What Iris Group does

Iris Group is a women-owned consulting firm founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with additional wholly-owned entities registered in Nova Scotia, Canada (Iris Group Canada, ULC) and Athlone, Republic of Ireland (Iris PSE Limited). The firm specializes in integrating gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) perspectives into international development programs and policies, serving development donors, government agencies, and international NGOs. Named clients and partners include USAID, the Gates Foundation, CARE, Tetra Tech, Vital Voices, the American Red Cross, MSH, Pivotal Ventures, Abt Associates, FHI 360, and IDEO.org. The company is SBA-certified as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), with reported headcount of 1-10 employees.

Iris Group delivers five core professional service lines: Project Design & Implementation, Research, Strategy Design, Capacity Building & Organizational Development, and Measurement, Evaluation & Learning. These services are operationalized through proprietary branded frameworks and tools, including the Chroma Building Blocks of Gender Equality, the Gender Analysis & Integration Matrix (GAIM), the Gender*Green Agenda, the Gender Equality Indicators Repository, and the WAYS by Iris advisory framework. The firm's most prominent initiative was The Chroma Collective, a Gates Foundation-funded network of gender practitioners from over fifteen donor and financing institutions, which operated from 2021 until its closure in April 2026. Applied research projects have spanned menstrual hygiene management in workplaces in Nepal and Kenya under USAID WASHPaLS, and formative gender-sanitation research in Mozambique.

Revenue is generated through direct, project-based consulting engagements rather than digital distribution. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is presumed to be quote-based and contract-specific per engagement. The go-to-market combines direct sales to enterprise clients with thought-leadership-driven community engagement (the Chroma Collective) and conference participation to build visibility within the global development sector. No venture capital, private equity, or institutional funding rounds are disclosed, and the company operates as an independent, owner-managed firm with Mary Mulhern Kincaid serving as President.

Name

Iris Group

Legal name

Iris Group, Inc.

Website

https://irisgroupinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Iris Group is a women-owned consulting firm that helps international development donors, government agencies, and NGOs integrate gender equality and social inclusion into their programs through research, strategy design, capacity building, and evaluation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Iris Group generates revenue through direct consulting engagements with development organizations, government agencies, and donor institutions. Services include project design and implementation, research, strategy development, and capacity building, typically delivered through project-based contracts.
2. Research and Evaluation Projects: The firm conducts applied research under contracts with organizations like USAID, including the WASHPaLS project on menstrual hygiene management and the Chroma Collective initiative funded by Gates Foundation.
3. Capacity Building and Training: Organizational development services to strengthen institutional processes and build capacity of local partners to advance GESI within their organizations and programs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Iris Group is a women-owned consulting firm that provides gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) advisory services to international development organizations, government agencies, and donor institutions. Its core offerings span project design and implementation, primary and secondary research, strategy design, capacity building and organizational development, and measurement, evaluation, and learning, supported by proprietary frameworks (Chroma Building Blocks, GAIM, Gender*Green Agenda, Gender Equality Indicators Repository) and the Chroma Collective community of practice.

Product overview

Iris Group is a women-owned consulting firm providing gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) advisory services. The core offerings consist of five service areas: Project Design & Implementation, Research, Strategy Design, Capacity Building & Organizational Development, and Measurement, Evaluation & Learning. These services are delivered through branded frameworks and tools including the WAYS by Iris framework, the Building Blocks of Gender Equality (a comprehensive framework covering Gender Mandate, Leadership, Structural Elements, Enforcement Mechanisms, and Outcomes & Impact), the Gender Analysis & Integration Matrix (GAIM), and the Gender*Green Agenda. The Chroma Collective is a major initiative—a network of donor and financing institutions working to advance gender equality through design innovation and collaboration. Applied research projects such as Menstrual Hygiene Management in the Workplace and Gender, Hygiene, and Sanitation in Mozambique demonstrate their technical capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Chroma Collective: A community of gender practitioners from over fifteen leading donor and financing institutions based around the world, working to more effectively integrate gender within and across international development systems.

Products and services

• Project Design & Implementation

Quantifiable outcome

• Research conducted across Nepal and Kenya on menstrual hygiene management, with findings published and disseminated through multiple learning briefs and reports
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• IDEO.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit design studio that formerly convened with the Chroma Collective. IDEO.org brings human-centered design expertise to gender mainstreaming initiatives, building solutions for equitable systems.
• USAIDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor development agency commissioning research projects including the WASHPaLS menstrual hygiene management initiative, Gender Hygiene and Sanitation in Mozambique project. A primary client for consulting services.
• Vital VoicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational nonprofit working to advance women as leaders, partners, and decision-makers. A peer organization in the international development space.
• CAREmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLarge international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Partner in development programs focusing on gender equality and women's empowerment.
• Tetra TechmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering and consulting firm specializing in water, environment, infrastructure, and resource management. Partner in international development projects.
• American Red CrossmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian organization providing disaster relief and health programs globally. Partner organization in development initiatives.
• MSHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManagement Sciences for Health - organization working to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes in developing countries.
• Pivotal VenturesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropic organization focused on advancing women and families, particularly through economic and political power initiatives.
• Abt AssociatesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and policy organization specializing in health, environmental, and social policy consulting.
• FHI 360majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman development organization conducting research and implementing programs in health, education, nutrition, and economic development.
• CDM SmithminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering and construction firm specializing in water, environment, transportation, and energy infrastructure.
• MSI WorldwideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational development consulting firm working with governments, donors, and NGOs on development programs.
• IDEO.orgmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit design studio specializing in human-centered design for social impact and equity.
• AWRADminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and development organization conducting assessments and evaluations in development contexts.
• UnlearnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on learning and development in the development sector.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Global engineering and development consultancy listed by Iris Group as a partner and recurring collaborator on international development projects; competes for the same donor RFPs while offering much broader water, environment, and infrastructure capabilities.
• Abt Associates: Research and policy consultancy named as an Iris Group partner that works on health, environment, and international development — including gender and inclusion-adjacent work — at significantly larger scale.
• FHI 360: Human development organization implementing programs in health, education, and economic development, listed as an Iris Group partner; competes in the same donor-driven gender/inclusion space with a much larger delivery footprint.
• CARE: Major international humanitarian organization and Iris Group partner focused on gender equality, women's empowerment, and global poverty — overlaps with Iris Group's GESI focus but as a large implementing NGO rather than a specialized advisor.
• Management Sciences for Health (MSH): Global health systems strengthening organization listed as an Iris Group partner; works with developing-country governments on programs where gender integration and inclusive health are increasingly required.

Direct peers

• MSI Worldwide (Management Systems International): International development consulting firm working with governments, donors, and NGOs — listed as an Iris Group partner — with overlapping GESI, governance, and organizational development practices.
• IDEO.org: Nonprofit design studio and former Chroma Collective convening partner with human-centered design expertise applied to gender mainstreaming and equity — a close operating peer on the methodology axis.
• Pivotal Ventures: Philanthropic organization advancing women through economic and political power initiatives, listed as an Iris Group partner — a domain peer in gender-focused advisory and convening work.
• Global Development Incubator (GDI): Boutique incubator and advisory platform that launches and accelerates initiatives in gender, inclusion, and other development priorities — operates as a similarly sized convening/advisory peer to Iris Group's Chroma-style work.
• Athena Infonomics: International development research and advisory firm with a gender and inclusion practice, comparable in scale and donor-client profile to Iris Group; competes for similar M&E and gender integration engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWHQjPV05eHxiWj7ycXAr8Q
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iris-group-international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Iris Group