Natural Resource Governance Institute

What Natural Resource Governance Institute does

Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2006 and headquartered at 88 Pine Street in New York, with affiliated entities in the United Kingdom and Belgium. NRGI supports informed, inclusive decision-making about natural resources and the energy transition by working with civil society, government officials, parliamentarians, journalists, and private-sector stakeholders in oil, gas, and mineral-rich developing countries. It currently operates programs in 14 focus countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, MENA, and Asia-Pacific (Chile, Colombia, DRC, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia), backed by approximately 80 professionals based in 19 countries.

NRGI's core assets are a portfolio of proprietary research tools, databases, and frameworks: ResourceContracts.org (a global repository of extractive contracts), the National Oil Company Database, the 2021 Resource Governance Index (a cross-country governance assessment), the Diagnosing Corruption in the Extractive Sector Tool, the Natural Resource Charter Benchmarking Framework, and country-specific platforms such as Resource Contracts de Guinée. These are complemented by a structured training portfolio — an advanced multi-stakeholder course with ETH Zürich/NADEL, an executive course with Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, the AFREIKH Anglophone Africa summer school with ACEP, the CEGIEAF Francophone Africa program, and the Petronia interactive simulation. NRGI does not accept funding from oil, gas, or mining corporations.

NRGI's revenue model is grant-funded philanthropy and official development assistance. Documented funding sources include philanthropic foundations (Ford, Open Society Foundations, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Sequoia Climate Foundation, Hewlett, Robertson, Rockefeller, ClimateWorks, Global Methane Hub), bilateral government donors (FCDO UK, Norad), and multilateral institutions (World Bank EGPS Multi-Donor Trust Fund), with active multi-year commitments spanning 2023 through 2029. Outputs are largely free at point of use, with scholarships available for capacity-building courses in select focus countries. Reported outcomes include helping Ghana avoid $1.6 billion in debt through policy reform support, contributing to $505 million in tax policy impact in Guinea, and supporting over 300 civil society organizations globally.

Name

Natural Resource Governance Institute

Legal name

Natural Resource Governance Institute

Website

https://resourcegovernance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is an independent non-profit that works with governments, civil society, journalists, and parliamentarians in 14 resource-rich countries to improve governance of oil, gas, and minerals and to support just energy transitions, funded primarily by philanthropic foundations and bilateral aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advisory Services

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

Keywords

• Natural resource governance
• Extractive sector policy research
• Energy transition advisory
• Capacity building training
• Revenue transparency monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Bayonne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Foundation Grants: NRGI receives substantial funding from philanthropic foundations including Ford Foundation ($1,250,000), Open Society Foundations ($3,000,000), Quadrature Climate Foundation ($3,000,000), Sequoia Climate Foundation ($3,000,000), Robertson Foundation ($1,000,000), Rockefeller Foundation ($600,000), William & Flora Hewlett Foundation ($1,500,000), ClimateWorks Foundation ($350,000), and Global Methane Hub ($1,142,000).
2. Government Development Funding: Funding from national governments and development agencies including FCDO UK ($3,984,892), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation ($3,160,000), and World Bank EGPS Multi-Donor Trust Fund ($999,000).
3. Climate Finance: Funding from climate-focused sources including European Climate Foundation and Energy Transition Fund for just transition work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NRGI conducts independent policy research, analysis, and capacity development to improve governance of oil, gas, and mineral resources in resource-rich countries. It delivers a portfolio of public data tools (contract databases, governance indices, anticorruption assessment tools) and structured training programs (executive courses, summer schools, interactive simulations) targeting government officials, civil society, journalists, and parliamentarians.

Product overview

NRGI offers a portfolio of data tools, training programs, and research frameworks focused on natural resource governance. The core products include: the ResourceContracts.org contract database, National Oil Company Database, and Resource Governance Index as primary analytical platforms; the Diagnosing Corruption Tool and Anticorruption Guidance for state enterprise partners as governance assessment instruments; and the Natural Resource Charter Benchmarking Framework for governance benchmarking. These are complemented by specialized country databases (Resource Contracts de Guinée) and impact measurement tools (Beyond Revenues). NRGI's training offerings include four structured programs: an advanced course with ETH Zürich, an executive course with Oxford's Blavatnik School, an Anglophone Africa Summer School (AFREIKH), and a Francophone Africa program (CEGIEAF), plus the interactive Petronia simulation for experiential learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ResourceContracts.org: Website and dataset for analyzing resource governance contracts
• ResourceData.org
• National Oil Company Database
• 2021 Resource Governance Index
• Petronia
• AFREIKH

Products and services

• ResourceContracts.org

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.6 billion in debt avoided for Ghana through policy reform support
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NADEL (Global Cooperation and Sustainable Development) at ETH ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRGI partners with NADEL at ETH Zürich to deliver the advanced-level multi-stakeholder course on Natural Resource Governance and Energy Transition: Policies and Practice. The course is open to professionals from government, civil society, parliaments, media, international development agencies, private sector, and academics.
• University of Oxford Blavatnik School of GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRGI collaborates with Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government to deliver the Executive Course on Oil, Gas and Mining Governance in Emerging Markets. This five-day intensive course brings together public and private sector leaders from multiple countries.
• ACEP (Africa Centre for Energy Policy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRGI co-hosts the Anglophone Africa Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub (AFREIKH) with ACEP, delivering a one-week intensive summer school and the Future of Energy Conference.
• Civil Society Coalition on Oil and Gas (Uganda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRGI funded a dialogue organized by the Civil Society Coalition on Oil and Gas in Uganda on energy transition financing.
• Policy Alert (Nigeria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRGI partnered with Policy Alert to co-produce the documentary 'Flaring Lives' highlighting methane emissions issues in Nigeria's Niger Delta.
• We The PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRGI partnered with We The People to co-produce the documentary 'Flaring Lives' on gas flaring in the Niger Delta.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI): EITI is the global standard for extractive revenue transparency, working with governments, companies, and civil society. Directly comparable to NRGI in mission and stakeholder base, though operating as a multi-stakeholder standard-setter rather than a single non-profit research and advocacy organization.
• Global Witness: Global Witness investigates and campaigns on corruption, land rights, and environmental harm tied to extractives. Comparable in its extractive-sector focus and advocacy orientation, though more campaign-driven and less focused on policy research and government capacity building.
• Publish What You Pay: PWYP is a global coalition of civil society organizations demanding transparency and accountability in the extractive industries. Comparable to NRGI in its civil-society base, focus countries, and reform advocacy, though organized as a coalition rather than a single operational NGO.

Broad incumbents

• Transparency International: Transparency International is the largest global anti-corruption NGO, with national chapters in many of NRGI's focus countries. Comparable in corruption-focused research and advocacy, though covering all sectors rather than specializing in extractives.
• International Budget Partnership (IBP): IBP works with civil society to influence budget processes and revenue management in developing countries. Comparable to NRGI in its focus on public finance, civil society capacity building, and many shared focus countries, though broader in scope than extractives.
• Open Government Partnership: OGP is a multi-stakeholder initiative promoting government transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. Comparable in its focus on transparency reform in resource-rich developing countries, though operating as a government-led membership platform rather than an independent NGO.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): IISD is a policy research institute working on sustainable development, including extractive-sector governance and energy transition. Comparable in its policy research and capacity-building orientation across many of NRGI's focus countries, though broader in mandate covering trade, investment, and climate.
• Center for Global Development (CGD): CGD is a think tank producing research on international development, including significant work on resource-rich developing economies. Comparable in its research-driven approach and influence on donor and policy debates, though Washington-based and focused on global economic policy rather than country-level extractives.
• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): ODI is a UK-based global affairs think tank working on sustainable development, including extractive governance and energy transition in developing countries. Comparable in its research, convening, and capacity-building activities across shared focus countries, though operating across all development themes.

Emerging players

• Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP): ACEP is a Ghana-based energy policy think tank and NRGI's co-host for the AFREIKH summer school. Comparable in its extractive-sector focus on Ghana and West Africa and in its training programs, though more regionally concentrated and less globally distributed.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NRGInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/nrginstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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