Crisis Action
Crisis Action is a London-based NGO that protects civilians in armed conflict by convening coalitions of more than 100 NGOs and activists to jointly pressure governments and international bodies, operating from 8 offices worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Crisis Action does
Crisis Action is a London-headquartered non-governmental organization founded in 2004 that works to protect civilians from armed conflict by convening coalitions of civil society actors to jointly pressure governments and international institutions. The organization operates with approximately 40 staff across eight global offices — London, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Paris, Washington, New York, and Beirut — and serves more than 100 partner NGOs, activist networks, and policy specialists. Its core "product" is a coalition methodology, codified in resources such as the Creative Coalitions Handbook, that runs focused advocacy campaigns on specific conflict situations (e.g., Syria, Lebanon) and broader civilian-protection policy reforms.
The organization does not sell goods or services in a commercial sense; its business model is philanthropic, with revenue derived from charitable donations, foundation grants, and institutional awards. Notable recognition includes the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions (2012) and the Skoll Award (2013), which have validated and resourced the organization's operating model. No productized technology platform, software-as-a-service offering, or technology-driven revenue stream is present; the underlying capability is human-mediated strategic coordination, senior-level political engagement, and convening power rather than a scalable technical asset.
Crisis Action is led by CEO Nicola Reindorp, with Janah Ncube serving as COO and Deputy CEO (appointed June 2025). The Board is co-chaired by Regan Ralph and Preethi Herman, and the organization was founded by Guy Hughes. Over roughly two decades, Crisis Action has expanded from a single London office to a multinational footprint, indicating institutional durability and sustained operational scaling rather than rapid or venture-style growth.
Crisis Action firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Crisis Action
- Legal name
- Crisis Action
- Website
- https://crisisaction.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Crisis Action is a London-based NGO that protects civilians in armed conflict by convening coalitions of more than 100 NGOs and activists to jointly pressure governments and international bodies, operating from 8 offices worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Crisis Action industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Peacebuilding and Civilian Protection Advocacy
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Crisis Management & Evacuation Services (BPAIAIAK)
Keywords
Where Crisis Action is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Crisis Action business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropic Funding: Crisis Action relies primarily on donations from individual supporters and institutional funders. The organisation accepts one-off and monthly donations in GBP, EUR, and USD currencies. Only around 1% of philanthropic funding is invested in peacebuilding globally, making the sector underfunded. The organisation's model emphasises that for every $1 invested, there is a potential $16 reduction in costs related to humanitarian interventions and post-conflict efforts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time | One-off donation option |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Crisis Action product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Crisis Action is an NGO that coordinates global coalitions of civil society organisations, governments, faith leaders, activists and policymakers to pressure decision-makers and protect civilians from armed conflict. Its core service is convening partner organisations, amplifying voices of conflict-affected communities (especially women, youth and marginalised groups), and running targeted high-level advocacy campaigns on active conflicts such as Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Sahel.
Product overview
Crisis Action operates as a single, unified advocacy platform rather than a technology product. The organization provides campaign coordination services through its core offerings: coalition building for civilian protection, voice amplification for conflict-affected communities, and high-level advocacy coordination. These services are delivered through global campaigns on active conflicts (Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, IOPT, Sahel) and past campaigns across numerous countries. The organization also offers the Creative Coalitions Handbook as a supplementary resource. With 40 staff across 8 offices worldwide, Crisis Action harnesses collective action to prevent conflicts and save lives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Coalition Advocacy and Campaign Coordination Services Crisis Action's core service convening and coordinating coalitions of NGOs, grassroots movements, faith leaders, activists, policymakers and influencers to run targeted advocacy campaigns that pressure governments and international institutions to protect civilians from armed conflict. Delivered through active campaigns on Syria (2025-present), Lebanon (2024-present), Sudan (2023-present), IOPT (2023-present), Sahel (2020-present) and past country campaigns.
- Creative Coalitions Handbook A published handbook providing guidance and methodology for building effective coalitions for change, distributed as a resource for other civil society organisations and practitioners.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80 million+ civilians protected from forced displacement through advocacy efforts
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Crisis Action
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Crisis Action technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Crisis Action partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Amnesty InternationalcoreCo-founded by Crisis Action founder Guy Hughes in collaboration with Amnesty International, Oxfam and others in 2004. Amnesty International is a core partner in coalition-building efforts for civilian protection.
- OxfamcoreCo-founder of Crisis Action alongside Amnesty International. Oxfam International's global campaign on conflict and humanitarian crises contributed to the founding vision. CEO Nicola Reindorp served on Crisis Action's Board while leading Oxfam's global conflict campaigns.
- People's Coalition for the SahelcoreCrisis Action worked with the People's Coalition for the Sahel to set out 'People's Pillars' defining four priorities: protection, political strategy, aid and justice. Crisis Action supports the Coalition to monitor government performance and influence long-term Sahel policy.
- Global Centre for the Responsibility to ProtectcoreCo-founded by Crisis Action CEO Nicola Reindorp. The Centre works on implementing the historic UN agreement on Responsibility to Protect that she helped secure during her time at Oxfam's New York office.
- Families for Freedom (Syria)coreSyrian organisation supported by Crisis Action in briefing the UN Security Council on detainees and advocacy for missing persons. Partnership instrumental in establishing landmark UN mechanism for 100,000+ missing persons.
- Mwatana for Human Rights (Yemen)coreYemeni human rights organisation led by Radhya Almutawakel. Crisis Action supported her briefing the UN Security Council on Hodeidah port protection, first time a Yemeni civil society activist addressed the Council.
- Peace Track Initiative (Yemen)coreYemeni organisation focused on women's inclusion in peace processes. Partnership ensures women's voices are amplified in peace negotiations and policy discussions.
- African UnioncoreCrisis Action facilitates civil society engagement with African Union structures. Nairobi office specifically focuses on building networks with African NGOs for collective advocacy towards the AU on peace and security issues.
- Norwegian Refugee CouncilcoreLed by Jan Egeland, former Crisis Action Board Chair. NRC works on humanitarian response in conflict zones and collaborates with Crisis Action on advocacy for civilian protection.
- Human Rights WatchcoreBruno Stagno Ugarte, Chief Advocacy Officer at HRW, serves on Crisis Action's Board. HRW collaborates on advocacy campaigns including Myanmar sanctions and various conflict responses.
- Amnesty International USAcoreExecutive Director Paul O'Brien lauded Crisis Action's strategic coordination on Gaza, emphasising unprecedented collaboration that drove collective advocacy efforts.
- Core Partners NetworkcoreExtensive network of civil society organisations working at highest levels of policymaking. Coalition includes grassroots movements, faith leaders, activists, artists, celebrities, influencers, and policymakers.
- Creative Coalitions HandbookminorPublished handbook sharing Crisis Action's methodology for building effective coalitions for change. Available as resource for other organisations.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Crisis Action competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Search for Common Ground: International conflict transformation NGO that works across dozens of conflict-affected countries to build peaceful societies; comparable in mission and global footprint but more focused on grassroots peacebuilding than high-level policy advocacy.
- Conciliation Resources: International NGO working on peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Africa, Asia, the Caucasus, and the Pacific; comparable in methodology (coalitions, partnerships with local actors) and operating geographies (Sahel, Sudan).
- International Alert: London-based peacebuilding charity working with partners to build sustainable peace; comparable in UK base, conflict focus, and NGO funding model but smaller in scope and less focused on high-level diplomacy.
Direct peers
- Human Rights Watch: New York-headquartered international human rights organisation that investigates abuses and advocates for policy change; sits on Crisis Action's board and operates overlapping campaigns on Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Israel/Occupied Territories.
- International Crisis Group: Brussels-headquartered think tank that produces policy analysis and conducts advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts worldwide; comparable in mission (civilian protection/conflict prevention) and operating model (independent, globally distributed, works with governments and multilaterals).
- Avaaz: Global online activist network that mobilises millions of members across countries to campaign on human rights, conflict, and civilian-protection issues; directly comparable in mobilising coalitions and applying public/policy pressure on conflicts including Syria, Gaza, and Sudan.
- Norwegian Refugee Council: Leading humanitarian organisation providing assistance and advocating for displaced people in conflict zones; led by former Crisis Action Board Chair Jan Egeland, with deeply overlapping conflict theater focus.
- Amnesty International: London-based global human rights organisation that conducts research, advocacy, and campaigning to protect civilians from conflict and repression; co-founder of Crisis Action and the most directly comparable partner/peer in scope and methodology.
- Oxfam International: Global confederation working on humanitarian response, conflict, and inequality; co-founder of Crisis Action and a core partner — operates advocacy campaigns across the same conflict theaters and shares many board-level relationships.
- Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect: New York-based international institution advancing the R2P framework to prevent genocide, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing; co-founded by Crisis Action CEO Nicola Reindorp and operates at the same UN/head-of-state nexus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Crisis Action social profiles
Digital presenceCrisis Action financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Crisis Action leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Crisis Action funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Crisis 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 Crisis Action
What does Crisis Action do?
Crisis Action is an NGO that coordinates global coalitions of civil society organisations, governments, faith leaders, activists and policymakers to pressure decision-makers and protect civilians from armed conflict. Its core service is convening partner organisations, amplifying voices of conflict-affected communities (especially women, youth and marginalised groups), and running targeted high-level advocacy campaigns on active conflicts such as Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Sahel.
Is Crisis Action a public or private company?
Crisis Action is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Crisis Action founded?
Crisis Action was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Crisis Action based?
Crisis Action is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Crisis Action make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Philanthropic Funding.
Who are Crisis Action's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Search for Common Ground, Conciliation Resources and International Alert. Direct peers are Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, Avaaz, Norwegian Refugee Council, Amnesty International, Oxfam International and Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect.
Does Crisis Action have an API?
No public API is recorded for Crisis Action.
What industry is Crisis Action in?
Crisis Action's product category is Peacebuilding and Civilian Protection Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAIAK, International Crisis Management & Evacuation Services. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 9721.