Practical Action

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.

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

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

• International development
• Poverty alleviation
• Clean energy access
• Climate resilience
• Technical consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Rugby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters globally. Includes monthly giving programs, single donations, tribute gifts, and legacy bequests.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers7 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University of ReadingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK university collaboration on research and development projects.
• Lund UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish university partnership for research and academic collaboration.
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK research council funding and collaborating on research projects.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing renewable energy solutions to refugee families, schools, and hosting communities in Jordan.
• EcoActminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for clean cooking initiatives in Darfur, working alongside Women's Development Association.
• Global Distributors CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting Last Mile Distribution companies to reach underserved customers with life-changing products like solar lights or clean cookstoves.
• Zurich InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, bringing risk expertise to help people rebuild homes and improve livelihoods.
• World BankcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClient for technical consulting services including project design and implementation support.
• FCDOcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office engaged for development programme delivery.
• GIZcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGerman development agency engaged for technical cooperation projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/practicalaction
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PracticalActionenAmericaLatina
• Facebookfacebook.com/practicalaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/practicalaction
• Instagraminstagram.com/practical_action

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Practical Action