World Heart Federation

What World Heart Federation does

The World Heart Federation (WHF) is a Swiss not-for-profit association headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, founded in 1950 to unite global efforts against cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke. It operates as a membership-based federation of over 200 heart foundations, scientific societies, and patient organizations across more than 100 countries, serving healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the general public. WHF's core mission is to reduce the global burden of CVD — which accounts for an estimated 20.5 million deaths annually, or roughly 33% of all deaths worldwide — through advocacy, education, and research.

WHF's product portfolio spans global awareness campaigns (World Heart Day, World Adherence Day, Heart Heroes, Beats Of Change), major events (World Congress of Cardiology, World Heart Summit, World Congress on Rheumatic Heart Disease), and digital knowledge infrastructure including the World Heart Observatory data hub, the Global Heart peer-reviewed journal, CVD Roadmaps and Scorecards frameworks, the Emerging Leaders Programme, the NCD Academy, and policy resources (Policy Briefs, Position Papers, World Heart Reports). Patient-facing assets include the multilingual ATTR-CM Patient Toolkit. The technology layer is conventional: standard web analytics (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager), email marketing (Campaign Monitor), user-experience tools (Hotjar), and social platform integrations. A Virtual Assistant is deployed on the website, though its underlying AI architecture is not disclosed.

WHF's business model is a multi-stream non-profit funding structure comprising membership dues from over 200 member organizations, event registration fees and sponsorships from major cardiology congresses, and donations and grants from foundations, governments, and individuals. The organization maintains official relations with the World Health Organization and engages directly with UN bodies on noncommunicable disease policy. Operational scale is modest at 11-50 employees coordinating a globally distributed program of advocacy, convening, publishing, and capacity-building.

Name

World Heart Federation

Legal name

World Heart Federation

Website

https://world-heart-federation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

World Heart Federation is a Geneva-based non-profit federation uniting over 200 cardiovascular health organizations across 100+ countries to advance global advocacy, education, and policy on cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Health Advocacy

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Systems Strengthening (BPAGABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Workforce Development & Capacity-Building (HLAJAKAM), Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) for Global Health (BPADAIAO), Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular health advocacy
• Heart disease prevention
• Global health policy
• Medical research publications
• Health education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Revenue from member organizations including heart foundations, scientific societies, and patient organizations that pay membership fees to be part of the global WHF network.
2. Event Fees: Registration and sponsorship fees from major events including World Congress of Cardiology, World Heart Summit, and World Congress on Rheumatic Heart Disease.
3. Donations and Grants: Contributions and grants from foundations, governments, and individuals supporting cardiovascular health advocacy and research programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The World Heart Federation (WHF) is a Geneva-based non-profit federation uniting 200+ member organizations (heart foundations, scientific societies, patient organizations) across 100+ countries to fight cardiovascular disease (CVD). Its core offerings include global advocacy at the UN and WHO, scientific publishing (Global Heart Journal), CVD policy roadmaps and scorecards, the World Heart Observatory data hub, leadership development programmes (Emerging Leaders, NCD Academy), major international events (World Congress of Cardiology, World Heart Summit), and global awareness campaigns such as World Heart Day.

Product overview

The World Heart Federation operates as a global health advocacy organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs, publications, events, and digital tools focused on cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment. The core offerings include the World Heart Observatory data platform, the Global Heart Journal peer-reviewed publication, CVD Roadmaps and Scorecards frameworks, and the Emerging Leaders Programme education initiative. These are complemented by major annual events (World Congress of Cardiology, World Heart Summit, World Congress on RHD), awareness campaigns (World Heart Day, Heart Heroes, Beats Of Change), policy resources (Policy Briefs, Position Papers, World Heart Reports), the NCD Academy training platform, World Heart Podcasts audio content, and patient resources such as the ATTR-CM Toolkit. The strategic framework World Heart Vision 2030 guides the overall mission to achieve cardiovascular health equity worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Heart Journal: Official open-access journal of the World Heart Federation providing a forum for dialogue and education on the prevention, treatment and control of cardiovascular disease worldwide, with a special focus on low resource settings.
• World Heart Observatory

Products and services

• Membership Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of cardiovascular disease can be prevented through better infrastructure, expanded access to care, improved nutrition, and cleaner air
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHF maintains official relations with WHO and actively participates in WHO forums including the World Health Assembly. The organization collaborates on global health initiatives related to noncommunicable diseases and cardiovascular health.
• United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHF engages with UN bodies for advocacy on NCDs and cardiovascular health, including participation in UN High-Level Meetings on Noncommunicable Diseases. The organization contributed to the UN Declaration on NCDs and Mental Health.
• Brazilian Society of CardiologymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the World Congress of Cardiology 2026 in Brazil, bringing together the global cardiovascular community for education, research sharing, and advocacy.
• Heart Foundation of AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the 2nd World Congress on Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) 2026 in Perth, Australia, focused on addressing the burden of RHD globally.
• WHO (COVID-19 and CVD Study)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHF embarked on a global study on COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease to better understand cardiovascular outcomes and identify risk factors associated with poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association: The largest US-based cardiovascular health non-profit with global research, advocacy, and education programs. Comparable to WHF as a major cardiovascular advocacy and member-based organization, though AHA's primary market is the United States and it operates with a substantially larger budget and staff.
• American College of Cardiology: US-based professional society for cardiologists with strong journal, education, and advocacy programs. Comparable as a cardiology thought leader running flagship events and publications, though primarily US-focused with global professional reach.
• Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI): Large Geneva-based global health public-private partnership funding immunization in lower-income countries. Comparable to WHF as a Geneva-headquartered global health organization with multilateral, donor, and government funding streams and policy influence.

Direct peers

• Union for International Cancer Control (UICC): Geneva-based global membership federation fighting cancer, with WHO official relations and the World Cancer Day campaign. Highly comparable operating model to WHF—Swiss HQ, federation of national societies, policy advocacy, and recurring global awareness day.
• International Diabetes Federation: Global federation of national diabetes associations with WHO official relations, World Diabetes Day campaign, and a membership-driven advocacy model. Mirrors WHF's structure, awareness campaign, and multilateral access, focused on a closely related NCD.
• European Society of Cardiology: Europe's leading cardiovascular professional society running congresses, journals, and clinical guidelines. Directly comparable to WHF as a cardiology-focused federation serving member societies and professionals, with overlapping event, journal, and advocacy offerings.
• World Stroke Organization: Global NGO representing stroke societies across more than 100 countries. Closely mirrors WHF's federation model, WHO relations, and global awareness campaigns (e.g., World Stroke Day), making it a near-direct peer in global cardiovascular disease advocacy.
• World Obesity Federation: Global non-profit focused on obesity—a key CVD risk factor—operating membership, policy advocacy, and World Obesity Day. Comparable to WHF in federation structure, WHO engagement, and awareness-campaign GTM.
• NCD Alliance: Global umbrella network of civil society organizations focused on noncommunicable diseases, with explicit WHO/UN advocacy and a membership federation model. Highly comparable to WHF as a global health advocacy convener working on NCD policy and member engagement.

Others

• World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized agency for health with which WHF maintains official relations and collaborates on NCD policy. Included as an ecosystem peer—WHF's privileged WHO access is a core moat, and WHO sets the policy agenda WHF seeks to influence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/worldheartfed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCa1HAxFJJhJte7UE9Fl6xjQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/worldheartfederation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-heart-federation
• Instagraminstagram.com/worldheartfederation
• TikToktiktok.com/@worldheartfederation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about World Heart Federation