Nexus Research Institute

What Nexus Research Institute does

Nexus Research Institute (NEXUS Institute) is an independent, international human rights research and policy center founded in 2002 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its sole mission is to combat human trafficking and modern slavery. The institute conducts original field research with trafficking victims and survivors across source, transit, and destination countries in Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and elsewhere, producing reports, practitioner guides, and policy analyses that are widely distributed free of charge to NGOs, governments, and intergovernmental bodies.

NEXUS operates a contract research and program evaluation model. It is funded primarily through institutional grants and commissioned research from government agencies — notably the U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) and USAID — as well as philanthropic foundations such as the King Baudouin Foundation, and intergovernmental organizations including the IOM and ASEAN. Notable programs include a long-running U.S. State Department-sponsored study on trafficking in Indonesia, the TVRP reintegration program (2007–2014) with the King Baudouin Foundation, and evaluation work for USAID/Albania and the ASEAN-USAID PROSPECT initiative. The organization employs a small staff (estimated 1–10) under long-tenured leadership, including founder, President, and CEO Stephen Warnath.

Revenue mechanics are grant-driven: NEXUS competes for institutional funding cycles, delivers defined research and program deliverables, and reinvests any surplus into mission-aligned activities. Its primary "products" are qualitative research reports, victim-centered methodology frameworks, practitioner training manuals, and policy advisory services delivered on contract. The customer base is institutional — donor agencies and recipient governments — rather than commercial.

Name

Nexus Research Institute

Legal name

NEXUS Institute

Website

https://nexusinstitute.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nexus Research Institute is an independent Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that conducts field research, policy analysis, and program evaluation to combat human trafficking and modern slavery, serving government agencies, foundations, and intergovernmental organizations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Research and Policy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Anti-Trafficking, Smuggling Prevention & Safe Migration Services (BPADAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance (BPADAEAI)

Keywords

• Anti-trafficking research
• Human rights policy
• Victim reintegration services
• Practitioner training guides
• Monitoring and evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary funding from government agencies, international organizations, and foundations supporting anti-trafficking research and programs
2. Contract Research: Commissioned research and evaluations for governments, USAID, and international organizations on trafficking-related topics

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NEXUS Institute is an independent international human rights research and policy center that produces evidence-based research, practitioner guides, manuals, and handbooks on human trafficking and modern slavery, and delivers advisory and training services to governments and NGOs implementing anti-trafficking programs in regions including Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and Africa.

Product overview

NEXUS Institute is an independent international human rights research and policy center that operates as a social enterprise combining research and analysis with field implementation. The organization's offerings include an extensive portfolio of research publications organized by thematic areas (assistance and reintegration, victim identification, child trafficking, trafficking for fishing, trafficking of men, etc.), practitioner guides providing step-by-step operational guidance for anti-trafficking professionals, and comprehensive manuals and tools covering data collection, monitoring, and evaluation methodologies. The institute also produces blog content and photo essays for public engagement and offers advisory services to support implementation of counter-trafficking initiatives worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Publications
• Practitioner Guides
• Manuals, Handbooks and Tools
• Advisory Services

Quantifiable outcome

• First longitudinal study on human trafficking conducted in Indonesia and one of only a few in the world
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Indonesian Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child ProtectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for Indonesia research. The study was implemented in partnership with the Ministry, enabling access and legitimacy for research on trafficking victim reintegration.
• Indonesian Ministry of Social AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for Indonesia research on trafficking victim reintegration, providing operational support and institutional access.
• Fafo (Norwegian research institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner with NEXUS on Balkan route trafficking study. Co-authored Vulnerability and exploitation along the Balkan route report examining trafficking among migrants and refugees in Serbia.
• Atina (Serbian NGO)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSerbian NGO partner in Balkan route research. Part of partnership with Fafo to document trafficking experiences among migrants and refugees.
• Centre for Youth Integration (Serbian NGO)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSerbian NGO partner in Balkan route research examining trafficking vulnerability among migrants and refugees.
• ASEAN-USAID Partnership for Regional Optimization with the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Communities (PROSPECT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor regional partnership for practitioner guide development. Joint host of CTIP Thematic Dialogues on victim identification, access to services, and special measures for trafficking victims.
• ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT) ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint host of thematic dialogues and co-developer of practitioner resources on victim identification, protection, and assistance in Asia.
• Regional Support Office of the Bali Process (RSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on practitioner guide development. Jointly published Practitioner Guides on victim identification, protection, and recovery with RSO.
• ECPATsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Global Boys Initiative and dialogue brief on protecting and assisting boy survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework partnership on human trafficking research series, contributing to NEXUS/IOM research on trafficking perpetrators and operations.
• Clinton Global InitiativesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a past project, indicating partnership on global counter-trafficking commitments and initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Polaris Project:
• ECPAT International: Global network focused on child trafficking and sexual exploitation — NEXUS has collaborated directly with ECPAT on the Global Boys Initiative. Comparable in producing thematic practitioner guides and reports, but specialized to child trafficking.
• Anti-Slavery International: UK-based research and advocacy organization focused on modern slavery and trafficking, with comparable thematic depth (research reports, policy advocacy, survivor voice) and a similar niche-scale operating model.

Broad incumbents

• UNODC (UN Office on Drugs and Crime): UN body that produces global TIP reports, victim identification guides, and trafficking data — directly comparable outputs to NEXUS publications, but from a much larger intergovernmental mandate and budget.
• Walk Free Foundation: Publisher of the Global Slavery Index and major funder of anti-trafficking research — a direct overlap with NEXUS's TIP data-collection work, though operating at significantly greater scale and with broader geographic mandate.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): UN agency that operates global counter-trafficking programs, publishes TIP research, and partners directly with NEXUS. IOM is a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities (data collection frameworks, practitioner guides, victim assistance) but at vastly greater scale across many more regions.
• OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR): OSCE unit that publishes anti-trafficking guidance, data-collection tools, and National Referral Mechanism handbooks for the same Eastern European and Western Balkan geographies NEXUS serves.
• Freedom Fund: Large anti-trafficking funder and program operator producing research and practitioner resources on trafficking and modern slavery, with overlapping focus on Southeast Asia and survivor-centered approaches.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nexusinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nexus-research-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Nexus Research Institute