Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation

What Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation does

The Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation (EPI Foundation) is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1182805) and a company limited by guarantee (no. 11594608), headquartered in London. Founded in 2014, it serves as the secretariat for the pan-African Elephant Protection Initiative, a coalition of 26 African member countries led by Heads of State and Ministers and supported through National Focal Points embedded in each government. The foundation coordinates elephant conservation across four program streams: ending the global ivory trade, securing ivory stockpiles, developing country-specific National Elephant Action Plans (NEAPs) aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and mitigating human-elephant conflict through field programs and community engagement.

Its core offerings include a Stockpile Management System for inventorying ivory and wildlife products, the Human-Elephant Coexistence Toolbox (developed with Save The Elephants and featuring beehive fences with reported 80% conflict reduction in some areas), National Elephant Action Plans, the Vision 2030 strategic framework, the EPI Youth Ambassadors Programme, and Conservation Finance Guidance for member states. Technology deployment relies on third-party platforms including EarthRanger for wildlife monitoring, SmartWater Technology, and GPS collaring — none developed in-house.

The foundation operates as a non-profit with a donation-based revenue model. Go-to-market is government-to-government rather than commercial: direct engagement with Heads of State, Ministers, and National Focal Points drives policy coordination, while field implementation is delivered through partnerships with national wildlife authorities (e.g., Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Nigerian National Park Service, Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation) and NGOs such as the Wildlife Conservation Society, Save The Elephants, ANI Foundation, WACN, PAMS Foundation, WildAid Africa, and the Erin Wildlife Conservation Trust. The Friends of the EPI global supporter community provides grassroots engagement and donation revenue.

Name

Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation

Legal name

Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation

Website

https://elephantprotectioninitiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation is a London-based registered charity serving as the secretariat for a pan-African coalition of 26 member-state governments, coordinating elephant conservation through ivory stockpile management, National Elephant Action Plans, human-elephant coexistence programs, and policy advocacy against the ivory trade.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI), Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ)

Keywords

• Elephant conservation programs
• Ivory stockpile management
• Human-elephant coexistence
• Wildlife protection policy
• Conservation finance advisory

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The EPI Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1182805) that relies on donations from supporters worldwide through its Friends of the EPI global community and general public donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation is a UK-registered charity that serves as the secretariat for the pan-African Elephant Protection Initiative, a coalition of 26 African member countries. It coordinates elephant conservation across four program streams: ending the global ivory trade, securing ivory and wildlife product stockpiles, developing National Elephant Action Plans (NEAPs), and mitigating human-elephant conflict. The Foundation provides technical assistance, policy guidance, training for wildlife officials, community engagement programs, and tools such as a Stockpile Management System and the Vision 2030 strategic framework.

Product overview

The Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation operates as a pan-African alliance and registered charity (no. 1182805) that coordinates elephant conservation across 26 member countries. The foundation's portfolio centers on four interconnected program streams: ending the global ivory trade, securing ivory stockpiles, developing National Elephant Action Plans (NEAPs), and tackling human-elephant conflict. Key offerings include a Stockpile Management System for tracking wildlife products, the Vision 2030 strategic framework, and the Youth Ambassadors Programme for engaging the next generation. The organization serves as the secretariat for EPI, providing technical expertise to African governments while connecting member states through shared policies and coordinated action.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) Pan-African alliance led by Heads of State and Ministers from 26 member countries, dedicated to elephant conservation, closing domestic ivory markets, and maintaining the 1989 international ivory trade ban.
• National Elephant Action Plans (NEAPs) Ten-year conservation strategies developed with each elephant range state, aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, providing tailored frameworks for member country elephant conservation priorities.
• Stockpile Management Program
• Human-Elephant Coexistence Program
• EPI Youth Ambassadors Programme Program empowering young people to become advocates for elephants and their habitats through digital storytelling, awareness campaigns, and peer-to-peer engagement.
• Friends of the EPI Community
• Vision 2030 Strategic Framework
• Conservation Finance Advisory

Quantifiable outcome

• EPI expanded from 5 founding nations in 2014 to 26 member countries by 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global Wildlife Program (GWP) / World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024The Global Wildlife Program, funded by the Global Environment Facility and led by the World Bank, co-facilitated a human-elephant coexistence workshop with EPI Foundation in Nairobi, bringing together government wildlife officials from over 20 African countries.
• West African Conservation Network (WACN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2023WACN signed a 31-year co-management agreement with Nigeria's National Park Service to support Lake Kainji National Park restoration, with support from EPI Foundation.
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2023UNODC collaborated with the EPI Foundation and NESREA on the destruction of 4 tonnes of pangolin scales and animal skins in Nigeria, supporting the fight against wildlife trafficking.
• Wild Africa FundcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Wild Africa Fund partnered with EPI Foundation on wildlife crime initiatives in Nigeria, including ivory destruction events and advocacy for updated wildlife legislation.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCS collaborates with EPI on livestock vaccination programs that help reduce disease transmission between livestock and wildlife, particularly in Nigeria's Yankari Game Reserve.
• Africa Nature Investors (ANI) FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerANI Foundation works with EPI Foundation on elephant conservation in Nigeria, managing Gashaka Gumti National Park and Okomu National Park through co-management agreements with the Nigerian government.
• Save The ElephantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSave The Elephants, pioneers in human-elephant conflict mitigation, developed the Human-Elephant Coexistence Toolbox presented at EPI Foundation workshops, featuring solutions like beehive fences achieving 80% conflict reduction.
• WildAid AfricaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWildAid Africa produced documentary films on elephant conservation in Nigeria's Okomu National Park for EPI Foundation's awareness campaigns.
• Erin Wildlife Conservation Trust (EWCT)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEWCT produced documentary highlighting forest elephant survival in Itasin Forest, Ogun State, Nigeria, for EPI Foundation's conservation awareness initiatives.
• PAMS FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAMS Foundation assisted EPI Foundation in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area with elephant guardian programs and beehive/chilli fence installations.
• Stop IvorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStop Ivory was a partner organization that successfully achieved its objectives and formally closed in December 2020, with the EPI Foundation continuing its work.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• African Wildlife Foundation: African Wildlife Foundation is an Africa-headquartered conservation NGO that works with African governments and communities on wildlife and habitat protection. It is the most direct peer to EPI in terms of African-led, government-engaged wildlife conservation across multiple countries.
• Save The Elephants: Save The Elephants is a Kenya-based NGO focused on elephant research, anti-poaching, and human-elephant conflict mitigation. It is a current EPI partner and develops key technical tools (e.g., the Human-Elephant Coexistence Toolbox) that EPI deploys.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: WCS is a large international NGO operating field conservation programs across Africa, including elephant-focused work in Nigeria alongside EPI. It is a named EPI partner with overlapping interests in NEAP development and protected-area management.
• TRAFFIC: TRAFFIC is the wildlife trade monitoring network that works to ensure trade in wild animals and plants is not a threat to conservation. It directly overlaps with EPI's ivory trade, stockpile management, and CITES-related policy advocacy.
• Born Free Foundation: Born Free is an international wildlife charity focused on animal welfare, with elephants among its flagship species. It is comparable to EPI in mission emphasis on ending wildlife trade and mitigating human-wildlife conflict in Africa.

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund: WWF is the largest global wildlife conservation NGO with major Africa programs on elephants, ivory trade, and protected areas. It operates in the same policy and field space as EPI but as a much broader, globally diversified organization.
• Conservation International: Conservation International is a large international NGO running biodiversity and protected-area programs across Africa, including work relevant to elephant habitats and anti-poaching. It overlaps with EPI in government partnerships and continental-scale conservation strategy.
• International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW): IFAW is a global animal welfare and conservation NGO that engages on wildlife trade policy, elephant protection, and habitat conservation. It shares EPI's advocacy orientation on ivory markets and wildlife crime legislation.

Regional players

• IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group: The IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group is the authoritative scientific body assessing African elephant conservation status and advising governments and CITES. It is highly comparable to EPI in mission around elephant survival, though operating as a technical/scientific body rather than a government-led coalition.

Emerging players

• PAMS Foundation: PAMS Foundation is a Tanzania-based NGO focused on anti-poaching, community conservation, and human-wildlife coexistence. It is a current EPI implementation partner in Ngorongoro with overlap in community-based elephant guardian work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/EPIAfrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4LSAtxjXw7Fy5EeIxVGhtQ?app=desktop
• Facebookfacebook.com/elephantprotectioninitiative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/19011907
• Instagraminstagram.com/elephantprotectioninitiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation