LAPAS

What LAPAS does

LAPAS (legal name Biedrība "Latvijas Platforma attīstības sadarbībai") is a Riga-based, membership-driven NGO platform founded on August 12, 2004, that coordinates 46 Latvian non-governmental organizations working in development cooperation, sustainable development, global citizenship education, humanitarian aid, and community resilience. The organization operates as the secretariat of the National Multistakeholder SDG Coalition since October 31, 2019, and represents Latvian civil society within international networks including CIVICUS, CONCORD Europe, AGNA, and FORUS.

Its product portfolio centers on a free online Knowledge Platform (lapas.thinkific.com) launched on January 25, 2024, hosting self-paced courses on development cooperation, humanitarian aid, global education, sustainable development, and community resilience, alongside a library of branded methodologies and strategic documents (Global Education Roadmap, Human Security at Community Level Handbook, Development Cooperation Guidelines, SDGs Implementation Methodology for Civil Society, AidWatch reports). The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: Thinkific for LMS, the lapas.lv content site, and standard email/newsletter distribution, with no proprietary software platform.

LAPAS runs a non-profit, community-led go-to-market model funded primarily by institutional grants from the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the EEA/Norway Grants Active Citizen's Fund, the European Commission, the Nordic Council of Ministers, SIF, and other project-based donors, supplemented by membership contributions from its 46 member NGOs. Distribution occurs through member coordination, project competitions (notably "LAPAS savieno," which received 43 applications and approved 18 projects in its fourth round), public events such as the LAMPA Conversation Festival and the annual Global Education Week, and direct engagement with municipalities, universities, and the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) on community resilience programming. The organization is supported by a 7-person staff led by Director Inese Vaivare, with governance provided by an 8-member board chaired by Dā niels Zeltiņš.

Name

LAPAS

Legal name

Biedrība "Latvijas Platforma attīstības sadarbībai"

Website

https://lapas.lv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LAPAS is a Riga-based, membership-driven NGO platform founded in 2004 that coordinates 46 Latvian non-governmental organizations working in development cooperation, sustainable development, global citizenship education, humanitarian aid, and community resilience, primarily funded by institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Cooperation Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH), Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL), On-Site Mentoring, Supervision & Program Management Services (EDAIAFAM), United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Development cooperation platform
• NGO coordination services
• Global citizenship education
• Humanitarian aid coordination
• Sustainable development advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Riga

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding and Grants: LAPAS operates primarily through institutional funding from government bodies and international organizations including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Commission, Active Citizen's Fund (EEA/Norway Grants), EuropeAid, European Council, EU Aid Volunteers, Europe for Citizens Programme, EEA grants, SIF, Nordic Council of Ministers, and various project-based funding.
2. Membership Fees: LAPAS is a membership-based organization with 46 member NGOs. While specific membership fees are not disclosed, membership supports the platform's coordination and representation functions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LAPAS is a membership-based NGO platform that coordinates 46 Latvian non-governmental organizations working on development cooperation, humanitarian aid, global citizenship education, community resilience, and Sustainable Development Goals implementation. It delivers free online courses via its Knowledge Platform (lapas.thinkific.com), in-person training courses on development cooperation, humanitarian aid, and community resilience, methodology guides including the Global Education Roadmap and Human Security Handbook, annual AidWatch monitoring reports on EU Official Development Assistance, and the Global Education Week awareness program. Its coordinating function includes representing Latvian civil society in international networks (CIVICUS, CONCORD Europe, AGNA) and serving as secretariat of the National Multistakeholder SDG Coalition since October 31, 2019.

Product overview

LAPAS (Latvijas Platforma attīstības sadarbībai) is a national NGO platform uniting 46 organizations working for sustainable development. Rather than a unified software product, LAPAS offers a portfolio of educational resources, methodologies, and training programs. The core offerings include the LAPAS zināšanu platforma (Knowledge Platform) hosted on Thinkific for self-paced courses, the Global Education Roadmap as a strategic guide, the Human Security Handbook for community-level implementation, and the AidWatch annual monitoring reports. Additional products include training courses on development cooperation, humanitarian aid, and community resilience, along with various methodology guides and strategic documents for Sustainable Development Goals implementation. The platform also organizes the annual Global Education Week initiative and produces research publications on development cooperation policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LAPAS Knowledge Platform (LAPAS zināšanu platforma) Online learning platform offering self-paced courses on development cooperation, humanitarian aid, global citizenship education, sustainable development, and community resilience topics. Access is free; intended for civil society practitioners, educators, and NGO staff in Latvia.
• Training Course on Development Cooperation Educational course covering development cooperation principles and practices for civil society organizations and practitioners.
• Training Course on Humanitarian Aid Educational course covering humanitarian aid principles, volunteer coordination, and disaster response for civil society organizations.
• Training Course on Community Resilience Educational course covering community resilience concepts, crisis preparedness, civil defense, and societal security for local communities.
• Global Education Week Annual program featuring dozens of events across regions, themed film months, newspaper 'Pasaule kļūst labāka', discussions, conferences, continuing education courses, and methodological materials focused on global citizenship education.
• AidWatch Reports Annual reports monitoring and providing recommendations on the quality and quantity of Official Development Assistance (ODA) provided by the European Union and European Commission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 46 member organizations coordinated through single platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regional and project.

• CIVICUScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Global civil society alliance where LAPAS represents Latvian NGOs. CIVICUS brings together civil society organizations worldwide for advocacy and network strengthening.
• CONCORD EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004European confederation of development NGOs where LAPAS participates in AidWatch monitoring and policy advocacy. LAPAS contributes to annual reports on EU development assistance quality.
• AGNA (Act Global Network Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of NGO alliances for development cooperation coordination and mutual learning.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of LatviacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner for development cooperation policy planning and implementation since 2004. LAPAS provides input on national positions and participates in Advisory Council for Development Cooperation.
• Latvian National LibrarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on libraries as democracy and development hubs, including joint projects on community resilience and media literacy.
• ADRA LatviamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization and partner in humanitarian aid projects including donations for Nepal earthquake, Italy earthquake, Philippines earthquake, and Ukraine Euromaidan.
• Vidzeme University CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for research, methodology development, and training on community resilience and development cooperation.
• Valsts ugunsdzēsības un glābšanas dienests (VUGD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Fire and Rescue Service partnership for civil protection training and community resilience programs including 'Drošība sākas ar Tevi' project.
• Estonian Roundtable for Development CooperationregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltic regional partnership for development cooperation coordination and knowledge exchange between neighboring countries.
• Croatian Platform for International Citizen Solidarity (CROSOL)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint campaigns on illiberal democracy including 'The Power of the Word' graffiti wall campaign across Latvia, Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia.
• Laiks JauniešiemprojectStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in 'Efektīvs un atbildīgs attīstības sadarbības finansējums' project on development cooperation financing monitoring.
• Riga TechGirlsprojectStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner on digitalization aspects of global partnerships and development cooperation.
• Papardes ziedsprojectStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization and project partner on gender equality aspects of global partnerships.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ForumCiv (Swedish Platform for Global Development): Swedish national NGO platform for global development — same membership-organization structure coordinating civil society voice on development cooperation policy in an EU member state.
• Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation (AKÜ): Estonian national platform for development cooperation NGOs — same membership-based NGO platform model, same Baltic regional context, and an explicit bilateral partnership partner of LAPAS.
• Latvian Civic Alliance (NVO): Latvian umbrella organization for civil society. Domestic peer operating a similar membership-platform model and convening NGOs around civic space and policy issues in Latvia.
• Kehys (Finnish NGDO Platform): Finnish national platform of development NGOs. Directly comparable as a Nordic peer with similar membership-based NGO platform model focused on development cooperation policy advocacy.
• Czech Platform for Development Cooperation (FoRS): Czech national platform for development cooperation NGOs. Direct EU peer with similar membership-platform structure for development policy advocacy and education.
• CROSOL (Croatian Platform for International Citizen Solidarity): Croatian NGO platform for international citizen solidarity and development cooperation. Direct peer in another EU member state; co-implements campaigns with LAPAS such as 'The Power of the Word'.

Regional players

• Eurodad: European network on debt and development that co-publishes AidWatch reports with CONCORD. Overlapping on development finance monitoring and policy advocacy with LAPAS's AidWatch work.

Broad incumbents

• CONCORD Europe: European confederation of national NGO platforms for development cooperation. Directly comparable as LAPAS is a member and participates in AidWatch; CONCORD is the supranational coordination layer that LAPAS engages with.
• CIVICUS: Global civil society alliance that LAPAS belongs to. Comparable as a higher-tier membership alliance for civil society organizations operating in development cooperation and civic space advocacy.

Emerging players

• AGNA (Act Global Network Alliance): Global network of NGO alliances for development cooperation coordination and mutual learning. Comparable as a network peer that LAPAS belongs to and coordinates with on cross-national capacity building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/talakizglitibas_macibu_centrs
• Xx.com/LAPAS_LV
• Facebookfacebook.com/BiedribaLAPAS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lapaslv

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 LAPAS