What Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative does

Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization founded in 2012 by actor and UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation Forest Whitaker, headquartered in Los Angeles with a European presence in Aubervilliers, France. The organization delivers peacebuilding, livelihood, health, and sports programs across six countries of action (South Sudan, Uganda, Mexico, South Africa, the United States, and France), reaching 178,026+ beneficiaries in 2025 and operating a network of 15-16 Community Learning Centers equipped with SES-provided satellite internet. Its core delivery architecture rests on the Youth Peacemaker Network, a multi-month training-of-trainers program that has produced 2,200+ grassroots change agents, supplemented by the Domestic Harmonizer Program (a school-based Multi-Tiered Systems of Support model), Business Bootcamps, Trauma Healing Counseling, Cinema for Peace, and Peace Through Sports initiatives.

WPDI funds its operations through charitable donations from individuals, monthly givers ($10-$200/month tiers), foundations, and corporate partners. Institutional and corporate supporters include the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation, L'Oréal Fund for Women, BNP Paribas, Bank of America, Verizon, Ericsson, Sony, BMO, UNESCO, UN Women, UNITAR, Islamic Development Bank, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; technology and connectivity are supplied via SES and Zain. Program-specific donation designations cover Peacebuilding, Livelihoods, Health & Well-being, and Sports. The organization maintains a 4-star Charity Navigator rating, indicating strong accountability and transparency, and its core distribution model is direct community-led program delivery through its own staff and trained Youth Peacemaker volunteers rather than resale or licensing.

Name

Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative

Legal name

Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative

Website

https://wpdi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WPDI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Forest Whitaker in 2012 that delivers peacebuilding, livelihood, health, and sports programs to youth, women, and refugees across six countries through 15-16 Community Learning Centers and a network of 2,200+ trained Youth Peacemakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Peacebuilding and Development Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & MTSS/RTI Tiered SEL Supports (EDAKAMAE), Safeguarding, Child Protection & Reporting Services (EDAJAIAD)

Keywords

• Peacebuilding programs
• Conflict resolution education
• Community development services
• Entrepreneurship training programs
• Trauma healing support

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Grants: WPDI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that funds its operations through charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization accepts donations through its website with various giving options including monthly giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WPDI is a non-governmental organization that delivers free peacebuilding, livelihood, health and wellbeing, and sports programs to conflict-affected communities across six countries. Core offerings include a Youth Peacemaker Network training model (six-to-twelve-month trainers-of-trainers program in conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, and ICT), school-based Conflict Resolution Education and the Domestic Harmonizer Program using a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) approach, 15 Community Learning Centers providing internet access and vocational training, and Business Bootcamp and Women's Livelihood Programs for economic empowerment.

Product overview

The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) offering a portfolio of interconnected peacebuilding, livelihood, health, and sports programs rather than a unified technology product. The organization operates through four foundational pillars: Peacebuilding (including Community Dialogues, Conflict Resolution Education, Cinema for Peace, and the Domestic Harmonizer Program), Livelihood (Entrepreneurship Training, Women's Livelihood Programs, ICT Training, Arts and Crafts, and Business Bootcamp), Health and Well-being (Trauma Healing Counseling and Sexual and Reproductive Health), and Sports (Peace Through Sports). These programs are delivered via a network of 16 Community Learning Centers and a Youth Peacemaker Network trained as trainers-of-trainers. WPDI's programs focus on grassroots peace education, conflict resolution, and economic empowerment in conflict-affected regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Youth Peacemaker Network (YPN): Network of young peacemakers trained through comprehensive training of trainers in conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, and ICT for a six to twelve-month period.
• Domestic Harmonizer Program (DHP)
• Community Learning Centers (CLCs)

Products and services

• Youth Peacemaker Network (YPN) A network of 2,200+ young women and men trained through a comprehensive six-to-twelve-month training-of-trainers program in conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, and ICT, enabling them to deliver community-based programs as transformative insiders in conflict-affected regions.
• Domestic Harmonizer Program (DHP) A school-based conflict transformation program using a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) model that equips students, teachers, and parents with restorative practices and tools to navigate conflict effectively; delivered through schools with partner support including Verizon Innovative Learning.
• Community Learning Centers (CLCs) Physical community hubs providing internet access (via SES satellite connectivity in Uganda and South Sudan), vocational training, and community workshops serving 34,107+ beneficiaries as vectors of change for peace and development education.
• Business Bootcamp An entrepreneurship training program helping youth and women develop business skills and launch enterprises, supporting 1,140+ local businesses including 210 newly established enterprises in 2025 through training and startup incubation.
• Conflict Resolution Education Training programs delivered in schools and communities to foster a culture of dialogue, understanding, and nonviolence; reached 37,500+ students and teachers across hundreds of schools with a measured 98.5% surveyed-trainee skill-application rate.
• Cinema for Peace Film-based peacebuilding initiatives that raise awareness about peace values, human rights, and the Sustainable Development Goals through workshops and film projections.
• Women's Livelihood Program Programs supporting women's economic empowerment through entrepreneurship training and business development, with women and girls comprising 46% of WPDI's beneficiaries in 2025.
• ICT Training Information and Communications Technology training delivered at Community Learning Centers to build digital skills for youth, enabled by SES satellite internet and Ericsson technology partnerships.
• Trauma Healing Counseling Mental health and psychosocial support services addressing trauma in conflict-affected communities, part of WPDI's Health and Well-being pillar.
• Peace Through Sports Sports-based peacebuilding initiatives that build resilience and unity among youth through athletic programs, with 19,294+ participants and 2,775 players and coaches trained to use sports for resilience and unity.
• Community Dialogues Facilitated community conversations that bring participants together for reconciliation processes or to strengthen existing peace through dialogue, with 115,794+ participants joining Peacebuilding Initiatives promoting dialogue and values of trust and cooperation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 178,026+ beneficiaries engaged in 2025 across four pillars
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPDI works in close partnership with UNESCO to deliver educational and peacebuilding programs globally, given Forest Whitaker's role as UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation.
• UN WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with UN Women to advance gender equality and women's empowerment programs in conflict-affected communities.
• UNITARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on youth empowerment and peacebuilding within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security.
• EricssoncoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides ICT solutions for youth in conflict-affected countries as technology partner. Enables connectivity and internet access via computer centers and delivers ICT and professional skills education.
• SEScoreTechnology or IntegrationBrings satellite internet to WPDI's Community Learning Centers in Uganda and South Sudan, making them the only educational facilities with connectivity in those areas.
• NBA AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on peace through sports programs, leveraging basketball and the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for social impact and youth development.
• Education Above AllcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFocuses on protecting education in contexts of insecurity and armed conflict, aligned with WPDI's peace education initiatives.
• Gemini Enterprises AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Naguib Sawriris, focuses on incubating youth-led small businesses in South Sudan through the Business Boot Camp program, aiming to create economic sustainability.
• SkinnyDippedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFemale-founded snack company partnered with WPDI on the SkinnyDipped Female Founder Fund, offering a $25,000 grant and mentorship to female food business founders.
• EU CONNECT ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union initiative strengthening support for migrant entrepreneurs in North-West Europe. WPDI France joined in 2026 as one of 13 partners across the region.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: Largest development NGO globally with deep programming in youth empowerment, micro-enterprise, and education in fragile states. Comparable to WPDI on livelihood training and entrepreneurship incubation, with a significantly more institutionalized microfinance and education infrastructure.
• Mercy Corps: Large humanitarian and development NGO with deep presence in fragile states including South Sudan and Uganda. Overlaps with WPDI on livelihood, peacebuilding, and youth programming in the same geographies, though Mercy Corps operates at materially greater scale across a broader portfolio.
• International Rescue Committee: Major humanitarian NGO with significant operations in refugee settings, including Uganda. Comparable to WPDI on refugee programming at Kiryandongo and on women's empowerment, though IRC's portfolio is broader (health, education, economic recovery).
• United States Institute of Peace: U.S. federal institution providing research, training, and grants on conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Comparable to WPDI on conflict resolution education and policy engagement, and a potential partner or funder rather than competitor.

Emerging players

• Sesame Workshop: Educational nonprofit operating Sesame-based interventions in conflict-affected and refugee contexts (e.g., Rohingya, Syrian refugees). Comparable to WPDI in delivering educational content to conflict-affected children, with a more mass-media oriented delivery model.
• BuildOn: Nonprofit combining adult literacy and school construction in low-income and conflict-affected communities globally. Comparable to WPDI in deploying community-based education infrastructure and in mission overlap with underserved and post-conflict geographies.

Direct peers

• Search for Common Ground: One of the world's largest dedicated peacebuilding NGOs, operating conflict-resolution and community dialogue programs across dozens of fragile states. Directly comparable to WPDI on mission, methodology, and beneficiary profile, and the most credible head-to-head competitor for multilateral peacebuilding funding.
• International Alert: London-based peacebuilding NGO with programs in conflict-affected regions globally. Highly comparable to WPDI in peace education, women's economic empowerment, and policy advocacy, and competes for the same European institutional and foundation funding pools.
• Peace Direct: NGO focused on locally-led peacebuilding, partnering with grassroots organizations in conflict-affected countries. Comparable to WPDI in mission emphasis on community-embedded peace actors and its network-of-local-partners operating model.

Others

• Ashoka: Global network supporting social entrepreneurs, including young changemakers in conflict-affected regions. Comparable to WPDI's Youth Peacemaker Network on the concept of identifying and resourcing young community leaders as change agents.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/connectwpdi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=2M3IsdfFauk
• Facebookfacebook.com/432693323539402

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative