Rainforest Foundation UK

What Rainforest Foundation UK does

Rainforest Foundation UK is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1138287) founded in 1989 and headquartered in London, operating as part of the broader Rainforest Foundation network. The organization's core function is protecting rainforests in the Congo Basin—primarily the Democratic Republic of Congo—by supporting indigenous and local communities in securing land rights, managing forest territories, and monitoring illegal activity. Its programme portfolio includes Community Forests (supporting legal recognition of community forest concessions), Indigenous Land & Livelihoods (policy advocacy), Mapping for Rights (interactive territorial mapping), and the ForestLink system, a community forest monitoring technology that transmits real-time geographic alerts of illegal logging even from areas without connectivity. The Forest Concession Compliance Portal, developed with APEM and the DRC Ministry for Environment, provides legal review data covering 14 million hectares of logging concessions.

The organization's business model is charitable: revenue derives from individual donations via the Enthuse donation portal, grants from trusts and foundations, corporate philanthropy partnerships, and schools/youth fundraising. RFUK employs 11-50 staff and operates without traditional product pricing. Its go-to-market is community-led conservation combined with research, advocacy, and technology deployment, targeting policy change rather than market-based offset mechanisms. Partnerships with Fern, Forest Peoples Programme, APEM, ANAPAC RDC, and GeoFirst extend its research and technical capabilities, while collaborations with the DRC government embed it in forest governance infrastructure.

RFUK's strategic posture is defined by rights-based conservation: it actively critiques voluntary carbon and biodiversity markets (per the Beyond Offsets report co-published with Fern and Forest Peoples Programme) and advocates for systemic policy reform. The 2033 Vision document, launched in 2026, sets the agenda for the next decade. Since inception, the Rainforest Foundations collectively report supporting the protection of 84 million hectares of rainforest globally.

Name

Rainforest Foundation UK

Legal name

Rainforest Foundation UK

Website

https://rainforestfoundationuk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rainforest Foundation UK is a UK-registered charity that protects rainforests in the Congo Basin by supporting indigenous and local communities through land rights advocacy, community forest monitoring technology (ForestLink), and policy research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Timberland Carbon & Natural Capital Project Development (Offsets/REDD+) (AFAMAKAH), Carbon Accounting, Verification & Registry Services (MRV, Audits, Certification) (IMAMAJAE)

Keywords

• Rainforest conservation
• Indigenous land rights
• Forest monitoring technology
• Community-led conservation
• Environmental advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations through the website donation portal, fundraising events, and community fundraising initiatives.
2. Trusts and Foundations: Institutional funding from charitable trusts and foundations that support rainforest conservation and indigenous rights.
3. Partnerships and Philanthropy: Corporate and individual philanthropy partnerships supporting specific conservation programs.
4. Schools and Fundraising: Educational institution engagement and fundraising programs targeting schools.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rainforest Foundation UK is a registered UK charity that protects rainforests by partnering with indigenous and local communities to secure land rights, monitor illegal forest activity, and advocate for policy reform. Its programmes deliver real-time forest monitoring (ForestLink), territorial mapping (Mapping for Rights), community forest legal recognition (Community Forests), indigenous rights advocacy (Indigenous Land & Livelihoods), and legality assessment of logging concessions (Forest Concession Compliance Portal).

Product overview

Rainforest Foundation UK is a non-profit organization operating a portfolio of technology-enabled programmes focused on rainforest protection and indigenous land rights. The core offering is ForestLink—a real-time monitoring system that connects forest communities with law enforcement agencies through low-cost geographical alerts. This integrates with Mapping for Rights, which helps put indigenous communities on the map through land-use planning. Supporting programmes include Community Forests (which helps communities gain legal recognition of forest territories) and Indigenous Land & Livelihoods (advocacy for community land rights). The Forest Concession Compliance Portal provides transparent legal review data on industrial logging concessions across the DRC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ForestLink A breakthrough community forest monitoring system that enables indigenous and local communities to transmit highly accurate, low-cost geographical alerts of illegal forest activities in real-time, even from remote areas with no connectivity. Connects forest guardians with law enforcement agencies.
• Mapping for Rights An interactive mapping initiative that helps put otherwise 'invisible' forest peoples on the map, supporting communities in developing and implementing land-use plans that protect forests and sustain livelihoods.
• Community Forests A programme that supports indigenous and local communities in gaining legal recognition and management rights over their forest territories, helping protect ecosystems while sustaining livelihoods.
• Indigenous Land & Livelihoods A programme that campaigns for laws and policies recognising the rights of indigenous communities to their lands and resources, supporting land-use planning for forest protection.
• Forest Concession Compliance Portal An online portal that assesses the legality of every logging and conservation concession in the Democratic Republic of Congo, covering more than 14 million hectares and examining concessions managed by 29 companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84 million hectares of rainforest protected by Rainforest Foundations since inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• FerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published 'Beyond Offsets' report with Fern and Forest Peoples Programme setting out alternatives to flawed voluntary carbon and biodiversity markets.
• Forest Peoples ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on research and advocacy for indigenous peoples' rights and forest protection, co-publishing reports on carbon markets and forest governance.
• APEMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on forest concession compliance analysis in the DRC, developing the Forest Concession Compliance Portal.
• Reseau EDHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal DRC partner organization collaborating on forest governance research and community forest initiatives.
• Ministry for Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) - DRCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry collaborating on the Forest Concession Compliance Portal project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• ABED - Action for Biodiversity, Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal DRC partner organization in community forestry initiatives.
• ANAPAC RDC - National Alliance for Indigenous and Community Heritage AreascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational alliance in DRC supporting and promoting indigenous and community heritage areas and territories.
• OCEAN - Organisation Congolaise des Ecologistes et Amis de la NatureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCongolese environmental organization partner in forest conservation efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/theRFUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/rainforestfoundationuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rainforest-foundation-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/rainforestfoundationuk
• Xx.com/RFUK

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Rainforest Foundation UK