What ADD International does

ADD International (legal name: Action on Disability and Development) is a UK-registered charity founded in 1985 that supports disability justice movements in Africa and Asia. Headquartered in London with an additional UK office in Frome, Somerset, the organisation operates country offices in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, employing 51-100 staff. Its programmatic delivery is organised around three core service lines: Participatory Grants (flexible, unrestricted funding to Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and individual activists), a Leadership Academy (including the Global Disability Leadership Academy cohort programme), and Fairer Funding (advocacy for more equitable grant-making practices within the development sector). It also publishes research and learning reports covering livelihoods, inclusive education, gender equality, mental health, and disability justice inequalities, and operates a targeted Disability Justice Fund for Women addressing gender-specific intersectional discrimination.

The revenue model is donation-based. ADD International raises funds from individual supporters via suggested donations of £10, £50, £90 or custom amounts, through online (website), telephone (0300 303 8835), postal and email channels on a monthly recurring or one-off basis. It supplements individual giving with institutional grants from named partners including Comic Relief (4-year community mental health programme in Bangladesh), the Rockefeller Foundation (9-month market-based study for disabled women in Uganda), and Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity (Disability Justice and Inequalities Research project in Ghana and Kenya). Marketing and outreach occur through the add.org.uk website, an email newsletter, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn), and targeted paid digital advertising using consented supporter data. The organisation is registered with the UK Charity Commission (Charity Commission Number 294860) and Companies House (Company no. 2033925), subscribes to GDPR/ICO compliance, and adheres to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI). Operationally, ADD is governed by a Board of Trustees with no parent entity or external shareholders, and operates under an explicit Open Information Policy.

Name

ADD International

Legal name

Action on Disability and Development

Website

https://add.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ADD International is a UK-registered charity that funds and develops disability justice movements in Africa and Asia through flexible grants, leadership training (including the Global Disability Leadership Academy), and advocacy for equitable funding practices, serving Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and disabled activists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Rights Advocacy and Humanitarian Grant-Making

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights, Social Inclusion & Disability Inclusion (BPAGABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Disability rights advocacy
• Participatory grant making
• Leadership development programs
• Humanitarian fundraising
• Disability justice movements

Headquarters

HQ city

Frome

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: ADD International relies on donations from the general public to run their programmes and work with disabled people living in poverty. They offer monthly recurring donations and single donations through their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ADD International is a UK-registered charity that provides participatory grant funding and leadership development to Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and disability justice activists across Africa and Asia. Its core programmatic services include flexible Participatory Grants (such as the Disability Justice Fund for Women), the Leadership Academy (including the Global Disability Leadership Academy cohort programme), and the Fairer Funding initiative advocating for more equitable donor practices. The organisation supplements these programmes with research and learning reports on livelihoods, inclusive education, gender equality, mental health, and disability justice inequalities, and is funded primarily through voluntary public donations and institutional grants.

Product overview

ADD International is a charitable organization that provides grant funding and leadership development to disability justice movements in Africa and Asia. The organization operates three core programmatic services: Participatory Grants (providing flexible funding to disability justice organisations), the Leadership Academy (building leadership capacity through training programmes including the Global Disability Leadership Academy), and Fairer Funding (advocating for equitable funding practices). The organization also produces research and learning reports covering livelihoods, inclusive education, gender equality, mental health, and disability justice topics. ADD International does not operate as a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Participatory Grants A flexible, participatory grant-making programme that channels unrestricted funding to disability-led Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and activists, enabling them to address their own priorities rather than rigid donor requirements; includes the Disability Justice Fund for Women.
• Leadership Academy (Global Disability Leadership Academy) A leadership development programme that builds the capacity of disability justice leaders and activists through structured training and skills development, delivered as the Global Disability Leadership Academy with annual cohorts.
• Fairer Funding An advocacy and sector-shaping initiative that promotes more equitable funding practices within the international development and disability justice sectors, helping disability-led organisations build sustainable funding relationships.
• Research and Learning Reports Published research and learning outputs covering thematic areas including livelihoods, inclusive education, gender equality, mental health, and disability justice inequalities, including learning papers and impact assessments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organisations receiving flexible grants were better positioned to secure additional funding from other sources

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UMATIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUMATI is referenced as an organisation that provided additional funding to Sophia's organisation after they strengthened their capacity with initial support from the Disability Justice Fund for Women, administered by ADD International.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Plan International: Plan International is a global INGO with active disability inclusion and gender equality programs across Africa and Asia. It is comparable on mission overlap (women and girls with disabilities, gender-responsive programming) and country footprint, but operates at vastly larger scale.
• Leonard Cheshire: Leonard Cheshire is a UK-registered disability-focused charity with international programs supporting disabled people in inclusive education, employment, and livelihoods. It is comparable in mission and UK base but operates more direct service delivery rather than ADD's grantmaking and movement-building model.
• BRAC: BRAC is one of the world's largest development NGOs with country offices in Bangladesh and across Africa. It is comparable because of overlapping geographies (Bangladesh, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya) and intersectional programs for marginalized populations, though disability is not its central focus.
• Humanity & Inclusion (HI): Humanity & Inclusion (formerly Handicap International) is a large international INGO focused on disability in conflict and poverty contexts. Comparable in thematic focus on disability in developing countries, but operates at much larger scale with a stronger direct-service model.
• Sightsavers: Sightsavers is a large UK-based INGO focused on disability inclusion in low- and middle-income countries, with similar geographies (Africa and Asia) and institutional donor relationships. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with ADD on disability justice themes but operates at significantly larger scale.
• CBM (Christoffel-Blindenmission): CBM is a major international disability-focused INGO operating across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is a much larger incumbent in the same disability and development sector, with overlapping beneficiary populations and a broader service portfolio (health, education, livelihoods).

Others

• Amnesty International: Amnesty International is a global human rights organization with advocacy, research, and movement-building activities. Comparable on the human rights and social inclusion dimension of ADD's work, but operates at far larger scale and with much broader thematic scope beyond disability.
• Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations is a major philanthropic grantmaking entity that funds disability rights and inclusion efforts globally. Comparable as a closely related grantmaker in the disability justice space, though with a much larger endowment and broader thematic mandate.

Direct peers

• Disability Rights Fund: Disability Rights Fund is a direct peer — it is a grantmaking entity that pools donor resources and disburses funds to disability-led organizations in the Global South. Highly comparable to ADD's Participatory Grants programme and the Disability Justice Fund for Women model.
• Light for the World: Light for the World is a European INGO focused on disability inclusion in development and humanitarian contexts, including inclusive education and economic empowerment. Comparable in sector niche and donor base (European institutional funders) and operates as a direct peer in disability-focused international development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ADDInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/add-international
• Xx.com/adduk

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ADD International