International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

What International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies does

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), founded in 1919 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world's largest humanitarian non-governmental federation, coordinating 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies with a combined volunteer base exceeding 18 million people and 1,001–5,000 paid employees across five regional offices. Its functional purpose is to coordinate international humanitarian assistance before, during, and after disasters and health emergencies, channelling funds, supplies, and personnel to National Societies who execute frontline response.

IFRC's core products and platforms include the IFRC-DREF pooled Disaster Response Emergency Fund (CHF 77.4M disbursed in 2025, targeting CHF 100M annually under the 2026-2030 Strategic Ambition), the IFRC GO operational coordination platform, ShaRED for resource sharing, a centralized Learning Platform, and Forecast-based Financing instruments that pre-position funds using meteorological triggers. The federation applies a localized response model in which 82% of DREF funds go directly to local responders, compared with a sector average of approximately 1.2% reaching local actors directly.

IFRC's revenue model combines sovereign donor grants, multilateral funding from UN agencies and institutional partners such as Aon, and public fundraising channelled through National Societies. Monetization is non-commercial: income is tied to voluntary contributions and emergency appeals, including 2026 appeals totalling over CHF 400M for Iran (CHF 120M), Lebanon (CHF 100M), Sudan (CHF 80M), and Africa Ebola preparedness (CHF 29.5M). Strategic positioning is anchored in the Geneva Conventions mandate, permanent UN General Assembly observer status, and partnerships with WHO, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, Africa CDC, and MSF.

Name

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Legal name

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Website

https://ifrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The IFRC is the Geneva-based federation of 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, coordinating global humanitarian disaster response and health emergency operations through the IFRC-DREF pooled fund, IFRC GO coordination platform, and an 18-million-strong volunteer network serving vulnerable populations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Assistance

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (624210), Community Housing Services (62422), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD), Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian assistance
• Disaster response
• Emergency relief
• Humanitarian coordination
• Community health

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Voluntary donations and membership contributions: Ongoing income from individual donors, private sector partners, and contributions from 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent member societies, supplemented by Islamic humanitarian giving (Zakat and Sadaqah). Donations can be made to the central pool of funds (giving IFRC flexibility to allocate where most needed) or to specific emergency appeals.
2. Emergency Appeals: Targeted fundraising appeals launched for large and complex disasters (e.g., Mozambique Floods 2026 CHF 7M, Africa Ebola 2026 CHF 29.5M, Iran Complex Emergency 2026 CHF 120M, Cameroon Food Insecurity 2026 CHF 9.6M, Madagascar Cyclones 2026 CHF 7.5M, Sudan Complex Emergency CHF 80M, Lebanon Complex Emergency CHF 100M).
3. Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF): Pooled fund supported by multiple donors (including an insurance backstop with Aon) that disbursed over CHF 74 million in 2023 (to 90 National Societies reaching 14.6M people) and CHF 77.4 million in 2025 (across 170 operations reaching 15M people), targeting CHF 100 million annually by 2025. Includes a dedicated Anticipatory Pillar (12% of 2023 funding, targeting 25% by 2025).
4. Government, multilateral and private sector partnerships: Funding from national governments, multilateral and international financial institutions, the private sector and innovative finance partners, channeled through IFRC partnerships for disaster risk reduction, climate action, health, migration, and humanitarian operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world's largest humanitarian network, coordinating life-saving assistance through 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and more than 18 million community-based volunteers. It provides rapid emergency funding (Disaster Response Emergency Fund/DREF), coordinates disaster response, anticipatory action, health, WASH, shelter, cash and voucher assistance, migration support, and capacity building, supported by coordination platforms including IFRC GO and the IFRC-DREF pooled fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IFRC GO: IFRC's emergency operations platform for capturing, analyzing and sharing real-time data during a crisis; covers small localized crises to major disasters that require international assistance.
• IFRC-DREF (Disaster Response Emergency Fund)
• IFRC ShaRED
• IFRC Solferino Academy
• IFRC-DREF Anticipatory Pillar
• IFRC News
• World Disasters Report

Products and services

• Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF)
• IFRC GO Emergency Operations Platform
• Anticipatory Pillar (Forecast-Based Financing)
• IFRC ShaRED Multimedia Library
• IFRC Learning Platform and Solferino Academy
• Emergency Appeals
• Cash and Voucher Assistance Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 18+ million community-based volunteers across 191 National Societies
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• World Health Organization (WHO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IFRC works closely with the WHO on multiple emergency responses, including the DRC Ebola outbreak. The IFRC implements WHO-recommended Safe and Dignified Burial protocols in Mongbwalu, supported by anthropologists, while the WHO coordinates public health intelligence, lab testing, and risk classification. The WHO declared the DRC Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, jointly coordinates cross-border surveillance across 11 countries, and has verified 13 attacks on health sites in Iran during the US-Israeli conflict.
• UNICEFflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF partners with the IFRC on the DRC Ebola response, training community volunteers (with partner Remed+) for door-to-door awareness and trust-building campaigns. UNICEF also coordinated with the IFRC on the third Dubai Humanitarian airlift to DR Congo, providing fortified biscuits, hygiene kits, tents and burial supplies. UNICEF has expressed concern over children's survival in the Ituri outbreak (17% of confirmed cases in an area with 52.1% chronic malnutrition in under-fives).
• World Food Programme (WFP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFP co-leads the Regional Anticipatory Action Working Group (RAAWG) with the IFRC and FAO, working on anticipatory action activations across Southern Africa. WFP-UNHRD also mobilized relief supplies for the third Dubai Humanitarian airlift to DR Congo. WFP has warned that operational costs and donor cuts are straining the ability to deliver food aid, particularly with disruptions at Jebel Ali port caused by the Iran conflict.
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO co-leads the Regional Anticipatory Action Working Group (RAAWG) with the IFRC and WFP, convening a three-day workshop in Antananarivo (25-27 November 2025) to consolidate lessons from anticipatory action activations across Southern Africa. The partnership covers trigger determination, impact-based forecasting, financing mechanisms for multi-hazard preparedness, and a shared preparedness dashboard aligned to the RAAWG Roadmap (2025-2027).
• Dubai HumanitariancoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUnder directives from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Humanitarian facilitated its third humanitarian airlift to the Ebola-affected DR Congo, delivering 76.2 metric tonnes of supplies including hygiene kits, fortified biscuits, tents, and burial supplies worth $223,150 (logistics $270,000). The flight was transported via Dubai Royal Air Wing to Entebbe, Uganda on 21 June 2026, and coordinated with the IFRC, WFP-UNHRD, UNICEF and DG ECHO.
• Plan International PilipinascoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPlan International Pilipinas co-signed a Terms of Reference with the Philippine Red Cross and the IFRC Philippine Country Office to reinforce the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance Philippines Country Coordination Mechanism. The collaboration focuses on climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and inclusive climate action across Filipino communities.
• Netherlands Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Netherlands Red Cross, together with the Moroccan Red Crescent and the IFRC, supported the launch of a centralized community feedback system with a hotline ('Ligne Verte') in 2023 following a devastating earthquake in Morocco. The digital system replaced Excel-based tracking; as of December 2025 it has processed over 14,000 feedback entries and 700 hotline calls, reducing average feedback closure time from 49 to 7 days and achieving 94% case resolution.
• Centre for Disaster ProtectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Centre for Disaster Protection, alongside Aon, pioneered the innovative insurance policy for IFRC-DREF. This partnership ensures the DREF remains solvent and effective during periods of extraordinary need, exemplifying the IFRC's commitment to innovative financing for humanitarian response.
• German Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe German Red Cross, in partnership with the IFRC, maintains a dedicated Anticipation Hub website on anticipatory action. The Hub provides resources and expertise for National Societies, academia, governments and the private sector, including the Red Cross/Red Crescent Forecast-Based Financing Practitioner Manual. The partnership supports the Anticipatory Pillar of the DREF.
• Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrica CDC, led by Director General Jean Kaseya, coordinates closely with the IFRC on the DRC Ebola outbreak, including joint response planning and funding appeals. Africa CDC is seeking US$518 million over six months for a joint Africa-wide Ebola response plan with WHO and has warned the outbreak could become the worst ever, with potential costs escalating to US$7.5 billion if delayed.
• ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerALIMA continues operations alongside IFRC in eastern DRC after community tensions in Rwampara, where an Ebola treatment center was burned. ALIMA and IFRC are key operational partners delivering clinical care and Safe and Dignified Burials in the Bundibugyo Ebola response.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without BorderscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMSF and IFRC coordinate closely on the DRC Ebola response; MSF reported its treatment tent in Mongbwalu was burned by angry residents, and stated that most treatment centers in Ituri are overwhelmed, suggesting government figures understate the true toll. MSF also provided clinical care in early outbreak weeks.
• Solferino AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolferino Academy is a humanitarian learning and training platform listed as an IFRC learning partner on the homepage's 'Learn with us' navigation, providing online learning resources for the Red Cross/Red Crescent network.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): The other pillar of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, operating under the Geneva Conventions with a focus on armed conflict and detention. Directly comparable to IFRC in mandate, emblem protection, and National Society linkages, but specialized in conflict rather than disaster response.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders: Independent medical humanitarian organization delivering emergency healthcare in conflict zones, epidemics, and disasters. Directly comparable to IFRC on Ebola response, safe burials, and frontline humanitarian operations, with similar emphasis on neutrality and access.
• Oxfam International: Confederation of NGOs focused on poverty alleviation, emergency response, and WASH programming in disasters and conflicts. Comparable to IFRC in multi-country humanitarian footprint, advocacy, and donor-funded response model.
• CARE International: Global humanitarian organization delivering emergency response, food security, and women's empowerment programs through country offices. Comparable to IFRC in federation structure, donor-funded appeals, and multi-sector disaster response.
• Save the Children International: Global NGO focused on children's rights, health, education, and emergency response across 100+ countries. Comparable to IFRC in international humanitarian footprint, National Society-like membership model, and emergency appeal fundraising.

Broad incumbents

• World Food Programme (WFP): UN agency providing food assistance in emergencies and working with logistics networks like UNHRD. Comparable to IFRC on food insecurity responses (e.g., Cameroon) and as Regional Anticipatory Action Working Group co-lead, though WFP's mandate is food-system focused rather than multi-sector.
• UNICEF: UN agency delivering humanitarian and development assistance to children, including health, nutrition, and WASH. Comparable to IFRC as a frontline operational partner on Ebola, DRC airlifts, and community health, though with a narrower demographic mandate.
• World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized agency for international public health, coordinating disease outbreak response and health emergencies. Comparable to IFRC as joint coordinator on Ebola, health cluster lead, and PHEIC declarations, though WHO focuses on normative and surveillance work rather than field delivery.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): UN agency mandated to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees and displaced people. Comparable to IFRC on displacement, restoring family links, and refugee response (Sudan crisis, Mediterranean flows), though UNHCR is the legal lead while IFRC operates as auxiliary.
• UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs): UN body responsible for coordinating humanitarian response and convening the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Comparable to IFRC as a system-wide humanitarian coordination actor, though OCHA convenes while IFRC directly delivers through its 191 National Societies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/federation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ifrc
• Facebookfacebook.com/RedCrossRedCrescent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ifrc
• Instagraminstagram.com/ifrc
• TikToktiktok.com/@ifrc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies