What The Elders does

The Elders is an independent, non-profit advocacy organisation founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 and registered in England and Wales as The Elders Foundation (company number 06317151; charity number 1132397), headquartered at 3 Tilney Street, London. Its core function is to convene 11-12 former heads of state, prime ministers, UN officials, and Nobel Peace Laureates to advocate publicly and privately for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. Membership currently includes Gro Harlem Brundtland, Helen Clark, Elbegdorj Tsakhia, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Hina Jilani, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Graça Machel, Denis Mukwege, Mary Robinson, Juan Manuel Santos (Chair), and Ernesto Zedillo, supported by Graça Machel as Deputy Chair; Jimmy Carter, a founding member, has since passed away.

The organisation's products are thematic advocacy programmes rather than commercial offerings: Climate Crisis, Pandemics, Nuclear Weapons (including the #OneFuture campaign), Conflict, and Ethical Leadership & Multilateral Cooperation (including the 2015 Strengthening the United Nations initiative), plus cross-cutting commitments on Gender Equality and Intergenerational Dialogue. Past programmes covered Access to Justice, Refugees and Migration, Universal Health Coverage, and Child Marriage. Communication channels include a monthly newsletter, the State of Hope digital publication platform, and active profiles on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Mastodon. Technology is not a core differentiator; the underlying stack consists of standard web analytics (Google Analytics), social media pixels, and embedded video.

Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic donations from an Advisory Council that includes Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Peter Gabriel, the Skoll Foundation (Marla Blow, Jeff Skoll), the Omidyar Group (Randy Newcomb, Humanity United), Wellspring Philanthropic Fund (John Taylor), Align Capital (Lisa Harris), and the Postcode Lottery Group (Judith Lingeman). Operational execution is handled by a small Secretariat team of roughly 20+ London-based professionals led by Chief Executive Alistair Fernie, with strategic leadership by a Director of Programmes and Deputy CEO, a Director of Communications, a Director of Development, and a Chief of Staff. The Elders does not sell products or services and holds no disclosed patents or technology IP.

Name

The Elders

Legal name

The Elders Foundation

Website

https://theelders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Elders is an independent non-profit founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, comprising former heads of state and Nobel Peace Laureates who use collective moral authority to advocate for peace, human rights, climate action, and multilateral cooperation, funded by a named Advisory Council of major philanthropists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic donations: The Elders are funded by donors represented on their Advisory Council. These donors share their commitment to fulfilling Nelson Mandela's vision for the organisation as an independent and robust force for good.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Elders is an independent group of former heads of state, Nobel Peace Laureates and other eminent global leaders who collectively advocate for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. It operates through thematic advocacy programmes (Climate Crisis, Pandemics, Nuclear Weapons, Conflict, Ethical Leadership & Multilateral Cooperation) and conducts private diplomacy with heads of state and policymakers alongside public advocacy via publications, statements, and digital media.

Product overview

The Elders is an independent advocacy organization founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, consisting of eminent global leaders working together for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. The organization operates through a portfolio of thematic programmes (Climate Crisis, Pandemics, Nuclear Weapons, Conflict) and cross-cutting commitments (Gender Equality, Intergenerational Dialogue, Multilateralism, Human Rights). Their work also includes advocacy initiatives like the Strengthening the United Nations campaign and the #OneFuture nuclear weapons initiative. Communication channels include a monthly newsletter and the State of Hope digital publication platform. The Elders previously operated programmes on Access to Justice, Refugees and Migration, Universal Health Coverage, and Child Marriage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Climate Crisis Programme

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Elders partner with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists for the annual Doomsday Clock unveiling. This partnership brings together global leaders and scientists to assess existential risks facing humanity, including nuclear weapons and climate change.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Crisis Group: Brussels-based global conflict-prevention think tank. Closely comparable because The Elders' director of communications previously led its communications team, and both organisations work at the intersection of policy research, advocacy and direct engagement with decision-makers on conflict and peace.
• Club of Madrid: Membership body of former democratic heads of state and government. The single closest structural peer to The Elders because it also pools elder statesmen to advocate on democracy, peace and governance, although it focuses more on democratic governance than on the Elders' climate/nuclear/pandemics portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Amnesty International: Global human-rights advocacy NGO. Comparable in mission (peace, justice, human rights) and advocacy model (public statements, country campaigns). Broader in scope and grassroots reach than The Elders, but shares the public-advocacy posture and was an early career home for several Elders' secretariat staff.
• Human Rights Watch: Global human-rights research and advocacy organisation. Overlaps with The Elders on justice, conflict and international-law issues and uses similar independent-research-plus-public-pressure advocacy. Larger, more research-led and broader in thematic scope.
• Chatham House: London-based international-affairs think tank (Royal Institute of International Affairs). Comparable in policy-think-tank function and concentration in London; overlap on nuclear, climate and multilateral governance. Distinct in that it operates principally as a research institution while The Elders operates principally as an advocacy vehicle.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Long-established US-based foreign-policy think tank with global centres. Overlaps with The Elders on multilateralism, nuclear policy and great-power relations; both provide independent policy analysis aimed at policymakers and informed publics.

Emerging players

• United Nations Foundation: Philanthropic vehicle supporting UN priorities including climate, health and peace. Closely aligned with The Elders' multilateral-cooperation and UN-strengthening agenda, though it operates more as a grant-maker than as an elder-led advocacy body.
• International Peace Institute: New York-based think tank working on UN peace and security. Overlaps directly with The Elders' Conflict and Strengthening the United Nations programmes and on engagement with UN decision-makers, but is research-led rather than advocacy-led.
• Mo Ibrahim Foundation: Foundation focused on governance and leadership in Africa, founded by a private-sector figure. Comparable as a high-profile, philanthropically funded advocacy body pushing on leadership and governance, but narrower geographically.

Others

• Inter Mediate: Conflict-resolution NGO that focuses on mediation in active conflicts. Comparable as a thematic peer in private diplomacy on conflict (a former Elders policy advisor interned there), but a niche mediation provider rather than a broad peace-and-rights advocacy body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theelders
• YouTubeyoutube.com/theeldersorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/theElders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-elders-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/theelders_org/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 The Elders