What Power Tools does

Power Tools is an educational resource initiative—not a commercial company—launched in 2004 and coordinated by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), a UK-based nonprofit headquartered at 3 Endsleigh Street, London. The initiative develops, tests, and circulates 26 "policy tools" (how-to methodologies) designed to help marginalized people and their allies gain greater positive influence over natural resource management policy. Tools are organized into four categories covering the full policy-influence cycle: Tools for Understanding (seven tools including stakeholder power analysis, influence mapping, and the Four Rs framework), Tools for Organising (four tools covering networks, alliances, and mobilization), Tools for Engaging (eight tools covering consultation, market access, lobbying, and advocacy), and Tools for Ensuring (seven tools covering accountability, legal literacy, and independent monitoring).

The underlying "technology" is a curated content library: each tool is delivered as a two-page summary card plus a full-length PDF report, published in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. All resources are distributed free via policy-powertools.org, with physical resource boxes (handbook + 26 summary cards, ISBN 1 84369 541 3) available for US$40 through Earthprint. The tools were co-developed with 18+ partner organizations including the Forest Governance Learning Group, Global Witness, Winrock International India, Imaflora, SOS-Sahel, and the WWF/World Bank Forest Alliance, providing regional contextualization across Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

The business model is donor-funded rather than commercial. Funding was provided by three bilateral development agencies—the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation (BMZ), and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The initiative serves three principal beneficiary segments: marginalized communities dependent on natural resources (primary), NGOs and development practitioners, and government agencies/policy researchers. The website explicitly states it is "no longer maintained and updated" and remains online as an archived resource, redirecting current visitors to www.iied.org/forests.

Name

Power Tools

Legal name

International Institute for Environment and Development

Website

https://policy-powertools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Power Tools is an IIED-coordinated nonprofit initiative offering 26 freely available policy-influence tools (PDFs in four languages) to help marginalized communities and NGOs shape natural resource management policy in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Policy Resources

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Papers & Allied Products (2600)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

OER Authoring, Remixing & Publishing Tools/Platforms (EDAGAJAM)

Keywords

• Policy influence tools
• Natural resource management
• Community advocacy resources
• Environmental governance
• Capacity building publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Gomel

HQ country

Belarus

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Development Funding: Funded by government development agencies (Netherlands DGIS, Germany BMZ, UK DFID) rather than commercial revenue generation. The initiative develops and distributes tools free of charge to support policy influence for marginalized communities.
2. Resource Box Sales: Physical resource boxes containing the Power Tools handbook and 26 summary cards are available for purchase through Earthprint at US$40 per box, with Spanish, French, and Portuguese editions also available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Power Tools develops, documents, and distributes 26 "how-to" policy influence tools organized into four categories (Understanding, Organising, Engaging, Ensuring) for use by marginalized communities, NGOs, and policymakers working on natural resource management. Materials are published as free PDF resources in four languages and as a packaged Power Tools Resource Box (handbook plus 26 summary cards) sold via Earthprint. The initiative was coordinated by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) with partners across Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Product overview

Power Tools is an educational resource initiative offering 26 policy tools ('how-to' ideas) for policy influence in natural resource management. The core product is the Power Tools Resource Box, which contains a comprehensive handbook plus 26 summary tool cards. The tools are organized into four overlapping categories: Tools for Understanding (scoping and analysis), Tools for Organising (building capacity and networks), Tools for Engaging (negotiation and advocacy), and Tools for Ensuring (accountability mechanisms). Each tool is available as both a two-page summary card and a full-length PDF report. All materials are offered in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. The initiative was developed by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in partnership with NGOs and policy researchers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Power Tools Resource Box A comprehensive resource package containing a handbook and 26 summary tool cards for policy influence in natural resource management, intended for NGOs, development practitioners, and community organizations. Published in 2005 with ISBN 1 84369 541 3; available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese editions via Earthprint.
• 26 Power Tools Collection A collection of 26 policy tools (how-to ideas) that marginalized people and their allies can use to have greater positive influence on natural resources policy. Organized into four categories: Tools for Understanding, Tools for Organising, Tools for Engaging, and Tools for Ensuring; available as free PDFs in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
• Power Tools Handbook Comprehensive handbook providing guidance on tools and resources for policy influence in natural resource management, available in English, Spanish (Herramientas de Poder), French (Outils Moteurs), and Portuguese (Ferramentas Poderosas).
• Tools for Understanding Sub-collection of seven tools focused on scoping out current situations and opportunities, including Getting started, Community tradeoffs assessment, Family portraits, Stakeholder power analysis, Stakeholder influence mapping, The Four Rs, and Writing style: political implications.
• Tools for Organising Sub-collection of four tools focused on building organizational capacity and networks, including Associations for business partnerships, Interactive radio drama, Mechanisms for organisation, and Organising pitsawyers to engage.
• Tools for Engaging Sub-collection of eight tools focused on engagement strategies with decision-makers, including Avante Consulta! Effective consultation, Better business: market chain workshops, Connecting communities to markets, Ethical appeal, Media and lobby tactics, Speaking for ourselves, Targeting livelihoods evidence, and The pyramid.
• Tools for Ensuring Sub-collection of seven tools focused on accountability mechanisms, including Accessing 'public' information, Good/average/bad: law in action, Improving forest justice, Independent forest monitoring, Legal literacy camps, Local government accountability, and People's law.
• Tool Summary Cards (26 cards) Two-page summary cards for each of the 26 Power Tools, available as PDFs in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese; bundled in the Power Tools Resource Box.
• An Activist Approach to Biodiversity Planning A handbook of participatory tools used to prepare India's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, authored by Tejaswini Apte and published in 2005; hosted as related work on the Power Tools website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 power tools developed from international experience in natural resource management
• +2 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIED is the coordinating organization for the Power Tools initiative, developing and sharing tools in partnership with NGOs and policy researchers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
• Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn informal alliance of independent agencies active in 7 African countries, FGLG has developed policy tools in association with the Power Tools initiative including tools from Mozambique, Malawi, Ghana, and Uganda.
• Winrock International IndiaregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered in the development of the Accessing 'public' information tool, adapting it for the Indian context using Right to Information legislation.
• Terra Firma (Mozambique)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerMozambique-based partner contributing to tools on forest legislation compliance and community consultation processes.
• Global WitnessregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed the Independent Forest Monitoring tool based on long experience investigating links between natural resource extraction, conflict, and corruption.
• Sustainable Development Centre (Uganda)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered in developing the Improving Forest Justice tool based on experience in Uganda.
• Training Support for Partners (Malawi)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerMalawi-based partner contributing to the Local Government Accountability tool.
• Forest Watch GhanaregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerGhanaian coalition that contributed to the People's Law tool through campaigns for forestry governance reforms.
• Imaflora (Brazil)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian partner contributing to the Connecting Communities to Markets tool focusing on FSC certification.
• SOS-SahelregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to the Speaking for Ourselves tool based on work with Ethiopian pastoralist communities.
• LTS-InternationalregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered in developing the Targeting Livelihoods Evidence tool based on experience in Uganda.
• Caledonia Centre for Social DevelopmentregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed the Mechanisms for Organisation tool on democratic economic organisations.
• Budongo Community Development Organisation (Uganda)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerUgandan partner contributing to the Organising Pitsawyers to Engage tool.
• WWF/World Bank AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Pyramid tool was developed in association with the WWF/World Bank Forest Alliance.
• Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of ScienceregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped the Interactive Radio Drama tool with All India Radio for biodiversity action planning in Karnataka.
• Woods Hole Research CenterregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with IPAM Brazil on the Associations for Business Partnerships tool for the Brazilian Amazon.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Practical Action: International NGO that produces practitioner-facing toolkits and methodologies for marginalized communities on technology, governance, and resource access — comparable mission, format, and audience.
• Global Witness: Contributed the Independent Forest Monitoring tool to Power Tools. Directly comparable as an investigative and policy-influence organization focused on natural resource governance and accountability.
• Forest Peoples Programme: International NGO supporting forest peoples' rights and policy influence. Highly comparable in mission (marginalized community empowerment in natural resource policy) and tool format.
• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): UK-based development think tank producing policy toolkits and capacity-building resources for practitioners in developing countries — directly comparable in format and audience to Power Tools.
• CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research): Referenced partner organization with overlapping mission on forestry governance and natural resource policy. CIFOR produces comparable policy toolkits and research for marginalized forest-dependent communities globally.

Broad incumbents

• IUCN: International union for conservation producing governance, policy, and rights-based frameworks for natural resource management. Comparable audience and overlap on biodiversity/forest governance toolkits.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization producing practical tools and frameworks for natural resource governance and climate policy. Highly comparable as a producer of practitioner-facing policy toolkits for civil society.
• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED): Parent organization and coordinator of Power Tools. IIED is a London-based policy research organization working on sustainable development — directly comparable as the institutional home and ongoing steward of the Power Tools framework.

Emerging players

• Winrock International: Contributed the Accessing 'public' information tool (Indian context). Comparable as an international development organization producing practitioner toolkits for natural resource governance and community empowerment.
• Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG): Active partner of Power Tools operating in 7 African countries. Comparable as a regional alliance of independent agencies producing governance and accountability tools for forest communities.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/power-tool

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Power Tools