COOPI

What COOPI does

COOPI (Cooperazione Internazionale) is an Italian humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in Milan in 1965. It operates field projects across 30 active countries — spanning sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean — delivering emergency response, reconstruction, and development assistance in sectors including food security, nutrition, water and hygiene, protection, education in emergencies, and disaster risk reduction. Since inception, COOPI has implemented approximately 3,400 projects and reached 140 million people, engaging 71,000 local operators in implementation. The organization is recognized as a suitable NGO under Italian Law 49/1987 and L. 125/2014, as an ONLUS under D.Lgs. 460/97, and now operates as an ETS (Third Sector Entity). A Swiss subsidiary, COOPI Suisse, was established in Lugano in 2012 and serves 371,000 direct beneficiaries across 60 countries as of 2024. The organization has no proprietary technology products; its core capability is direct field service delivery through country offices and regional coordination hubs (Bogota, Nairobi, Dakar, Beirut). Revenue is generated through a hybrid funding model: individual donations (one-time, recurring, child sponsorship Adotta a Distanza, 5x1000 tax designation, testamentary legacies), institutional grants from UNICEF and EU/ECHO, and corporate CSR partnerships. Customer-facing channels include a coopi.org donation platform, postal and bank transfers, Swiss banking channels, and field outreach events such as the annual Cascina Aperta open day in Milan.

Name

COOPI

Legal name

COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale - ETS

Website

https://coopi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

COOPI is an Italian humanitarian NGO founded in 1965 that delivers emergency response, food security, nutrition, water/sanitation, protection, and education programs across 30 active countries via 71,000 local operators, funded by individual donations, institutional grants, and corporate partnerships.

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), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC), Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG), Emergency Food Security & Nutrition in Humanitarian Crises (BPADAJAI)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• International development cooperation
• Emergency response programs
• Food security initiatives
• Disaster risk reduction

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices31 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from private individuals, including child sponsorship programs (Adotta a Distanza), regular giving programs, and memorial donations. COOPI promotes individual giving through its website, email campaigns, and social media.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with corporations under Corporate Social Responsibility frameworks, including project-specific funding, cause marketing, and employee giving programs.
3. Institutional Funding: Grants and contracts from institutional donors including UNICEF, EU, European governments, and international humanitarian funds. COOPI participates in public tenders for humanitarian aid projects.
4. 5x1000 Tax Designation: Italian tax mechanism allowing taxpayers to designate 5x1000 of their income tax to qualified nonprofit organizations including COOPI.
5. Testamentary Legacies: Bequests and legacy donations from supporters who designate COOPI in their wills, providing long-term sustainable funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

COOPI is an Italian humanitarian NGO that fights against poverty by implementing international development cooperation and emergency response projects. Its core offerings are field-based humanitarian programs covering food security and nutrition, water and hygiene, education in emergencies, child and community protection, and disaster risk reduction, delivered to vulnerable populations in roughly two dozen countries across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe.

Product overview

COOPI (Cooperazione Internazionale) is an international non-governmental humanitarian organization founded in 1965, focused on emergency response, reconstruction, and development assistance. The organization does not offer commercial products or technology services; rather, it provides humanitarian programs including food security, water and hygiene, education in emergencies, protection, disaster risk reduction, and nutritional security initiatives across approximately 70 countries. Its activities are funded through donations, institutional partnerships, and grants rather than product revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Security and Nutritional Security Programs Field programs addressing food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable populations in roughly two dozen countries across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe.
• Water and Hygiene Programs Programs providing access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services for vulnerable communities in humanitarian and development contexts.
• Education in Emergency Programs Educational support programs for children affected by crises, conflicts, and natural disasters, designed to maintain continuity of learning in emergency settings.
• Protection Programs (Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence Prevention) Protection programs addressing child protection risks and gender-based violence prevention among crisis-affected populations and vulnerable communities.
• Disaster Risk Reduction Programs Programs focused on disaster preparedness, risk reduction, and resilience-building in communities vulnerable to natural disasters and climate-related hazards.
• Emergency Response Operations (Gaza) Active emergency humanitarian response operations in Gaza, providing life-saving assistance to crisis-affected populations.
• Emergency Response Operations (Sudan) Active emergency humanitarian response operations in Sudan addressing crisis-affected populations.
• Emergency Response Operations (Mali) Emergency humanitarian response operations in Mali supporting populations affected by conflict and food insecurity.
• Emergency Response Operations (Central African Republic) Emergency humanitarian response operations in the Central African Republic (CAR) supporting vulnerable populations.
• Child Sponsorship Program (Adotta a Distanza) Long-term individual donor sponsorship program that funds child-focused humanitarian and development activities in COOPI's field countries.
• 5x1000 Tax Designation Program Italian tax-based giving program allowing Italian taxpayers to allocate 5x1000 of their tax liability to support COOPI's activities.
• Testamentary Legacy Donation Program Program enabling supporters to include COOPI in their wills through testamentary legacies as a form of planned giving.
• Recurring and Emergency Donation Program Regular giving and emergency-appeal donation channels for individual supporters responding to specific humanitarian crises.
• Emergency Appeal Donations (Sudan Emergency) Dedicated donation channel for the Sudan emergency response appeal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140 million people helped since 1965
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOOPI partners with UNICEF on education projects, including construction and rehabilitation of classrooms and latrines in Central African Republic (RCA), with projects in Ouaka, Haute Kotto and Basse Kotto prefectures.
• SUPSI (University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for education, research, and training in international cooperation and humanitarian response. COOPI Suisse participates in USI Career Night and other university events.
• FOSIT (Federation of NGOs of Italian Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederation membership providing networking, advocacy, and coordination among NGOs in the Ticino region of Switzerland.
• City of LuganomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership for local solidarity initiatives and community engagement in international cooperation.
• Fondazione SodalitasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for developing joint International Cooperation projects between Profit and Non-profit organizations within Corporate Social Responsibility frameworks.
• Film Festival dei Diritti UmaniminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on the Human Rights Film Festival in Lugano for awareness raising and public education about humanitarian issues.
• AIL (Associazione Italiana Lotta alla Leucemia)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through solidarity cent program for water-related projects.
• CollinadorominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner for humanitarian projects.
• FacebookminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform used for content sharing and donor engagement.
• TwitterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform for real-time humanitarian updates and engagement.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Emergency: Milan-based Italian NGO providing humanitarian aid and medical care in conflict zones, with comparable Italian donor base, volunteer fundraising, and field operations in countries like Sudan, Iraq, and CAR.
• OXFAM Italia: Italian affiliate of the Oxfam confederation, with similar scale, multisectoral humanitarian portfolio, and individual-donor fundraising model in Italy.
• AVSI Foundation: Italian humanitarian NGO founded in 1972, operating in roughly 30 countries across Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East with similar donor base, institutional funding model, and multisectoral humanitarian portfolio.
• INTERSOS: Rome-based Italian humanitarian NGO established in 1992, focused on emergency response in conflict zones with comparable donor mix and field operations across Africa and Middle East.
• ActionAid Italia: Italian affiliate of the ActionAid federation, working on poverty, humanitarian response, and women's rights with similar Italian individual-donor base and multisectoral programs.
• Save the Children Italia: Italian branch of Save the Children, with overlapping focus on education-in-emergencies, child protection, and food security in humanitarian crises—matching COOPI's beneficiary composition (women and children).
• CESVI: Italian NGO founded in 1985 in Bergamo, operating in over 20 countries with focus on food security, water, and emergency response—directly comparable funding structure and geographic footprint.
• WeWorld (formerly GVC): Italian NGO with comparable multisectoral humanitarian mandate (food security, water, education, protection) and similar institutional funding model operating across Africa, Middle East, and Latin America.
• Terre des Hommes Italia: Italian branch of the Terre des Hommes federation, with comparable donation-driven model, focus on children and vulnerable populations, and field operations in humanitarian contexts.

Broad incumbents

• Médecins Sans Frontières: Globally dominant medical-humanitarian NGO with comparable operational footprint and institutional donor relationships, though with significantly larger scale and a tighter medical/emergency focus than COOPI's multisectoral model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coopi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcW9OAl5RIEAvbnRKizBovQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/coopi.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coopi---cooperazione-internazionale
• Instagraminstagram.com/coopi_ong

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 COOPI