International Association of Public Participation

What International Association of Public Participation does

The International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) is a non-profit professional membership association founded in 1990 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates as a global federation of six regional organizations (Australasia, Canada, USA, Latin America, Southern Africa, and Indonesia) advancing the practice of public participation and community engagement. The organization's core intellectual property consists of three foundational frameworks: the Core Values, the Code of Ethics, and the Spectrum of Public Participation, all of which are copyrighted and adopted by multilateral bodies including the United Nations, World Health Organization, and the World Bank.

IAP2's product portfolio is built around professional development and credentialing. The Global Learning Pathway (GLP), launched in 2022, is a suite of 13 competency-based courses delivered through a global network of licensed trainers in 40+ countries and multiple languages. IAP2 also offers the CP3 and MCP3 professional certification designations, the annual Core Values Awards, a global Career Center, the Journal of Deliberative Democracy, and international/regional conferences. Training materials, the Spectrum, and the Code of Ethics are protected by copyright, with permission fees applied to for-profit organizations and waived for non-profits and educational institutions.

The business model is a hybrid of recurring membership subscriptions, training and certification fees, copyright licensing royalties, and conference/event revenue. Members pay annual dues with regional variation, and the GLP and certification programs generate professional services revenue. As of 2023, IAP2 had grown to over 17,000 members across 26 countries, with the organization governed by an elected volunteer international Board of Directors and led by an Executive Director (Abigail Kajumba, appointed June 2026). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization is funded entirely through operating activities with no external investment or parent company.

Name

International Association of Public Participation

Legal name

International Association for Public Participation

Website

https://iap2.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IAP2 is a non-profit professional membership association founded in 1990 that advances public participation practice globally through copyrighted frameworks, training, certification, and a federation of six regional organizations serving over 17,000 members across 26 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: IAP2 members pay annual membership fees to be part of the global community advancing public participation practice. Members have access to resources, networking, training, and professional development opportunities.
2. Training and Certification Fees: IAP2 generates revenue through training programs including the Global Learning Pathway courses, professional certification programs (CP3, MCP3), and trainer licensing programs. Fees apply for course completion and certification assessments.
3. Copyright Permission Fees: Fees for permission to use IAP2 copyright protected materials including the Spectrum, Core Values, and Code of Ethics. For-profit organizations pay fees for each use; not-for-profit and educational institutions receive fee waivers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IAP2 is a professional membership association that advances the practice of public participation and community engagement. It sells individual and organizational memberships, delivers a standardized training curriculum (the Global Learning Pathway) through licensed trainers worldwide, offers professional certification designations (CP3 and MCP3), publishes the Journal of Deliberative Democracy, runs the Core Values Awards program, and licenses its proprietary frameworks (Spectrum, Core Values, Code of Ethics) under copyright.

Product overview

IAP2 offers a unified suite of professional development and community engagement resources centered around its three foundational Pillars: the Core Values, Code of Ethics, and Spectrum of Public Participation. The core product portfolio includes the Global Learning Pathway (GLP) for training, Professional Certification (CP3/MCP3) for credentialing practitioners, the Core Values Awards for recognizing excellence, a Career Center for job placement, and the Journal of Deliberative Democracy for research. IAP2 also facilitates global conferences and operates a Trainer Licensing Programme to expand reach. Together, these offerings form a comprehensive ecosystem supporting the public participation profession from training through certification and ongoing professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Learning Pathway (GLP) A 13-course competency-based training program designed by practitioners worldwide; the international standard in public participation and community engagement training, equipping professionals with skills, knowledge, and confidence to engage communities authentically and effectively.
• Professional Certification (CP3 / MCP3) A professional designation program offering Certified Public Participation Professional (CP3) and Master Certified Public Participation Professional (MCP3) credentials; proves through independent assessment that practitioners demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to perform as public participation professionals.
• Core Values Awards Annual awards program recognizing the best in public participation, celebrating individuals and organizations that effectively use the Core Values in innovative ways to make better decisions reflecting stakeholder interests.
• Career Center

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,000+ members from 26 countries as of 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• newDemocracy FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Journal of Deliberative Democracy is supported by newDemocracy Foundation, which provides funding and backing for the publication of scholarly research on deliberative democracy.
• Deliberative Democracy ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Journal of Deliberative Democracy is supported by the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, contributing to the scholarly platform for deliberative democracy research.
• Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at University of CanberracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Journal of Deliberative Democracy is hosted at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra, providing academic infrastructure and editorial oversight.
• IAP2 AustralasiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional organization representing Australia and New Zealand, managing local membership, training, conferences, and Core Values Awards programs.
• IAP2 CanadacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional organization managing Canadian membership, training, certification programs (CP3, MCP3), annual Skills Symposium, and Core Values Awards.
• IAP2 USAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional organization managing US membership, training, certification programs, annual Skills Symposium, and Core Values Awards.
• IAP2 Latin AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional organization covering Central America, South America, and Caribbean, managing local membership and training in Spanish.
• IAP2 Southern AfricacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional organization covering 12 African nations (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, eSwatini, Zambia, Zimbabwe), managing local membership and training.
• IAP2 IndonesiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional organization managing Indonesian membership, training in Bahasa, and local professional development events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Civic League: A US non-profit advancing civic engagement, deliberative democracy, and inclusive community governance. Overlaps with IAP2's mission in cities and local government engagement, and operates a similar member/award/training model.
• Public Agenda: A US non-profit focused on public participation, community engagement, and democratic deliberation research. Operates in the same practitioner and government-customer segment that IAP2 serves in North America.
• Involve: A UK charity that promotes and supports public participation and democratic innovation. Operates in the same public-participation practitioner niche as IAP2 with comparable thought-leadership, training, and policy engagement activities.
• newDemocracy Foundation: An Australian research and advisory non-profit advancing deliberative democracy and public participation. Already co-supports IAP2's Journal of Deliberative Democracy and is a direct operational peer in the same methodology space.
• Deliberative Democracy Consortium: An academic-practitioner consortium advancing deliberative democracy and public participation scholarship and practice. A direct functional peer — and existing IAP2 partner — that overlaps significantly in research, publication, and convening work.
• National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD): A US-based non-profit community of practice dedicated to dialogue and deliberative democracy practitioners. Targets the same practitioner audience as IAP2 with overlapping methods (deliberation, public engagement), making it a directly comparable peer organization.
• International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA): A global non-profit membership association for impact assessment practitioners, organized through regional chapters. Closely mirrors IAP2's federation model, training-and-certification monetization, and standards-setting role in a related (environmental/social impact) field.

Broad incumbents

• International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA): An intergovernmental organization supporting democratic governance worldwide. While much broader than IAP2, it competes in the same space of advancing public participation and democratic engagement frameworks, often in the same UN/global fora.
• American Society for Public Administration (ASPA): A large US-based professional membership association for the broader public administration field. Serves an overlapping government-practitioner audience with training, certification, and conferences using an analogous professional-association business model.

Regional players

• Participation Association: A UK-based membership organization dedicated to participation practitioners. Serves a comparable practitioner audience to IAP2's UK membership but focuses on the UK/European market and does not directly compete in IAP2's North American or Australasian strongholds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IAP2
• Facebookfacebook.com/iap2federation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Association of Public Participation