GRID Impact

What GRID Impact does

GRID Impact is a US-headquartered, remote social impact collective founded in 2014 that partners with foundations, NGOs, multilateral agencies, governments, and social enterprises to apply behavioral science and human-centered design to complex development and equity challenges. The firm operates through three interconnected service pillars: Behavioral Research and Participatory Design, Executive/Strategic/Creative Facilitation, and Capacity Building and Education. Its proprietary methodology follows a four-phase Discover-Concept-Prototype-Experiment process, supported by productized artifacts such as the Behavioral Design Cards, the Equity-Centered Design Toolkit (developed with United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County), and the Mobile Money UX/UI Toolkit (developed with Karandaaz Pakistan).

Name

GRID Impact

Website

https://gridimpact.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GRID Impact is a remote, consultant-collective social enterprise founded in 2014 that delivers behavioral research, participatory design, and facilitation services to foundations, NGOs, multilateral agencies, and governments tackling global economic, health, and equity challenges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Consulting

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

Keywords

• Behavioral design consulting
• Human-centered design services
• Social impact research
• Participatory design methodology
• Strategic facilitation services

Headquarters

HQ city

New City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: GRID Impact operates as a collective of independent consultants who come together as interdisciplinary teams for social change projects. Consultants join the collective and work on project-based engagements with clients including foundations, NGOs, and government agencies. Revenue comes from consulting fees for research, design, and facilitation engagements.
2. Education and Capacity Building: GRID offers educational programs including 'Design for Behavior and Impact' classes offered multiple times per year, custom Behavioral Research and Participatory Design Workshops, and a Facilitation Program for emerging leaders in the Global South. Revenue generated through class fees and workshop engagements.
3. Behavioral Design Cards: Sale of the first set of Behavioral Design Cards, a tool created from 10+ years of behavioral design experience, available for purchase by social sector workers and designers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GRID Impact is a social impact collective that delivers behavioral research, human-centered design, and strategic facilitation services to mission-driven organizations. It also sells behavioral design toolkits (such as Behavioral Design Cards) and runs capacity-building classes and workshops on behavioral design principles.

Product overview

GRID Impact is a social impact research, design, and facilitation collective offering consulting services rather than a single software product. The company operates three interconnected service pillars: Behavioral Research & Participatory Design (combining behavioral science with human-centered design), Executive/Strategic/Creative Facilitation (meetings, strategy, organizational development, and executive coaching), and Capacity Building & Education (classes, workshops, and mentorship). Supporting these core services are specialized toolkits including the Behavioral Design Cards, Equity-Centered Design Toolkit, and Mobile Money UX/UI Toolkit. GRID Impact also leads specific programs like the G7 Partnership Secretariat for women's financial inclusion in Africa and conducts targeted research initiatives for clients such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Behavioral Research & Participatory Design

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRID Impact conducts comprehensive research and analysis for the Gates Foundation's Financial Services for the Poor program, focusing on barriers to women's economic empowerment and financial inclusion. Projects include evidence reviews, synthesis of evidence, and data visualization into interactive documents.
• BRACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRID Impact partnered with BRAC in Dhaka, Bangladesh to run a 2-week design sprint focused on increasing uptake and usage of mobile money amongst women in rural communities. Developed the Mobile Apa (Auntie) program concept.
• CARE InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted by CARE International to conduct formative research and market analysis to understand how to delay first birth among adolescent wives in Bangladesh and Niger, with Gates Foundation support.
• United Way of Asheville and Buncombe CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-designed an equity-centered investment model with the Asheville and Buncombe County community, coaching community Design Fellows and creating an Equity-Centered Design Toolkit.
• The Holdsworth CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the Holdsworth Communications team to shape visual storytelling approach, design website, and assist development team for the 2022 Impact Report showcasing educators' impact on Texas public schools.
• Karandaaz PakistancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped a mobile money UX/UI toolkit on behalf of Karandaaz Pakistan, providing wireframes, best practices and insights for smartphone applications for Pakistani mobile money customers.
• SanergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted field research and diagnosed sanitation behaviors to increase usage of Fresh Life toilet among residents of Nairobi slums. Collaborated with Populist on marketing and communications interventions.
• CGAPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterviewing smallholder farmers and SMEs in Mozambique to understand financial behaviors and design digital interventions for more efficient compensation systems. Contributed to CGAP's 21 Principles for Mobile Money Design.
• Inter-American Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompleted heuristics-based financial education program for microentrepreneurs in Ecuador in collaboration with IADB's Multilateral Investment Fund and Banco Pichincha, evaluated through randomized control trial.
• Colorado Education InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned and taught a six-week behavioral research and design course for K-12 teachers, administrators and education advocates in Colorado.
• T Lab at the Tipping Point FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducting research and design activities to support Project Legal Link, a Bay Area initiative connecting those in need of legal services with appropriate resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MicroSave Consulting (MSC): Consulting firm focused on financial inclusion, digital finance, and economic empowerment in emerging markets. Directly comparable to GRID's mobile money, financial inclusion, and women's economic empowerment work (e.g., BRAC, Karandaaz Pakistan, IADB Ecuador).
• Reboot: Social impact design and policy firm working with governments, foundations, and multilateral organizations on governance, inclusion, and equity initiatives. Comparable in co-design methodology, foundation client base, and policy-oriented social impact work.
• IDEO.org: The nonprofit design and innovation arm of IDEO, applying human-centered design to poverty, health, and financial inclusion challenges. Direct competitor to GRID Impact for foundation and NGO engagements, and several GRID team members (Maryann Wangari, Celestine Njuguna) previously worked at IDEO.org.
• ID Insight: Decision-useful evidence and impact evaluation organization applying RCTs and behavioral research to social programs. Comparable methodological rigor (RCT-based evaluation) and foundation/multilateral client overlap with GRID.
• Dalberg: Global consultancy focused on social impact, international development, and inclusive economic growth with deep foundation and multilateral relationships. Comparable in serving foundations and government agencies with research, strategy, and design services in emerging markets.
• ThinkPlace: Human-centered design and innovation consultancy working with government and social-sector clients across the Asia-Pacific. Comparable in applying design thinking and behavioral insights to public-sector and development challenges.
• Busara Center for Behavioral Economics: Behavioral science research and design organization based in Nairobi working with foundations and development organizations across Africa and Asia. Directly comparable methodology (behavioral science applied to poverty/financial inclusion) and overlap with GRID's Mozambique, Kenya, and Pakistan engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Acumen: Established impact organization investing in and supporting social enterprises tackling poverty, with a leadership development academy that overlaps with GRID's capacity-building work. Molly Alexander, a GRID facilitator, previously led Acumen's Head of Talent Development.

Emerging players

• 60 Decibels: Impact measurement and customer insights firm serving impact investors, foundations, and social enterprises. Adjacent peer given shared foundation client base and focus on rigorous, customer-centered measurement in development contexts.
• The intentional design collaborative: Social-sector design and brand consultancy serving nonprofits, foundations, and education organizations. Comparable as a small design collective serving mission-driven clients on communications, branding, and program design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grid-impact
• Instagraminstagram.com/gridimpact
• Xtwitter.com/gridimpact

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 GRID Impact