Practical Action
Practical Action is a UK-registered international development charity (founded 1966 by E.F. Schumacher) that designs and delivers poverty alleviation programmes across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, focusing on clean energy access, climate resilience, food systems, and disaster risk reduction for marginalised communities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersRugby, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Practical Action does
Practical Action is a UK-registered international development charity and company limited by guarantee (Reg Charity No. 247257; Company No. 871954), founded in 1966 as the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) by economist E.F. Schumacher and renamed Practical Action in 2005. Headquartered in Rugby, United Kingdom, the organisation operates programmes in 13+ countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America through regional offices in Peru, Senegal, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Kenya. It explicitly targets three 'big changes': food systems transformation, clean energy access, and climate risk reduction, serving poor and marginalised communities — particularly smallholder farmers, energy-poor households, climate-vulnerable populations, refugees and displaced persons, and women and youth.
The organisation's technical core is a development methodology stack rather than a software product: the 'Innovate-Demonstrate-Transform' three-stage approach combined with the 'Missing Voices' inclusive community engagement framework. Technical expertise spans climate resilience and early warning systems, disaster risk reduction, renewable energy (solar, clean cooking), sustainable agriculture and agroecology, water/sanitation, and circular economy approaches. Its sub-brands include Practical Action Consulting (PAC), a paid technical advisory arm serving the World Bank, FCDO, EU, Asian Development Bank, and GIZ; Practical Action Publishing; and Practical Answers, a technical information service. Product offerings for supporters consist of e-gift donations, recurring direct-debit giving, payroll giving, Gift Aid processing, and integrations with JustGiving, Facebook/Instagram fundraisers, and shopping-donation platforms (Give As You Live, eBay for Charity, Savoo, Easy Fundraising).
Practical Action is funded through four streams: individual donations (one-time, monthly, legacy), institutional funding from governments (UK aid, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, USA), the EU, UN agencies, the World Bank, ADB, and specialist frameworks (EnDev, Nordic Development Fund); foundation and trust grants (IKEA Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Z Zurich Foundation, H&M Foundation, Poul Due Jensen Foundation, Comic Relief, People's Postcode Lottery, innocent foundation, Maxwell Stuart Charitable Trust); and technical consulting revenue via PAC. For FY2024-25, total donation income was £32.3m, of which £29.9m (93%) was deployed on charitable activities and £2.4m (7%) on fundraising, with cost-effective channels including direct debit and payroll giving promoted as the most efficient giving mechanisms.
Practical Action firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Practical Action
- Legal name
- Practical Action
- Website
- https://practicalaction.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Practical Action is a UK-registered international development charity (founded 1966 by E.F. Schumacher) that designs and delivers poverty alleviation programmes across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, focusing on clean energy access, climate resilience, food systems, and disaster risk reduction for marginalised communities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Practical Action industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development and Humanitarian Aid
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN), Climate, Environment & Natural Resource Management Aid Programs (BPADABAI)
Keywords
Where Practical Action is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rugby
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Practical Action business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters globally. Includes monthly giving programs, single donations, tribute gifts, and legacy bequests.
- Institutional Funding: Grants and funding from governments (UK, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, USA), multi-national organisations (EU, UN agencies, ADB, World Bank), and specialist funding frameworks (EnDev, Nordic Development Fund).
- Foundation and Trust Funding: Major grants from foundations including IKEA Foundation, Z Zurich Foundation, H&M Foundation, Poul Due Jensen Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Comic Relief, People's Postcode Lottery, and others.
- Technical Consulting Services: Practical Action Consulting (PAC) provides paid technical assistance to governments, businesses, and organisations including World Bank, FCDO, EU, Asian Development Bank, GIZ, and private sector clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard donation amounts from £15 to £100 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Major gifts programme for £5,000+ donations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Practical Action product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Practical Action is a UK-registered international development charity that designs, funds, and delivers poverty alleviation programmes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its core work covers clean energy access, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and water/sanitation, delivered through in-country field offices, funded by individual donations, foundation grants, and institutional donors. It also operates a paid technical consulting arm (Practical Action Consulting) that provides development expertise to governments and multilateral organisations, and publishes technical knowledge resources through Practical Action Publishing and Practical Answers.
Product overview
Practical Action is a non-profit organization focused on international development and poverty alleviation, not a technology product company. The organization's offerings consist of charitable giving mechanisms and fundraising tools rather than a unified software product. Its portfolio includes: e-gift donation products (Energiser, Protector, Changemaker, Purifier, Health Giver, Dignifier, Nourisher, Acclimatiser, Planet Pleaser) that allow donors to purchase symbolic gifts supporting specific program areas; third-party fundraising platform integrations (JustGiving, Facebook Fundraiser, Instagram Fundraiser) for supporter-led crowdfunding; shopping donation platforms (Give As You Live, eBay for Charity, Savoo, Easy Fundraising) that generate donations through everyday purchases; and giving mechanisms including direct debit, payroll giving, and Gift Aid. Practical Action Consulting provides technical consulting services to governments, businesses, and communities worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Practical Action Consulting (PAC): Technical consulting arm providing sustainable development expertise to governments, businesses, and communities worldwide since 1969.
- Practical Action Publishing
- Practical Answers
Products and services
- Practical Action Consulting (PAC) Paid technical consulting arm delivering development expertise, project design, and implementation support to governments, multilaterals, and private sector clients including World Bank, FCDO, EU, Asian Development Bank, and GIZ.
- Practical Action Publishing
Quantifiable outcome
- Focus on three big global changes: food systems transformation, clean energy access, and climate risk reduction
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Practical Action
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Practical Action technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Practical Action partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- University of ReadingminorUK university collaboration on research and development projects.
- Lund UniversityminorSwedish university partnership for research and academic collaboration.
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)minorUK research council funding and collaborating on research projects.
- UNHCRcorePartnership providing renewable energy solutions to refugee families, schools, and hosting communities in Jordan.
- EcoActminorPartner for clean cooking initiatives in Darfur, working alongside Women's Development Association.
- Global Distributors CollectivecoreSupporting Last Mile Distribution companies to reach underserved customers with life-changing products like solar lights or clean cookstoves.
- Zurich InsurancecoreFounding member of Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, bringing risk expertise to help people rebuild homes and improve livelihoods.
- World BankcoreClient for technical consulting services including project design and implementation support.
- FCDOcoreUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office engaged for development programme delivery.
- GIZcoreGerman development agency engaged for technical cooperation projects.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Practical Action competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WaterAid: UK-headquartered international development charity with similar size and focus on water, sanitation, and hygiene for marginalised communities. Operates as a private non-profit funded by individual donations, institutional grants, and corporate partnerships — directly comparable to Practical Action's UK charity structure and operating geographies.
- SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Dutch international development organisation working on agriculture, energy, and water with both grant-funded programs and paid advisory services (similar to Practical Action Consulting). Comparable mission, multi-region field presence, and donor base across bilateral donors and foundations.
- Helvetas: Swiss-based international development organisation operating across similar themes (water, agriculture, climate, economic development) with comparable combination of program implementation, technical consulting, and policy advocacy. Similar scale and multi-region footprint.
- Mercy Corps: Large international humanitarian and development NGO working on food security, climate resilience, and economic opportunity in fragile contexts. Operates a similar portfolio of grant-funded programmes and paid technical assistance, and competes for the same bilateral and foundation funding pools.
- Concern Worldwide: Ireland-headquartered international humanitarian and development NGO of comparable size with overlapping themes (livelihoods, climate, emergency response). Similar funding model mixing individual giving, institutional grants, and corporate partnerships.
- Tearfund: UK-based Christian international development charity with similar scale and a comparable mix of individual giving, government grants, and faith-motivated donor base. Operates in overlapping geographies with similar community-level delivery model.
- Practical Action Consulting peer: DAI Global: International development consulting firm providing paid technical assistance to FCDO, USAID, World Bank, ADB, and EU — directly comparable to Practical Action Consulting's client base and service offering across governance, agriculture, climate, and infrastructure.
Broad incumbents
- Tetra Tech International Development Services: Large engineering and consulting firm with a dedicated international development services division serving USAID, FCDO, ADB, and World Bank. Significantly larger scale and broader capability but directly comparable in the paid TA service line.
- Oxfam: Much larger UK-based confederation of international development charities with comparable individual-giving fundraising model, policy-influence capability, and presence in overlapping geographies. A major competitor for both individual donations and restricted institutional funding.
- BRAC: One of the world's largest international development organisations, operating programmes on livelihoods, climate adaptation, and economic inclusion across many of the same countries. Significantly larger scale but a direct competitor for foundation, bilateral, and multilateral funding.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Practical Action social profiles
Digital presencePractical Action compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Practical Action financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Practical Action leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Practical Action funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Practical Action M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Practical Action
What does Practical Action do?
Practical Action is a UK-registered international development charity that designs, funds, and delivers poverty alleviation programmes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its core work covers clean energy access, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and water/sanitation, delivered through in-country field offices, funded by individual donations, foundation grants, and institutional donors. It also operates a paid technical consulting arm (Practical Action Consulting) that provides development expertise to governments and multilateral organisations, and publishes technical knowledge resources through Practical Action Publishing and Practical Answers.
Is Practical Action a public or private company?
Practical Action is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Practical Action founded?
Practical Action was founded in 1966. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Practical Action based?
Practical Action is headquartered in Rugby, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Practical Action make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are institutional Funding, foundation and Trust Funding and technical Consulting Services.
Who are Practical Action's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WaterAid, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Helvetas, Mercy Corps, Concern Worldwide, Tearfund and Practical Action Consulting peer: DAI Global. Broad incumbents are Tetra Tech International Development Services, Oxfam and BRAC.
Does Practical Action have an API?
No public API is recorded for Practical Action.
What industry is Practical Action in?
Practical Action's product category is International Development and Humanitarian Aid. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAEAA, Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery), with a secondary code of HLAJAKAD, International & Local Implementing NGOs. Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8742.