Women's Refugee Commission
The Women's Refugee Commission is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 that conducts research, advocacy, and coalition programs to protect and empower women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis across more than 20 countries, with a $5.3M operating budget funded by individual donations and institutional grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Women's Refugee Commission does
The Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 and headquartered in New York, NY, with a secondary office in Washington, DC. It conducts research, advocacy, and coalition-based programs to protect and empower women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis. Its core programmatic products include the Detention Pregnancy Tracker (a nationwide documentation tool for conditions affecting pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women in US immigration custody), the Global Refugee Youth Network (GRYN, an independent youth-led network spanning 6+ countries and 20+ organizations), the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises, the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (operating in 24 countries), and a Research and Resource Library of 964 publications. Sub-products include a detained/deported parental toolkit and field tools on sexual violence against men, boys, and LGBTQI+ individuals in humanitarian settings.
WRC operates on a donation- and grant-funded revenue model. It accepts individual donations (including a matching gift program), and receives institutional funding from foundations, corporations, government agencies, and UN entities; its stated annual operating budget is approximately $5.3 million, with 90% allocated to program services, 8% to fundraising, and 2% to management. Distribution is mission-driven rather than commercial: free online distribution of research and toolkits, field missions to refugee-affected countries across North/Central America, Africa, the Middle East, South/Southeast Asia, and Europe, direct Congressional and administration advocacy, and statements at UN forums including the Security Council and the Commission on the Status of Women.
Its primary customer segments are displaced women, children, and youth themselves; humanitarian organizations and UN agencies; and US immigration stakeholders including policymakers and impacted families. Strategic partners include UNHCR, UN Women, UNICEF, WOLA, the National Immigration Law Center, Physicians for Human Rights, and Refugees International. The organization maintains dual Candid Platinum and Charity Navigator Platinum transparency seals (2023 and 2026) and received the Humanitarian Award at Cannes 2026. Leadership transitioned in June 2026, with Dr. Xanthe Scharff succeeding Sarah Costa (who served for nearly 16 years) as President and CEO.
Women's Refugee Commission firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Women's Refugee Commission
- Legal name
- Women's Refugee Commission, Inc.
- Website
- https://womensrefugeecommission.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Women's Refugee Commission is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 that conducts research, advocacy, and coalition programs to protect and empower women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis across more than 20 countries, with a $5.3M operating budget funded by individual donations and institutional grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Women's Refugee Commission industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Advocacy Services
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311), Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN)
Keywords
Where Women's Refugee Commission is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Women's Refugee Commission business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: WRC accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals to support its programs and advocacy work for refugee women, children, and youth. The organization runs donation campaigns and has a matching gift program.
- Institutional Funding: WRC receives funding from foundations, corporations, government agencies, and UN organizations. The job posting mentions annual operating budget of $5.3 million, indicating significant institutional funding.
- Donor Matching Program: WRC runs periodic matching gift programs where donors match contributions, such as a $200,000 matching campaign mentioned on the donate page.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Women's Refugee Commission product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Women's Refugee Commission is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that conducts field-based research on the conditions facing refugee and displaced women, children, and youth, and uses that evidence to drive policy change and humanitarian program improvements. Its core deliverables include targeted tools and programs such as the Detention Pregnancy Tracker for ICE custody documentation, the Global Refugee Youth Network, the Research and Resource Library of 964+ publications, the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises, and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, alongside family separation and sexual violence toolkits for humanitarian practitioners and migrant families.
Product overview
The Women's Refugee Commission operates as a research and advocacy organization offering a portfolio of programs and tools focused on protecting and empowering displaced women, children, and youth. The core offerings include the Detention Pregnancy Tracker for documenting treatment of pregnant women in ICE custody, the Global Refugee Youth Network (GRYN) for refugee youth empowerment, a Research and Resource Library containing reports and field manuals, the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises, and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights. Additional products include family separation toolkits for migrant parents and sexual violence prevention tools. These products function both as standalone resources and as integrated components of WRC's broader advocacy and research mission.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Detention Pregnancy Tracker A nationwide documentation tool that collects evidence of detention conditions for pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women in U.S. immigration custody, enabling advocacy for detained women and oversight of immigration detention.
- Global Refugee Youth Network (GRYN) An independent youth-led network housed at WRC that supports young refugees to develop their capacities, empower themselves, and lead initiatives to respond to their communities' needs, spanning over 20 refugee youth-led organizations in more than 6 countries.
- Research and Resource Library
Quantifiable outcome
- GRYN supports over 20 refugee youth-led organizations in over 6 countries
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Women's Refugee Commission
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Women's Refugee Commission technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Women's Refugee Commission partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- UNHCRcoreWRC partners with UNHCR on the Global Youth Advisory Council, which brings together young refugees to make recommendations on addressing challenges and priorities of refugee youth.
- Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights (GCENR)coreGCENR is housed at WRC and works to promote equal citizenship laws in 24 countries that prevent women from passing citizenship to their children on the same basis as men.
- Global Refugee Youth Network (GRYN)coreGRYN is an independent youth-led network housed at WRC that supports young refugees to develop their capacities and lead initiatives to respond to their communities' needs. GRYN supports over 20 refugee youth-led organizations in over 6 countries.
- Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in CrisescoreWRC houses the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises, coordinating efforts across agencies to ensure reproductive health services in humanitarian settings.
- NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and SecuritycoreWRC is part of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security and supported Haitian civil society leader to deliver a statement to UN Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence.
- Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)coreJoint research partnership producing reports on family separation, including interviews with deported parents in Honduras documenting violations of US immigration policy.
- WOLAmajorPartnership for research trips to Central America and Mexico to meet with recently deported people and service providers assisting them upon arrival.
- UN WomenmajorJoint work including toolkit development on sexual exploitation, support for adolescent boys and male youth survivors, and collaboration on GRYN initiatives.
- UNICEFmajorJoint publications including field guides for frontline workers supporting young male refugees and migrants who are survivors of sexual violence.
- National Immigration Law Center (NILC)majorJoint analysis of ICE data on pregnant and postpartum women detained, joint amicus briefs on birthright citizenship, and joint issue briefs on detention conditions.
- Refugees InternationalmajorPartnership on research documenting how aid cuts have disproportionately impacted women-led organizations in conflict settings including Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sudan, and Ukraine.
- WRC Detention Pregnancy Tracker PartnersmajorPartnerships with service providers to gather documentation of detention conditions for pregnant women, foster data collection, and advocate for detained women.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Women's Refugee Commission competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Women's Refugee Commission social profiles
Digital presenceWomen's Refugee Commission financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Women's Refugee Commission leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Women's Refugee Commission subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Women's Refugee Commission funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Women's Refugee Commission 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 Women's Refugee Commission
What does Women's Refugee Commission do?
The Women's Refugee Commission is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that conducts field-based research on the conditions facing refugee and displaced women, children, and youth, and uses that evidence to drive policy change and humanitarian program improvements. Its core deliverables include targeted tools and programs such as the Detention Pregnancy Tracker for ICE custody documentation, the Global Refugee Youth Network, the Research and Resource Library of 964+ publications, the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises, and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, alongside family separation and sexual violence toolkits for humanitarian practitioners and migrant families.
Is Women's Refugee Commission a public or private company?
Women's Refugee Commission is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Women's Refugee Commission founded?
Women's Refugee Commission was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Women's Refugee Commission based?
Women's Refugee Commission is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Women's Refugee Commission make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are institutional Funding and donor Matching Program.
Does Women's Refugee Commission have an API?
No public API is recorded for Women's Refugee Commission.
What industry is Women's Refugee Commission in?
Women's Refugee Commission's product category is Humanitarian Advocacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAG, Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy, with a secondary code of BPAGAAAH, Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance. Its NAICS code is 813311 and its SIC code is 8300.