Collective Impact Evaluation Services Evaluation approaches tailored to collaborative and collective impact initiatives with continuous learning integration for cross-sector partnerships.
• Behavioural Economics Services Economic experiments creating controlled settings to study program participants' preferences and behaviour, applied in adult education, labour market information use, and student financial aid since 2001.
• Socio-Economic Impact Assessment Services Economic and socio-economic assessment techniques for social finance interventions and social impact bonds, including cost-benefit analysis and performance measurement frameworks.
• Health Economics Services Economic evaluation of health policies and programs from patient, family, service provider, organization, and health systems perspectives, focusing on equitable access and distribution of health outcomes.
• Knowledge Mobilization and Workshop Facilitation Services Workshop facilitation and knowledge mobilization ensuring findings from SRDC's research and evaluation projects can be put into action by funders, program managers, practitioners, and participants through appropriate media channels.
• Strengthening Capacity Services Capacity-building in service delivery, data development and management, evaluation, analysis, and innovation for partner organizations in the social-policy sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12.7 percentage point increase in settlement service usage among newcomers receiving proactive outreach (CANN E-Link project)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026CAGBC is leading a project on advancing sustainable buildings workforce in Canada, with SRDC supporting monitoring and impact evaluation across all program components including labour market information, stakeholder engagement, and training resources.
• Comité consultatif des Québécoises et Québécois d'expression anglaise (CCQEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026CCQEA sponsors SRDC research on public employment service accessibility for English-speaking Quebecers. SRDC is conducting the evaluation and research to understand barriers faced by this population in accessing employment services.
• MOSAICcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026MOSAIC is leading an employment support project for refugees with lower English proficiency, with SRDC conducting the evaluation to examine program effectiveness and participant outcomes.
• Higher Education Quality Council of OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026HEQCO commissioned SRDC to study entrepreneurship activities among Ontario postsecondary graduates using the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform data.
• Children's Mental Health OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025CHMO engaged SRDC to conduct Phase 2 evaluation of the Provincial Training Initiative including process, outcomes, and economic evaluations.
• British Columbia Non-Profit Housing AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025BCNPHA engaged SRDC to analyze labour market challenges and workforce development needs of BC's non-profit housing sector, including survey implementation and capacity building recommendations.
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024ISED engaged SRDC to estimate socioeconomic impacts of Innovative Solutions Canada through econometric analysis.
• Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024EMC partnered with SRDC on the Rapid Skills Marketplace project and other manufacturing workforce development initiatives.
• RiipencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024SRDC is working with Riipen to evaluate its Level UP program, an experiential learning marketplace connecting educators, students, and employers.
• S.U.C.C.E.S.S.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024S.U.C.C.E.S.S. piloted the Community Airport Newcomers Network (CANN) E-Link project with SRDC as research and evaluation partner.
• Future Skills CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024FSC engaged SRDC for strategic evaluation and learning support, as well as pay-for-performance research projects.
• Higher Education Quality Council of OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023HEQCO engaged SRDC for the Net Cost of Postsecondary Non-Completion in Ontario project, developing cost-benefit analysis framework.
• Canadian Women's FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023CWF engaged SRDC to evaluate the Girls' Mental Health Project, which pilots anti-oppressive mental health support training for grantees.
• Inuit Tapiriit KanatamicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023ITK engaged SRDC to support the Qanuippitaa National Inuit Health Survey teams in Nunavut and Nunatsiavut through reflective reports and continuous learning processes.
• Mentor CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023SRDC partnered with Mentor Canada to investigate, co-design, and mobilize knowledge about improving access to employment-focused mentoring for young people with racialized identities.
• Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023EMC partnered with SRDC on developing the next generation of skilled trades workers in advanced manufacturing through a pre-apprenticeship program.
• AchēvcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022Achēv piloted the Skilled Newcomer Training Incentive Bond project with SRDC contracted to design and conduct the evaluation.
• Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022ISANS co-piloted the Skilled Newcomer Training Incentive Bond project with SRDC contracted to evaluate the pilot.
• SkillPlancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021SkillPlan engaged SRDC to design and implement evaluation framework for the Connecting the Dots project supporting apprentices in construction trades.
• Association Francophone à L'éducation des Services à L'enfance de L'Ontario (AFÉSEO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2020AFÉSEO engaged SRDC to evaluate the Nurturing the Future project testing an intervention for children's socio-emotional competencies development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Institute for Fiscal Studies: IFS is a UK-based independent microeconomic and fiscal policy research institute. While focused on economics rather than social programs, it shares SRDC's model of rigorous, independent, government-funded policy research with strong quantitative methods.
• MDRC: MDRC is a US-based non-profit social policy research organization that designs, runs, and evaluates randomized controlled trials in education, employment, and income security. It is the closest international analogue to SRDC in mission, methodology, and non-profit structure.
• Public Policy Forum: The Public Policy Forum is a Canadian non-profit dedicated to improving policy outcomes through research and dialogue. It shares SRDC's Canadian policy focus and non-profit status, and engages with similar federal and provincial government stakeholders.
• Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: CCPA is a Canadian non-profit policy research organization that produces research on economic and social policy issues. It shares SRDC's Canadian policy research focus and non-profit structure, though it operates more as an advocacy think tank than an evaluation specialist.
• The Conference Board of Canada: The Conference Board of Canada is a Canadian non-profit research organization that delivers economic and policy research to government and business. It shares SRDC's Canadian focus, government/non-profit client base, and applied research mandate, though it does not specialize in RCTs.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Mathematica is a US non-profit research organization with deep RCT and program evaluation expertise across health, education, and social programs. It competes for the same federal evaluation mandates and uses the same quasi-experimental toolkit as SRDC.
• Urban Institute: Urban Institute is a US non-profit research organization focused on social and economic policy, conducting program evaluation and policy research for government and philanthropic funders. It overlaps with SRDC in evidence-based social policy evaluation.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: RAND is a large US non-profit policy research institution conducting work across health, education, labour, and security policy. It overlaps with SRDC on rigorous program evaluation and government-funded research, but at much greater scale and breadth.
• Abt Associates: Abt Associates is a large US-based research and consulting firm with extensive program evaluation and RCT capabilities. It serves federal and provincial governments on social programs similar to SRDC's portfolio, but at greater scale and with broader service offerings including commercial consulting.
• Brookings Institution: Brookings is a major US public policy research organization covering economic and social policy. While it conducts program evaluation research, its primary focus is policy analysis and thought leadership rather than the field-experimental evaluation work that defines SRDC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SRDC_SRSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SocialResearchAndDemonstrationCorporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Social Research and Demonstration