What Anthrologica does

Anthrologica is a UK-headquartered, privately held research consultancy founded in 2008 by Juliet Bedford that specializes in applied anthropology for global health. It delivers formative and operational research, social and behaviour change (SBC) strategy development, emergency response research, monitoring and evaluation, training and capacity building, and policy and guidelines development for UN agencies, international NGOs, and bilateral donors. Its service methodology is centered on qualitative and mixed-methods approaches — including in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participatory methods, and human-centred design — rather than on any proprietary software platform or AI system.

The company operates a distributed delivery model: a core team of senior research associates is based across four continents (UK, Ireland, US, Guatemala, Australia, Lebanon) and draws on an extensive international network of collaborating social scientists to assemble project-specific teams. Two flagship initiatives anchor the portfolio: the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP), co-founded with the Institute of Development Studies and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and contributions to the WHO/IFRC/UNICEF Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Collective Service. Project work spans 50+ countries across Eastern and Southern Africa, MENA, West and Central Africa, LATAM, South and Southeast Asia, and Oceania.

The business model is project-based professional services. Anthrologica secures work primarily through tenders, commissioned projects, and established partnerships with major institutional buyers — UNICEF, WHO, WFP, IFRC, USAID, Save the Children, and the SUN Movement among them. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, contracts are won on a project-by-project basis, and the firm reports no parent company, no external funding rounds, and no public revenue figures. Headcount sits in the 11–50 range.

Name

Anthrologica

Legal name

Anthrologica

Website

https://anthrologica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Anthrologica is a UK-based research consultancy founded in 2008 that applies anthropological and qualitative research methods to global-health challenges for UN agencies, INGOs, and bilateral donors across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Health Research Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Global Health & Population Intergovernmental Bodies (BPADAAAD)

Keywords

• Applied anthropology research
• Global health consulting
• Qualitative research services
• Social behaviour change
• Humanitarian research

Headquarters

HQ city

Harrogate

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Consultancy Services: Project-based consulting engagements for formative and operational research, monitoring and evaluation, training, and policy development with global health organizations, UN agencies, and NGOs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Anthrologica is a research-based consultancy that provides applied anthropology services in global health. It conducts formative and operational research, develops social and behaviour change strategies, delivers rapid social science intelligence for humanitarian emergencies, performs monitoring and evaluation, and offers training, capacity building and policy support. Its clients are UN agencies, international NGOs, humanitarian organisations and bilateral donors operating across more than 50 countries.

Product overview

Anthrologica is a research-based organization offering applied anthropology services in global health, structured as a consultancy model with specialized service offerings rather than a unified software platform. The core portfolio comprises Formative and Operational Research Services, Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Strategy Development, Emergency Response Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Training and Capacity Building, and Policy and Guidelines Development. Two flagship initiatives anchor the portfolio: the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) in partnership with IDS and LSHTM, and the Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Collective Service as a WHO/IFRC/UNICEF partnership. The company forms dynamic project-based teams drawing on an international network of collaborating social scientists and anthropologists to deliver contextually relevant health research across development, emergency, and humanitarian settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Formative and Operational Research Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced 30+ COVID-19 briefs for SSHAP during pandemic
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Institute of Development StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnthrologica is a founding partner of the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) with the Institute of Development Studies and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The platform establishes networks of social scientists with regional and subject expertise and rapidly provides insight, analysis and advice to better design and implement the social and communication dimensions of emergency responses.
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSHAP founding partner providing academic rigor and research methodology expertise. Collaborates on establishing networks of social scientists and delivering evidence-based insights for emergency response.
• RCCE Collective Service (WHO, IFRC, UNICEF with GOARN support)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnthrologica provides social science support to the Collective Service strengthening the application of social science knowledge in Risk Communication and Community Engagement. The service is a partnership of WHO, IFRC and UNICEF supported by GOARN, focusing on COVID-19 and broader health emergencies.
• World Food Programme (WFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for social and behaviour change strategy development, formative research, and programme support. Anthrologica contributes to WFP's nutrition and food security programming globally.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including digital health technologies scoping review, respectful maternal care compendium development, Staff Health Insurance behavioral study, and COVID-19 response support through SSHAP.
• GOARN (Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSSHAP supported by GOARN, enabling Anthrologica to contribute to global outbreak response coordination and social science integration.
• MHPSS CollaborativesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnthrologica and the MHPSS Collaborative conducted a literature review and consultation to assess mental health and psychosocial support research generated since 2010 in humanitarian settings.
• Common ThreadsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Common Thread to provide UNICEF Syria country office with a COVID-19 Risk Communication and Community Engagement Strategy. Partnership continues on multiple country-level projects.
• SeraphimsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Seraphim to conduct formative research on immunisation behaviours and practices in El Salvador as part of a regional initiative with UNICEF and PAHO/WHO.
• Thomson Reuters FoundationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Thomson Reuters Foundation for needs assessment and media landscape analysis on SRHR in Guatemala under the We Lead programme funded by Hivos.
• UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Merankabandi social protection programme in Burundi targeting refugees and displacement-affected populations. Partnership with WFP to adapt financial training modules.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with NRC to adapt the Better Learning Programme (BLP) to specific needs of schools under attack in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, providing psychosocial support research.
• InternewssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Internews to conduct Information Ecosystem Assessment in Maban County, South Sudan, mapping how refugees and host communities access and trust information.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor implementing partner across numerous projects including RCCE, vaccination, birth registration, adolescent health, school-based programmes, emergency response, and policy development spanning multiple countries.
• NYU College of Global Public HealthsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with NYU College of Global Public Health for development and delivery of intensive blended courses including 'Communication in Emergencies' with UNICEF and 'A Systems Approach to Food' with WFP.
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted disability research as part of LSHTM project to develop and evaluate the Key Informant Method for identifying children with disabilities in Bangladesh.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Palladium: Large international development consulting firm with a global health and SBC practice; competes on multi-country donor tenders and offers integrated M&E plus implementation services beyond Anthrologica's scope.
• ICF International: Global consulting and digital services firm with established international development and health practice; competes for donor-funded evaluation, SBC and formative research mandates at scale.

Direct peers

• ThinkWell: Global health systems and policy consultancy working with USAID, UN agencies, and foundations; comparable to Anthrologica in serving global health clients with research, M&E, and strategic advisory services.
• Itad: International development consultancy providing monitoring, evaluation, and learning services for donors and INGOs; competes with Anthrologica on M&E, formative research, and programme review tenders.
• Oxford Policy Management: Development research and policy advisory firm working with governments, multilaterals and donors; competes on formative research, evaluation, and policy advisory mandates in global health and humanitarian settings.
• Sonder Collective: Design and applied social research firm operating at the intersection of anthropology, human-centred design and international development, providing formative research and SBC services directly comparable to Anthrologica's offerings.
• Institute of Development Studies (IDS): Leading global development research and learning institute; co-founder of SSHAP with Anthrologica and a major provider of applied social science research in development and humanitarian contexts.
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM): Global health research and teaching institution conducting applied social science and operational research for UN agencies and donors; SSHAP co-founder and frequent competitor/collaborator on health systems research.
• Common Thread: Specialist communications and research consultancy in humanitarian and global health contexts; partner with Anthrologica on RCCE work (e.g., UNICEF Syria) and competes on similar social science and behaviour change engagements.

Emerging players

• Caribou Digital: Social science and digital research consultancy focused on development, inclusion and digital rights; operates in adjacent applied qualitative and mixed-methods research with overlap in donor-funded programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anthrologica-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Anthrologica