Publish What You Fund
Publish What You Fund is a UK-registered non-profit that operates the global Aid Transparency Index and DFI Transparency Index, benchmarking major aid donors and development finance institutions on transparency through independent assessments and IATI-compliant data tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Publish What You Fund does
Publish What You Fund is a UK-registered non-profit organization founded in 2008 that operates as the global campaign for aid and development transparency. The organization produces independent comparative assessments of major aid donors and development finance institutions, with its flagship Aid Transparency Index — launched in 2012 — ranking approximately 50 donor agencies against 35 indicators; the 2024 cohort represents 84.4% of all activities published to the IATI standard. The product portfolio also includes the DFI Transparency Index (launched January 2023), a DFI Transparency Tool providing granular guidance on disclosure, and a suite of self-service tools (Aid Transparency Tracker, Data Quality Tester, IATI Canary, IATI Decipher) that align with the IATI open data standard co-founded by PWYF in 2008.
The organization serves aid agencies, partner country governments, civil society organizations, journalists, and research institutions. Its go-to-market is community-led: it publishes comparative rankings, methodology papers, and free training sessions, and engages stakeholders at venues including World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, UN conferences, G8 summits, and Brookings Institution-hosted launch events. From 2026, PWYF is transitioning the Aid Transparency Index to a paid accreditation model — sixteen agencies have signed up for the 2026 cycle — while continuing to assess major bilateral donors without charge.
The business model is primarily grant-funded by major philanthropic foundations. PWYF received a share of the USD 5.25 million Multilateral Development Banks Challenge Fund in 2023 alongside ODI, established by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and The Rockefeller Foundation. The organization is registered as a UK charity (Charity Number 1158362), operates from London, and runs with a small team of 1-10 employees, with most research and assessment work carried out in-house through a recognized methodology.
Publish What You Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Publish What You Fund
- Legal name
- Publish What You Fund
- Website
- https://www.publishwhatyoufund.org/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Publish What You Fund is a UK-registered non-profit that operates the global Aid Transparency Index and DFI Transparency Index, benchmarking major aid donors and development finance institutions on transparency through independent assessments and IATI-compliant data tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Publish What You Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aid Transparency Assessment and Benchmarking
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Public Relations Agencies (541820)
- SIC
- International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Trust Funds & Multi-Donor Pooled Funds (BPADAOAE), Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government (BPAIAAAH)
Keywords
Where Publish What You Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Publish What You Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants: Primary funding from major philanthropic foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and The Rockefeller Foundation. Publish What You Fund and ODI were the first recipients of the USD 5.25 million Multilateral Development Banks Challenge Fund.
- Accreditation Fees (2026 onwards): From 2026, the Aid Transparency Index operates as a paid-for accreditation and assessment offering. Sixteen agencies signed up for the 2026 Index accreditation process, which includes engagement, capacity building, and formal recognition for transparency performance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Training Sessions |
| Subscription | Annual | Accreditation and Assessment (2026 onwards) |
| Freemium | Annual | Bilateral Donor Assessment (Free) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Publish What You Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Publish What You Fund produces independent, comparative transparency assessments of major aid agencies and development finance institutions through its flagship Aid Transparency Index and DFI Transparency Index. It develops and maintains a suite of data quality and monitoring tools (Aid Transparency Tracker, Data Quality Tester, IATI Canary, IATI Decipher) supporting the IATI open data standard, and from 2026 delivers a paid accreditation and capacity-building programme for organisations seeking formal transparency recognition.
Product overview
Publish What You Fund operates a transparency assessment platform comprising two flagship benchmarking indices (the Aid Transparency Index and DFI Transparency Index), supported by a suite of technical tools for data quality assessment and monitoring (Aid Transparency Tracker, Data Quality Tester, IATI Canary, IATI Decipher). The DFI Transparency Tool serves as a framework for assessing development finance institutions. Training services complement the product portfolio. Together, these products enable independent assessment, capacity building, and monitoring of aid and development finance transparency across major global institutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Aid Transparency Index: The Aid Transparency Index is the only independent measure of aid transparency among the world's major development agencies. It tracks and measures aid organisations' progress towards transparency.
- DFI Transparency Index
- IATI Canary
- Data Quality Tester
- IATI Decipher
- Aid Transparency Tracker
Products and services
- Aid Transparency Index
- DFI Transparency Index
- Aid Transparency Tracker
- Data Quality Tester
- IATI Canary
- IATI Decipher
- DFI Transparency Tool
- Training
Quantifiable outcome
- Between 2012 and 2024, the number of organizations achieving 'very good' transparency scores increased significantly, with more agencies achieving scores in the 'very good' category and the highest ever average Index score.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Publish What You Fund
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Publish What You Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Publish What You Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ODI (Overseas Development Institute)coreODI and Publish What You Fund were announced as the first recipients of funding from the USD 5.25 million Multilateral Development Banks Challenge Fund at the 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF. The fund aims to enhance understanding and innovation in development finance systems to support global SDGs and climate goals.
- International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)corePublish What You Fund helped establish IATI in 2008 and continues to support the development of the open data standard for sharing information on aid and development activities. The Index methodology is based on IATI Standard indicators.
- 55 Global Partners, Advisors, Researchers and AdvocatescorePublish What You Fund worked over two years in collaboration with 55 global partners, advisors, researchers and advocates to develop approaches to tracking funding for women's economic empowerment.
- World Bank Group and IMFcorePublish What You Fund announced their MDB Challenge Fund recipients at the 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF. The organization engages with these institutions as key actors in the development finance landscape.
- Over 30 Campaign Partners (Road to 2015)minorPublish What You Fund worked with over 30 partners to achieve UN member state commitment to publish aid data using open data standards at the Financing for Development conference in Addis Ababa in July 2015.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Publish What You Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Open Government Partnership (OGP): Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative bringing together government and civil society to promote open government, transparency, and accountability. Both OGP and PWYF promote transparency standards through public assessment, coalition engagement, and stakeholder mobilization across donor and government audiences.
- Transparency International: Transparency International is the global leader in the fight against corruption, producing the Corruption Perceptions Index and similar benchmarking tools. Both organizations drive accountability through independent benchmarking indices and public rankings of institutional performance, with strong global brand recognition.
- International Budget Partnership (IBP): International Budget Partnership is a global organization that works with civil society to promote transparent, accountable, and responsive government budgets, producing the Open Budget Survey. Both IBP and PWYF operate as independent assessors using index/ranking methodology to drive accountability in public finance flows.
- Publish What You Pay (PWYP): Publish What You Pay is a global civil society coalition promoting transparency and accountability in extractive industries. It operates with a near-identical advocacy model to PWYF — independent assessment, public rankings, and civil society campaigns — but focused on oil, gas, and mining revenues rather than aid.
- Global Financial Integrity (GFI): Global Financial Integrity is a think tank that produces research and advocacy on illicit financial flows, trade misinvoicing, and financial transparency. Both organizations produce assessments and reports driving transparency in cross-border financial flows, though GFI focuses on illicit flows rather than aid specifically.
- Center for Global Development (CGD): Center for Global Development is a think tank focused on reducing global poverty through research and policy advocacy. CGD and PWYF both produce influential research on development finance and policy, engaging similar donor, government, and policy audiences in the development ecosystem.
- ODI (Overseas Development Institute): ODI is a global affairs think tank working on international development and humanitarian issues. ODI and PWYF are direct partners as joint recipients of the MDB Challenge Fund and share a UK-based, development-focused research and advocacy orientation targeting similar audiences.
Emerging players
- Devex: Devex is a media platform and data provider for the global development community. Both organizations support the aid and development ecosystem through information products and data, though Devex focuses on subscription-based news and intelligence for development professionals rather than transparency assessment.
- ONE Campaign: ONE Campaign is a global advocacy organization fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, with significant public campaigning and policy advocacy capabilities. Both organizations operate as advocacy NGOs targeting government and donor accountability, though ONE focuses on poverty eradication rather than transparency specifically.
Broad incumbents
- Oxfam International: Oxfam International is a large global confederation focused on poverty alleviation and inequality. Oxfam is both a peer (it uses IATI data for accountability work) and a much broader development and humanitarian organization compared to PWYF's specialized transparency assessment focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Publish What You Fund social profiles
Digital presencePublish What You Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Publish What You Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Publish What You Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Publish What You Fund 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 Publish What You Fund
What does Publish What You Fund do?
Publish What You Fund produces independent, comparative transparency assessments of major aid agencies and development finance institutions through its flagship Aid Transparency Index and DFI Transparency Index. It develops and maintains a suite of data quality and monitoring tools (Aid Transparency Tracker, Data Quality Tester, IATI Canary, IATI Decipher) supporting the IATI open data standard, and from 2026 delivers a paid accreditation and capacity-building programme for organisations seeking formal transparency recognition.
Is Publish What You Fund a public or private company?
Publish What You Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Publish What You Fund founded?
Publish What You Fund was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Publish What You Fund based?
Publish What You Fund is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Publish What You Fund make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants are the primary driver. The others are accreditation Fees (2026 onwards).
Who are Publish What You Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Open Government Partnership (OGP), Transparency International, International Budget Partnership (IBP), Publish What You Pay (PWYP), Global Financial Integrity (GFI), Center for Global Development (CGD) and ODI (Overseas Development Institute). Emerging players are Devex and ONE Campaign. Oxfam International is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Publish What You Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Publish What You Fund.
What industry is Publish What You Fund in?
Publish What You Fund's product category is Aid Transparency Assessment and Benchmarking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAOAB, Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors), with a secondary code of BPADAOAE, Trust Funds & Multi-Donor Pooled Funds. Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 9721.