ARK Foundation

What ARK Foundation does

ARK Foundation is a Dhaka-headquartered, non-governmental non-profit research organization founded in 2012 that delivers evidence-based research, training, and policy translation across health, nutrition, education, gender equality, and environmental sustainability in Bangladesh. The organization operates across 9 thematic areas — communicable disease, non-communicable disease, multimorbidity, antimicrobial resistance, maternal/newborn/child/reproductive health, nutrition, health systems, climate change and environment, and gender equity and social inclusion — and has reached approximately 13,309 community clinics and trained around 14,000 community health care providers, with a documented 99.5% correct referral rate and 89% correct antibiotic use post-intervention.

Its core products are research programs and field-validated tools rather than commercial software, including the IMCI Job Aid (adapted from WHO guidelines and scaled nationally by the Bangladesh Ministry of Health), the EQ-5D value sets for Bangladesh, and flagship research programs CHORUS, COSTAR, SCIMITAR-SA, CLASS-III, and IMPACT. Methodologically, ARK Foundation uses sequential explanatory mixed-methods research designs, community group and community support group engagement frameworks, and participatory visualization (PV) and community dialogue approaches (CDA) for AMR interventions.

ARK Foundation's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial. It operates as a research implementation partner in multi-country consortia, receiving funding from UKRI GCRF, NIHR, the Medical Research Council, WHO, and lead academic institutions such as the Universities of Leeds, York, Liverpool, Edinburgh, and Sheffield. Its primary customer segments are Bangladesh government health authorities (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Railway), international research institutions requiring local implementation expertise, and community populations benefiting from scaled interventions. Go-to-market occurs through peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, conference presentations, and direct partnerships with government ministries rather than commercial sales channels.

Name

ARK Foundation

Legal name

ARK Foundation

Website

https://arkfoundationbd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ARK Foundation is a Dhaka-based non-profit research organization that delivers evidence-based health, nutrition, education, gender, and environmental research in Bangladesh, partnering with UK universities and the Bangladesh government to develop and scale community-level health interventions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Health Research and Implementation

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA), Health Equity & Social Determinants Program Funding (HLAJALAK)

Keywords

• Public health research
• Global health programs
• Health systems strengthening
• Community health interventions
• Implementation science

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: ARK Foundation operates as a non-profit research organization funded through international research grants from agencies such as UKRI, Medical Research Council, NIHR, WHO, and development partners. Funding supports specific research projects, implementation studies, and program evaluations in health and development sectors.
2. Research Implementation Partnerships: Implementation of research projects as a partner organization in multi-country studies, receiving funding from lead institutions (e.g., University of Leeds) to conduct research activities in Bangladesh.
3. Training and Technical Assistance: Development and delivery of training programs, job aids, and capacity building initiatives for healthcare providers and community workers, often scaled nationally by government ministries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ARK Foundation is a non-governmental, non-political, not-for-profit research organization that conducts evidence-based research and implements data-driven solutions in health, nutrition, education, gender equality, and environmental sustainability in Bangladesh. The organization delivers multi-country research programs (e.g., COSTAR, CHORUS, CLASS-III, SCIMITAR-SA), develops context-specific health tools and job aids (e.g., IMCI job aid, EQ-5D value sets), and provides training and technical assistance for community health workers. Its outputs are designed to inform national health policy and be scaled through government adoption.

Product overview

ARK Foundation is a non-governmental, non-political, not-for-profit research organization based in Dhaka, Bangladesh dedicated to socio-economic development through evidence-based research, training, and communications. Rather than a commercial product company, ARK Foundation conducts research programs and develops specialized tools and resources in health, nutrition, education, gender equality, and environmental sectors. Their offerings include research programs (CHORUS urban health initiative, COSTAR antimicrobial resistance project, SCIMITAR-SA tobacco cessation, CLASS-III secondhand smoke research), developed tools (IMCI job aid for childhood illness management, EQ-5D value sets for Bangladesh), and publications/resources supporting evidence-based policy making.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) Job Aid A six-page diagnostic and case management job aid adapted from WHO IMCI guidelines for the Bangladesh context. Used by community health care providers at community clinics to manage six common childhood illnesses, including guidance on appropriate antibiotic use. The job aid was scaled nationwide by the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and supported training of approximately 14,000 community health care providers.
• EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L Value Set for Bangladesh Health state value sets (EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L) developed for Bangladesh to accurately measure health status of adults. These are standardized instruments used globally for evaluating health outcomes, adapted to Bangladesh's population to enable context-appropriate health measurement and economic evaluation.
• CHORUS (Community-led Responsive and Effective Urban Health Systems) A research program focused on community-led responsive and effective urban health systems in Bangladesh. Includes Innovation Fund projects, such as studies on drug sellers and antimicrobial resistance in urban health settings and research evidence communication by news media. Targets urban health access for slum and marginalized populations.
• COSTAR (Community Solutions To Antimicrobial Resistance) A research program engaging communities to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through contextualized and sustainable community-led solutions in Nepal and Bangladesh. Uses Participatory Visualization (PV) and Community Dialogue Approach (CDA) methods. Implemented in 25 community clinics across catchment areas of approximately 6,000 population each, in partnership with HERD International, Chittagong Veterinary University, University of Leeds, and others.
• SCIMITAR-SA (Smoking Cessation Intervention for Severe Mental Ill Health - South Asia) A multi-country tobacco cessation intervention tailored for people with severe mental illness (SMI) in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Addresses both smoking and smokeless tobacco use in populations with SMI such as schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, and severe depression. Builds on expertise from the ASTRA programme (NIHR Global Health Group).
• CLASS-III (Children Learning About Second-hand Smoking) A multinational cluster randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of a school-based Smoke-Free Intervention in reducing children's exposure to second-hand smoke and associated respiratory symptoms. Conducted in partnership with the University of York and supported by the UK Medical Research Council.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.5% correct referral decisions by trained Community Health Care Providers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• James P. Grant School of Public Health of BRAC UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Local implementation partner for CRUCIBLE project focusing on arts-based approaches to health promotion in informal settlement schools in Bangladesh. BRAC University's school of public health provides local expertise and community access.
• HERD InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Nepal-based research partner in COSTAR consortium working on community-led solutions to antimicrobial resistance across Nepal and Bangladesh implementation settings.
• University of YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research partner collaborating on multiple projects including CLASS-III (Children Learning About Second-hand Smoking) hosted at University of York. Partnership involves multinational cluster-randomized controlled trials and implementation research in Bangladesh.
• University of LeedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in multiple research programs including COSTAR (antimicrobial resistance), COMDIS-HSD (health service delivery), and CRUCIBLE (urban health). Leeds serves as host institution and primary funder for several Bangladesh-based research activities.
• University of LiverpoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner involved in COSTAR consortium and other multi-institutional research initiatives addressing global health challenges in Bangladesh.
• WHOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with World Health Organization on physical activity policy analysis and other public health research initiatives aligned with WHO global action plans.
• Chittagong Veterinary UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Bangladesh contributing One Health expertise to COSTAR antimicrobial resistance research, linking human, animal, and environmental health approaches.
• Malaria ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational NGO partner in COSTAR consortium contributing expertise in disease control and community health intervention implementation across South Asia.
• COMDIS-HSDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch Programme Consortium funded by UK aid that carries out implementation research to help policymakers improve health service delivery. ARK Foundation is a partner organization implementing research in Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family WelfarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry that adopts and scales up research interventions developed through partnership with ARK Foundation, including nationwide training of community health care providers using developed job aids and guidelines.
• Bangladesh Ministry of RailwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry leading tobacco control initiatives in railway settings. ARK Foundation provides research and evaluation support through baseline and endline surveys for smoke-free railway station interventions.
• icddrbcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh - leading local health research institution collaborating on various public health research initiatives.
• MSFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMédecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) collaboration on health research activities in Bangladesh.
• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in IMPACT study (multimorbidity research) and other international health research collaborations.
• NIHR Global Health Group ASTRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership building on expertise from ASTRA programme for tobacco cessation intervention development for people with severe mental illness in South Asian LMICs.
• NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health (RESPIRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIHR-funded research unit on respiratory health providing funding and expertise for Bangladesh Asthma Hajj Study and related respiratory health research.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• icddr,b: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh — the leading local health research institution, explicitly listed as an ARK partner and direct competitor for international health research funding and government commissions in Bangladesh.
• HERD International: Nepal-based health research organization explicitly partnered with ARK in the COSTAR antimicrobial resistance consortium. Operates with similar evidence-based, multi-country LMIC research model.
• James P. Grant School of Public Health (BRAC University): Local implementation partner for ARK's CRUCIBLE project on urban health. Operates as a Bangladesh-based public health research and teaching institution with overlapping thematic areas in urban health, NCDs, and community health.
• International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr,b — alternate reference): Same institution as primary peer #1; reaffirms the central role of icddr,b as ARK's closest comparable Bangladesh-based health research institution.

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: Bangladesh-based global development organization with health, education, and social development programs. Operates James P. Grant School of Public Health (an ARK partner) and competes for similar donor funding and government-scale interventions.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): Listed as a minor research partner of ARK. Operates field health research and program evaluation in Bangladesh and globally — overlapping in operational research on NCDs, AMR, and primary care quality.
• Population Council: International research NGO conducting biomedical, social science, and public health research in Bangladesh and other LMICs. Comparable in evidence-based health and social development research with government-policy linkages.
• PATH: Global health NGO with active Bangladesh programs in immunization, AMR, NCDs, and maternal/child health. Competes for similar donor pools and pursues comparable evidence-to-policy pathways with government scale-up.

Emerging players

• Malaria Consortium: International NGO partner in the COSTAR consortium contributing expertise in disease control and community health intervention delivery across South Asia. Comparable model of donor-funded, community-led health research in LMICs.
• Sightsavers: Listed as one of ARK's partner organizations. Operates research and program evaluation in Bangladesh and other LMICs across NTDs, disability, and health systems — comparable evidence-to-policy model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arkfoundation1
• Facebookfacebook.com/arkfoundation2016
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arkbangladesh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ARK Foundation