What Intersos does

INTERSOS is an independent humanitarian non-profit organization (Ente del Terzo Settore under Italian law) founded in 1992 in Rome, delivering emergency humanitarian assistance to populations affected by armed conflict, forced displacement, natural disasters, and food insecurity. The organization operates across 20 countries spanning Europe (Italy, Greece, Moldova, Ukraine), the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen), North Africa (Libya, Sudan), and Sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DRC, Mali, Niger, Nigeria), with decentralized regional hubs in Amman, Dakar, and Nairobi. In 2024 INTERSOS implemented 229 humanitarian projects reaching 3.7 million beneficiaries at a cost of €88.2 million, delivered through 2,587+ staff operating field missions, mobile clinics, fixed service centres (INTERSOS24 and INTERSOSLAB in Rome), and outreach teams. Core program verticals include protection (legal aid, child protection, gender-based violence response), health and nutrition, water/sanitation/hygiene (WASH), food security, emergency shelter, and education in emergencies, supported by a mine action unit established in 1996.

The organization is funded primarily through institutional donor grants, with ECHO/EC (20.09%) and UNHCR (19.23%) as the two largest sources, followed by OCHA (10.48%), AICS (10.42%), USAID/BHA (7.65%), WFP (4.51%), and other UN/EU/Italian government entities. Secondary revenue streams include private individual donations (monthly sustainer programs, one-time gifts, in-memory donations, testamentary bequests), Italian 5x1000 tax designations, corporate and foundation partnerships (e.g., Fondazione Lavazza), and a fee-based professional training program ('In Prima Linea') offering courses in Project Cycle Management, Humanitarian Health, MEAL, and Humanitarian Access priced at €320-€450. Donation processing and training enrollment are handled via Stripe, PayPal, and credit card on a WordPress-based website. INTERSOS holds EU Civil Protection Mechanism partnership certification, UN partnership arrangements, and a clean external audit opinion (Crowe Bompani Srl, 2020), with transparency disclosures publicly available. The organization's technology stack comprises standard humanitarian sector tools (UNHCR registration systems, MEAL platforms, mobile clinic technologies) with no proprietary AI/ML, API, or SDK offerings disclosed.

Name

Intersos

Legal name

INTERSOS ETS

Website

https://intersos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

INTERSOS is an Italian humanitarian non-profit founded in 1992 that delivers emergency assistance — protection, health, nutrition, WASH, food security, and education — across 20 countries, serving 3.7 million beneficiaries in 2024 via 229 projects funded primarily by UN and EU institutional donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disaster Response Coordination & Incident Command (EOC/ICS) (HLAJAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian & Disaster Assistance (Bilateral) (BPADABAB), Migration, Refugees & Forced Displacement Assistance (BPADABAL)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Emergency relief operations
• Refugee protection programs
• Humanitarian training programs
• Humanitarian field missions

Headquarters

HQ city

Roma

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Institutional Donor Funding: Primary revenue stream from institutional donors including UNHCR (19.23%), ECHO/EC (20.09%), AICS (10.42%), OCHA (10.48%), BHA USAID (7.65%), EU Commission (3.05%), UNICEF (2.87%), WFP (4.51%), government institutions (3.65%), and other UN agencies. Funding supports specific humanitarian projects aligned with donor priorities.
2. Private Donations: Individual giving through one-time donations, monthly sustainer programs (Sostenitore in Prima Linea), in-memory donations, and testamentary bequests. Fundraising campaigns include emergency appeals (Ebola, Ukraine, Middle East) and regular programmatic fundraising.
3. Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: Partnerships with companies and foundations including Lavazza Foundation for scholarship programs, corporate gift catalogues (Regali che Contano), and foundation grants for specific programmatic initiatives.
4. 5x1000 Tax Designation: Italian tax designation allowing taxpayers to allocate 0.5% of income tax to INTERSOS, representing a significant source of unrestricted funding from Italian supporters.
5. Humanitarian Training Programs: Fee-based professional training courses in humanitarian sector skills including Project Cycle Management (€450), Humanitarian Health (€380), MEAL and Information Management (€380), and Humanitarian Access (€380/€320 early bird), offered as public courses with package discounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

INTERSOS is an independent humanitarian organization that delivers emergency response and protection services for populations affected by conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises across approximately 20 countries. It implements integrated multi-sector programs spanning protection, health, nutrition, WASH, food security, education, and mine action, complemented by humanitarian training programs and a donation platform that channels resources to frontline operations.

Product overview

INTERSOS is a humanitarian organization (Organizzazione Umanitaria ETS) providing emergency humanitarian aid across 20 countries. The organization operates field missions delivering protection, health and nutrition, water and hygiene, food security, emergency distributions and shelters, and emergency education services. In Italy, INTERSOS runs service centers (INTERSOS24, INTERSOSLAB) and mobile clinics in Rome, Foggia, and Sicily. The organization also offers a humanitarian training programme called 'In Prima Linea' providing professional development courses, and operates an online donation platform for public support. Additionally, INTERSOS maintains a supplier management system with prequalification and tender processes for procurement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• INTERSOS24

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.7 million people assisted in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fondazione LavazzacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for 'Borsee di Studio per l'Istruzione di Giovani Yemeniti' (Scholarships for Education of Yemeni Youth) supporting university students in Yemen with tuition coverage and living expenses. Co-develops education interventions in humanitarian contexts.
• CCHN (Centre for Humanitarian Change)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter providing advanced certifications in humanitarian negotiation. INTERSOS staff including Senior Humanitarian Advisor Alda Cappelletti hold CCHN certifications for humanitarian access and negotiation training.
• Harvard Humanitarian InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing advanced certifications in humanitarian negotiation and access. INTERSOS senior staff including Alda Cappelletti hold HHI certifications for humanitarian negotiation training.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Emergency: Italian humanitarian NGO founded in 1994 providing free, high-quality medical and surgical care to victims of war, landmines, and poverty. Comparable as an Italian humanitarian NGO with similar crisis-response positioning and institutional donor relationships.
• MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières): International humanitarian medical NGO delivering emergency healthcare in conflict and disaster settings. Directly comparable to INTERSOS as a frontline NGO operating across multiple crisis countries with institutional donor funding and private donations.
• COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale: Italian humanitarian NGO founded in 1965, headquartered in Milan, implementing multi-sector humanitarian and development programs across multiple crisis countries. Directly comparable as a same-country, similar-mandate Italian NGO competing for the same institutional donor pool.
• Cesvi: Italian humanitarian NGO founded in 1985, headquartered in Bergamo, operating in food security, health, and protection programs across crisis contexts. Directly comparable as a similarly-sized Italian humanitarian NGO with overlapping donor base and program portfolio.
• IRC (International Rescue Committee): Major international humanitarian NGO delivering emergency aid, health, education, and protection programs in crisis-affected countries. Comparable for its multi-sector integrated humanitarian response model and similar institutional donor mix.
• Oxfam Italia: Italian affiliate of Oxfam International, implementing humanitarian and development programs in food security, WASH, and protection. Comparable as an Italian humanitarian organization competing for overlapping donors and 5x1000 designation.
• Save the Children Italia: Italian affiliate of Save the Children, focused on child protection, education in emergencies, and child-focused humanitarian response. Comparable as an Italian humanitarian NGO with overlapping child protection and education programming.
• ActionAid Italia: Italian affiliate of ActionAid International, focused on humanitarian response, women's rights, and emergency programming. Comparable as an Italian-headquartered NGO with overlapping donor mix and program sectors.

Broad incumbents

• UNHCR: UN Refugee Agency that is INTERSOS's largest single donor and the primary convener of refugee response coordination. Included as the principal institutional counterpart and coordinator of refugee-focused programming in which INTERSOS implements.

Others

• ECHO (European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations): European Commission service that is INTERSOS's largest institutional donor, funding humanitarian operations globally. Included as the primary institutional funding counterpart shaping INTERSOS's program portfolio and geographic priorities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/intersos
• Facebookfacebook.com/Intersos.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/intersos
• Instagraminstagram.com/intersos

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Intersos