The International Foundation for Electoral Systems

What The International Foundation for Electoral Systems does

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, that provides technical assistance, applied research, and capacity-building to electoral management bodies, civil society organizations, and governing institutions across more than 145 countries, with active programming in roughly 45-58 countries per year. Its core service portfolio spans election administration, cybersecurity and information integrity, anti-corruption and political finance oversight, inclusive political participation (women, persons with disabilities, youth, minorities, displaced persons), and democratic resilience, delivered through field offices in five regions, three Global Centers (Applied Research & Learning, Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust, and the Democratic Resilience Lab), and named programs such as AGENDA, ENGAGE, Youth SPACE, She Leads, PAVE, and SEED. The organization maintains a set of proprietary digital platforms including the ElectionGuide global election database (covering elections since 1998), ElectionPATHS (co-developed with Microsoft for electoral accessibility), ElectionJudgements, the European Election Administration Database, the Election Access Observations Dashboard, the Chain of Harm disinformation-mapping methodology, and the Tech4Democracy innovation fund.

IFES is funded almost entirely by grants and donations from bilateral government aid agencies (USAID, FCDO, Sida, Swiss SDC, Global Affairs Canada, Australia DFAT, France, Danida, NZ MFAT, the EU, Sweden, Ireland), multilateral partners, and foundations/private companies including Open Society Foundations, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. Services are delivered at no cost to recipients; the organization does not sell commercial products. GTM is sales-led via direct engagement with electoral authorities and donor solicitation, supported by research publications, the IFES Voice newsletter, social channels, and convenings such as the Charles T. Manatt Democracy Awards and Summit for Democracy activities. Operating model is professional services delivered through country programs funded by project-based donor agreements.

Name

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems

Legal name

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems

Website

https://ifes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

IFES is a US-based nonprofit founded in 1987 that delivers technical assistance, applied research, and proprietary digital platforms to electoral management bodies, civil society, and governments across 145+ countries, funded primarily by bilateral aid agencies and foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electoral Assistance and Democracy Support Services

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Assistance, Policy Lending & Capacity Building Programs (BPADACAN)

Keywords

• Election administration
• Democracy assistance
• Voter education
• Electoral integrity
• Civic participation

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government and Bilateral Funding: IFES receives funding from government donors including USAID, FCDO, Global Affairs Canada, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Danish International Development Agency (Danida), and New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade.
2. Foundation and Private Sector Support: Funding from foundations and private companies including Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Open Society Foundations.
3. Donations: IFES accepts public donations through its website, credit card, check, or wire transfer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IFES delivers technical assistance, capacity development, applied research, and direct field support to electoral management bodies, civil society organizations, and governing institutions in 145+ countries. Its core work spans election integrity, anti-corruption and democratic trust, democratic inclusion (women, persons with disabilities, youth, minorities, displaced persons), and cyber and information integrity, supplemented by proprietary data platforms (ElectionGuide, ElectionPATHS, ElectionJudgements, European Election Administration Database) and training, advocacy, and publications products.

Product overview

IFES offers a comprehensive suite of products and services centered on democracy support and electoral integrity. Core offerings include ElectionGuide, a global election database spanning 1998-present; the ElectionPATHS platform (with Microsoft) for inclusive electoral innovation; and the Chain of Harm Methodology for disinformation tracking. The organization operates three Global Centers (Applied Research & Learning, Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust, and Democratic Resilience Lab) that provide specialized expertise. Programming includes disability inclusion initiatives (AGENDA, ENGAGE), youth engagement (Youth SPACE), women's leadership (She Leads), election security (PAVE), civic education (SEED), and accessibility platforms (Icharti W Sawti in Tunisia). Data platforms include the European Election Administration Database, Election Access Observations Dashboard, and ElectionJudgements database. The Tech4Democracy fund drives technological innovation for democracy support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ElectionGuide Comprehensive global election database providing information on elections worldwide from 1998 to present, with data points on electoral processes, results, and administration across nations.
• ElectionPATHS (Election Platform for Accessibility through Human Rights and Security) Global database launched in partnership with Microsoft designed to advance inclusive electoral innovation, supporting accessibility and human rights in electoral processes.
• Chain of Harm Methodology IFES framework that maps how online disinformation, misinformation, and dangerous speech (DMDS) moves through information ecosystems to help understand and counter information manipulation.
• Tech4Democracy (T4D) Innovation Fund Innovation fund that strengthens IFES' capacity to develop solutions for technology-related challenges in democratic processes.
• European Election Administration Database Specialized database containing information on election administration systems and practices across European countries.
• Center for Applied Research & Learning Global Center providing specialized applied research, monitoring and evaluation, learning, and innovation services on democracy and governance issues.
• Center for Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust Global Center driving cross-sectoral anti-corruption initiatives and academic/practitioner partnerships to address the global democratic trust deficit, including political finance oversight.
• Democratic Resilience Lab Global Lab that innovates and marshals evidence to support local partners in responding to autocratic threats and reversing democratic backsliding for greater resilience globally.
• AGENDA (General Election Network for Disability Access) Forum established in 2011 to improve access to political and electoral opportunities for people with disabilities in Southeast Asia through increased public awareness and advocacy.
• ENGAGE Political Leadership Course Political leadership course targeting young people with disabilities that builds skills for leadership and provides hands-on community engagement experience.
• She Leads Women's Leadership Program Women's Leadership Program promoting women's equal and active participation in democratic processes.
• Youth SPACE Youth Leadership Program Youth leadership program empowering young people to step into leadership roles and gain insight into democratic processes including elections, advocacy, and community engagement.
• PAVE (People Against Violence Everywhere) Election Security Initiative Election security initiative providing local leaders and influencers with tools and skills to anticipate, mitigate, and prevent violence around elections.
• Icharti W Sawti (My Sign and My Voice) Accessible Civic Education Platform Accessible civic education platform developed with the Tunisian disability community, providing sign-language and accessible civic education resources.
• SEED (Strengthening Engagement through Education for Democracy) Global university-level civic education approach developed in 2010 to strengthen engagement through education for democracy.
• Election Access Observations Dashboard Interactive dashboard identifying and describing barriers that affect electoral participation of persons with disabilities.
• ElectionJudgements Database Curated elections database holding information about election results disputes, election jurisprudence, electoral courts, and election law disputes worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Worked across 45 countries to support elections and democracy in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• Zero ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Partnership to advance disability inclusion globally. Signed MOU ahead of Zero Project Conference 2026 to deepen collaboration.
• UN Conference on Anti-CorruptionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2025IFES joined over 200 organizations endorsing a call for stronger transparency in political funding at the UN conference in Doha, December 2025.
• Technology Companies (Google, Meta, Microsoft, The Rockefeller Foundation, Snap, TikTok)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Collaborative development and launch of Voluntary Election Integrity Guidelines for Technology Companies, supported by major technology companies to promote integrity in electoral processes.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic technology partner developing ElectionPATHS (Election Platform for Accessibility through Human Rights and Security), a global database designed to advance inclusive electoral innovation. Co-development of accessibility tools for electoral processes.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to launch ElectionPATHS (Election Platform for Accessibility through Human Rights and Security), a new global database designed to advance inclusive electoral innovation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Democratic Institute (NDI): NDI is a core US-based nonprofit that provides technical assistance to democratic institutions worldwide, founded in 1983 with parallel mission, US government funding base, and similar programmatic areas including elections, civic participation, and governance. Direct peer for democracy and elections support globally.
• International IDEA: Inter-governmental organization with 35 member states that provides knowledge resources, data, and policy advice on democratic elections and constitutional processes globally. Comparable to IFES in mission, with a stronger inter-governmental funding and governance structure.
• International Republican Institute (IRI): IRI is the Republican counterpart to NDI, providing similar technical assistance on elections, political party development, and civil society in 100+ countries, and historically shares the same USAID and bilateral funding channels as IFES. Closest direct peer for US-funded global electoral support.
• Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD): UK government-funded organization supporting democratic institutions, political processes, and parliaments across more than 30 countries. Comparable peer in technical assistance to electoral management bodies and political party support, with similar UK FCDO funding channel.
• The Carter Center: Founded by former US President Jimmy Carter, the Carter Center runs long-standing election observation and democracy programs in dozens of countries with similar bilateral donor base. Direct peer for election observation and democracy support.

Others

• Transparency International: Global coalition producing the Corruption Perceptions Index and running anti-corruption programming that overlaps with IFES's Center for Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust. Comparable on anti-corruption work, broader scope than IFES's electoral focus.
• Open Society Foundations: Major private foundation that funds IFES programs and runs its own democracy, governance, and human rights initiatives globally. Sits between funder and peer, providing complementary rather than directly competing services.

Emerging players

• Freedom House: US-based nonprofit that produces the influential Freedom in the World report and runs programs supporting civic space, political rights, and civil society. Adjacent peer with stronger research/index focus and lighter implementation footprint than IFES.

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for Democracy (NED): NED is a US congressionally funded foundation that aggregates and sub-grants funding to IFES, NDI, IRI, and other civil society organizations working on democracy. Acts as both an upstream funder and a peer in core mission.

Regional players

• European Partnership for Democracy (EPD): Brussels-based network of European organizations supporting democracy globally with strong EU funding ties. Comparable to IFES in mission, with a more regional/European institutional positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ifes1987
• Facebookfacebook.com/ifes1987
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-international-foundation-for-electoral-systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The International Foundation for Electoral Systems