What IIED does

IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development) is an independent policy research charity founded in 1971 that generates evidence and policy analysis on sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity, and inclusive economic transformation. It operates through a distributed model: 170+ staff based in 23 countries, working with a network of 350+ partner organisations across 60+ countries, primarily in the Global South. Its core outputs include a research publications library of more than 7,500 items, the SAGE adaptive governance evaluation tool, C-CIQ (a corruption and governance diagnostic), and the Food Security Index, alongside podcasts, convening events, and direct policy engagement with donors and multilateral institutions.

The organisation's product surface combines open-access research artefacts with structured diagnostic and evaluation tools used by partners to design and assess interventions in complex socio-ecological systems. Distribution is grant- and partner-driven rather than commercial; revenue mechanics consist of restricted project grants from bilateral/multilateral donors, foundation funding, and to a lesser extent unrestricted donations, channelled into programme delivery alongside a modest retained overhead that funds the methods and tool development described above.

Income is disclosed at £32.6 million, supporting a model where the majority of funds flow through restricted activities to delivery partners, while IIED retains the convening, method-development, and evidence-publishing functions that anchor its brand and funder relationships. Strategic moves in the recent period — establishment of IIED Europe (Brussels) in 2021, the launch of SAGE 2.0 in June 2023, a partnership with British International Investment, and convening of the 2026 London Climate Resilience Finance Summit — indicate continued geographic and thematic expansion within the existing grant-funded operating model rather than a pivot to commercial or scale-equity financing.

Name

IIED

Legal name

International Institute for Environment and Development

Website

https://iied.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

IIED is an independent international research charity that produces sustainable development evidence, policy analysis, and evaluation tools such as SAGE and the Food Security Index, working with 350+ partners across 60+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA) (EUAHAAAH), Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

Keywords

• Sustainable development research
• Climate policy advisory
• Environmental research services
• International development consulting
• Natural resource governance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and institutional funding: As an independent charity and policy research organization, IIED receives funding from grants, institutional donors, and charitable foundations to support its research and operational activities
2. Research and advisory services: Providing research, analysis, and policy advisory services to governments, international organizations, and civil society
3. Publications and knowledge products: Free dissemination of research publications; the organization maintains a library of over 7,500 free publications available to the public

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IIED is an independent research organisation that produces evidence-based research, policy analysis, and knowledge products on sustainable development, including climate change, biodiversity, urban development, governance, and natural resource management. It works alongside 350+ partners in more than 60 countries to drive change in policy and practice, delivering outputs through free publications, podcasts, newsletters, governance and resilience assessment tools, and convening events such as summits and conferences.

Product overview

IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development) is an independent research organization that delivers positive change on a global scale through evidence-based research, publications, and knowledge tools. The organization operates across 20 thematic areas including climate change, biodiversity, urban development, food systems, and governance. Its core products include a publications library with over 7,500 free research publications, the Make Change Happen podcast available across major platforms, the IIED Food Security Index for measuring global food security, the SAGE governance assessment tool for nature conservation, the Comprehensive Climate Impact Quantification (C-CIQ) toolkit for measuring climate loss and damage, email newsletters with topic-specific subscriptions, and organized events and webinars. IIED works alongside over 350 partners in more than 60 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Make Change Happen: IIED's flagship podcast providing informal insights into complex issues relating to sustainable development
• IIED Food Security Index
• Locally Led Adaptation
• Hidden Handbrakes
• SAGE

Products and services

• Publications Library IIED's online research library containing over 7,500 free publications covering sustainable development topics including climate change, biodiversity, governance, urban development, and natural resource management. Available at no cost to download.
• Make Change Happen Podcast IIED's flagship podcast providing informal insights on complex issues relating to sustainable development, available on SoundCloud, TuneIn, Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube.
• IIED Food Security Index An interactive index that measures global food security and examines the impacts of climate change on the world's food supply.
• SAGE Tool A tool for improving governance and equity in nature conservation, helping communities and conservation practitioners assess and enhance equitable governance of protected areas.
• Comprehensive Climate Impact Quantification (C-CIQ) Toolkit A toolkit used to measure both economic and non-economic loss and damage from climate impacts, applying an intersectional lens across gender, age, employment type and migration status.
• Email Newsletters Subscription-based email newsletters providing updates on IIED's research and activities, including general newsletters and topic-specific subscriptions covering Cities and people, Climate resilience, Economies rights and governance, Food systems, and Nature and biodiversity.
• Events and Conferences Organised events including conferences, summits (such as the London Climate Resilience Finance Summit), Development and Climate Days, and webinars covering climate finance, heat stress, sustainable development, and other thematic topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• £32.6 million income mobilized for sustainable development work
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• 350+ Partner OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIED works alongside over 350 partners in more than 60 countries to generate evidence and build capacity in order to drive change in policy and practice. Partnerships are at the heart of their work from citizen groups to multilateral organisations.
• OKUPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for heat stress research on informal workers in Bangladesh, working on the 'Too hot to work, too poor to rest' study
• Change AlliancesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for heat stress research in India, contributing to the study on informal workers in Ajmer, Delhi and Agra
• Least Developed Countries Group (LDC Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIED encouraged formation of LDC Group at UNFCCC in 2001 and has supported the group since, playing key role in Paris Agreement engagement
• Green Economy CoalitionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIED is a member of the Green Economy Coalition working to accelerate transition to green and fair economies
• Global South House at COP30supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative initiative at climate conferences supporting Global South perspectives and participation

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• World Resources Institute (WRI): Independent global research organisation operating across climate, energy, food, forests, water and cities — directly comparable in mandate, evidence-led research model and global partner mobilisation as IIED.
• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): London-headquartered independent think tank on international development and humanitarian policy; near-twin in size, funding model (grants/donor funding) and thematic scope to IIED.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): Independent policy research organisation focused on sustainable development, climate policy and green economies — a direct peer whose mandate, tools and policy convening model closely mirror IIED's.
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI): Independent research institute working on environment and development policy across climate, water, energy and governance — comparable as a multi-office research org producing toolkits and policy advice.
• Practical Action: UK-headquartered international development charity using technology and partnerships to tackle poverty — comparable as a mission-driven research and capacity-building organisation with a similar partner-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Chatham House: Larger, more established London-based policy institute convening global leaders on international affairs — comparable in convening power, policy research output and donor mix, but operating across a much broader agenda than IIED's sustainable development focus.
• Center for Global Development (CGD): Washington-based think tank producing research on global development, climate finance and international financial architecture reform — overlaps with IIED on climate finance and development policy research, with a more economics-led orientation.
• World Bank Development Research Group: Multilateral research arm producing large-scale development economics and policy research. Comparable as a producer of authoritative evidence for governments, but with vastly larger scale and a different institutional mandate than IIED.
• UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme): UN system entity setting the global environmental agenda through assessment, policy guidance and capacity-building — broadly comparable in environment and sustainable development research/advisory role but as an intergovernmental body.

Regional players

• Green Economy Coalition: Multi-stakeholder coalition in which IIED is a member, working to accelerate transition to green and fair economies — a thematic/strategic peer and partner rather than a direct competitor for research mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/iiedclips
• Xx.com/iied
• Facebookfacebook.com/theiied
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iied

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 IIED