Next25

What Next25 does

Next25 is an independent, non-partisan Australian nonprofit think-and-do tank, founded in 2011 (as the Australian Futures Project, rebranded to Next25 in March 2021) and headquartered in Sydney. Its mission is to ensure Australia has what it takes to make the future its people want, focusing on shifting deep contributing factors behind national underperformance rather than treating symptoms. The organisation is organised around three pillars: Navigator (a social research study establishing what future Australia wants and whether the nation is on track, including the proprietary Public Interest Index), Recoded (a solutions-focused research program identifying root causes of underperformance on major issues, with reports such as the 2023 Contested Spaces), and Solutions (applied programs and interventions).

Its core products are the Next25 Leadership course (a two-day values-based leadership program for parliamentarians delivered in partnership with Corporate Evolution, subsidised to $1,000+GST after scholarship versus a $5,500+ stated value), the Improving Democracy: Transforming Parliament for Women program (a bespoke nationwide program for women MPs launched in 2022 and nationally expanded in 2024), and the Constructive Discussion initiative (a research-and-intervention program developed with UTS academics, tested on the Voice referendum and Sydney housing challenge). Supporting capabilities include keynote speaking, facilitation, and bespoke advisory services delivered to governments, businesses, universities, philanthropists, and non-profits.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit structure combining philanthropic donations (the primary funding base) with earned revenue from subsidised course fees and professional services. Customer outcomes reported by Next25 are strong: 100% of Leadership participants report improved understanding of their role and agency, 99% report improved power to drive change, and 93% report improved cross-party relationships; more than 10% of all sitting Australian MPs are alumni. Go-to-market is direct and sales-led, targeting Australian parliamentarians across federal, state, and territory levels, institutional stakeholders, and philanthropic donors, with the organisation governed by a board chaired by Alexandra Burt and supported by a Research Committee including senior partners from Kearney and CSIS.

Name

Next25

Legal name

Next25

Website

https://next25.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Next25 is an independent Australian nonprofit think-and-do tank that combines social research (Navigator, Recoded) with applied programs — including a values-based Leadership course and Transforming Parliament for Women — to strengthen Australia's parliamentarians and restore trust in the political system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Leadership Development

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Policy research think tank
• Leadership development programs
• Social research studies
• Philanthropic nonprofit services
• Professional advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: Funding from generous philanthropic donors and supporters who enable Next25 to work towards making the future Australia wants. Includes catalytic philanthropists and major supporters.
2. Professional Services: Revenue from keynote presentations, interactive strategy workshops, professional development programs, and bespoke advisory services delivered to governments, businesses, universities, philanthropists, and non-profit organisations.
3. Course Fees: Program fees for leadership courses for parliamentarians, offered at subsidized rates after scholarship application. Leadership program available for $1,000+GST after scholarship; Transforming Parliament for Women available for $1,500+GST after scholarship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Next25 is an independent Australian think-and-do tank that conducts social research (Navigator, Recoded) to establish what future Australia wants and to identify root causes of national underperformance. It delivers values-based leadership programs for parliamentarians, including the Next25 Leadership course and the Improving Democracy: Transforming Parliament for Women initiative, and provides paid keynote, facilitation, and advisory services to governments, businesses, universities, and non-profit organisations.

Product overview

Next25 operates as an independent think-and-do tank organized around three core research pillars — Navigator (a social research study establishing what future Australia wants and whether it is on track), Recoded (a solutions-focused program identifying root causes of national underperformance), and Solutions (programs and services to fix the future-making system). Its flagship programs include Next25 Leadership (a values-based leadership course for parliamentarians delivered with Corporate Evolution) and Improving Democracy: Transforming Parliament for Women (a nationwide program supporting women MPs). Supporting initiatives include Constructive Discussion (research on productive dialogue on contested issues, conducted with UTS academics), alongside paid professional services in keynote speaking, facilitation, and strategic advisory work across all sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Next25 Navigator: A ground-breaking social research study that establishes what future Australia wants and whether the nation is on track.
• Next25 Recoded
• Next25 Leadership
• Improving Democracy: Transforming Parliament for Women
• Constructive Discussion

Products and services

• Next25 Navigator A social research study that engages with the public and experts to uncover what future Australia wants and whether the nation is on track, featuring the Public Interest Index measuring how well institutions act in the public interest.
• Next25 Recoded A solutions-focused research program that engages with leaders from diverse industries to identify root causes of Australia's underperformance on the nation's biggest issues.
• Next25 Leadership A two-day values-based leadership course for Australian parliamentarians developed in partnership with Corporate Evolution, designed to strengthen individual leadership capability and restore trust in the political system.
• Improving Democracy: Transforming Parliament for Women A bespoke nationwide program to support women MPs in identifying and fostering changes that enable women's full and flourishing participation in parliament, delivered in partnership with Corporate Evolution.
• Constructive Discussion A research and intervention program exploring what enables and hinders constructive dialogue on contested issues, including work on the Sydney housing challenge and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice referendum, with academic papers published with UTS researchers.
• Keynote Speaking, Facilitation, and Advisory Services Paid professional services including keynote presentations, interactive strategy workshops, and bespoke advisory services delivered to clients across government, business, universities, and non-profit organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of participants report improvement in understanding their role and agency in changing the political system
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and historical.

• Corporate EvolutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for Next25's leadership programs, providing world-leading values-based culture and leadership consulting. Co-lead facilitators of the Transforming Parliament for Women initiative with over 30 years of industry experience.
• University of Technology Sydney (UTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransdisciplinary research collaboration with UTS researchers on Constructive Discussion framework and Sydney Housing Challenge. Produced two research papers on productive communication and city-making.
• KearneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal management consulting firm. Vice-President and Partner Enrico Rizzon serves on Next25's Board. Partner and Managing Director Erik Peterson chairs the Research Committee.
• Social Ventures AustraliasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact investing organization. Director of Impact Investing Elyse Sainty serves on Next25's Research Committee, bringing expertise in outcomes-based contracts and social impact.
• La Trobe UniversityhistoricalOthersProvided significant institutional support from 2011-2020 during Next25's founding decade as Australian Futures Project.
• Philanthropy AustraliasecondaryOthersNext25 is a proud member of Philanthropy Australia, the peak body for philanthropists and charitable foundations in Australia.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australia Institute: Leading Australian think tank focused on climate, economic, and democracy issues. Comparable as a major Australian policy research organization engaging both public discourse and policymakers with research-backed proposals.
• Committee for Sydney: Australian urban policy think tank engaging leaders across business, government, and civil society on Sydney's future. Comparable as an Australian think-and-do tank combining research with leader engagement to influence systems-level outcomes, with overlap on Sydney housing themes via Next25's Constructive Discussion work.
• Per Capita: Australian progressive think tank focused on social democracy, economic policy, and progressive research. Comparable as a values-driven Australian think tank producing research and policy proposals aimed at reforming national systems.
• Grattan Institute: Independent Australian public policy think tank producing research on economic, social, and environmental issues. Most directly comparable as a non-partisan Australian policy research organization with a focus on influencing government decision-making through rigorous analysis.
• Centre for Policy Development: Independent Australian policy think tank focused on inclusive economic policy and governance reform. Closely comparable as an Australian think tank combining research, advocacy, and convening to drive systems-level reform, with overlap in governance and democracy themes.
• Australia21: Australian research institute focused on complex systemic challenges and transdisciplinary research. Comparable as a small Australian research organization conducting interdisciplinary research on long-term national challenges with policy implications.
• McKinnon Institute: Australian institute focused on democratic resilience and political reform. Highly comparable given Next25's focus on restoring trust in political systems and parliamentary capability development.

Broad incumbents

• CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia): Established Australian economic policy organization with a much larger footprint and broader policy scope. Comparable as a major Australian policy convener and research producer, but operates at significantly larger scale across the entire economy rather than specializing in parliamentary/leadership reform.
• Lowy Institute: Major Australian international policy think tank. Comparable as a flagship Australian think tank producing original research and influencing policy debate, though focused on international affairs rather than Next25's domestic parliamentary reform focus.

Others

• ANZSOG (Australia and New Zealand School of Government): Public sector education provider for government leaders across Australia and New Zealand. Comparable as an ecosystem participant focused on developing public sector leadership capability, with overlapping audience of senior government officials and parliamentarians.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/next25au

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Next25