What The Good Lobby does

The Good Lobby is a Brussels-headquartered advocacy organization founded in 2017 that supports nonprofits, activists, progressive businesses, and philanthropies in engaging more effectively with EU policymaking. Its core mission is to equalize access to the policy process by providing strategic advocacy advice, lobbying transparency research, and capacity-building services to civil society actors that historically lack the resources of well-funded corporate lobbyists. The organization operates across five European and Asian offices (Brussels headquarters, Milan, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo via the Makaira partnership) and is led by founder Alberto Alemanno, an HEC Paris law professor.

The Good Lobby generates revenue through three streams: professional services (consulting and research fees from nonprofits, foundations, progressive businesses, and international organizations including UN agencies), training programs (tailored workshops and 3-12 month incubator programmes plus the annual Summer Academy and EU Masterclass cohorts), and foundation grants plus individual donations. Major institutional funders include Porticus, the European Climate Foundation, Open Society Foundations, GEF European Foundation, and KR Foundation. Pricing is quote-based with no public disclosure. Customer logos span a diversified roster including WWF, Transparency International, Danone, Ashoka, Euroconsumers, ERO Group for Animals, and the European Youth Parliament, with strategic partnerships spanning HEC Paris, Copenhagen Business School, OECD, and UNICEF.

The organization has built an extensive product portfolio beyond its core services, anchored by The Good Lobby Tracker (a systematic assessment of 27+ corporate political responsibility standards), The Good Lobby Diagnostic (a corporate self-assessment tool), and a suite of thematic initiatives including the Decarb Initiative (fossil fuel lobbying rankings), REBASE (business association governance reform), the Future Generations Initiative, the Deregulation Monitor, the EU Far-Right Tracker, and the Good Lobby Profs academic network of 60+ scholars from 30+ countries. Distribution relies on thought leadership, signature events (Summer Academy in Bilbao, EU Masterclass webinars), earned media in major outlets (Financial Times, Le Monde, Politico Europe, The Guardian), and the 400+ alumni community from 12 Summer Academy editions.

Name

The Good Lobby

Legal name

The Good Lobby

Website

https://thegoodlobby.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Good Lobby is a Brussels-based advocacy organization founded in 2017 that provides consulting, research, and training services to nonprofits, activists, progressive businesses, and philanthropies seeking to engage more effectively in EU policymaking and lobbying.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advocacy and Civic Engagement Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying (BPAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO), Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN), Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy (BPAGAFAK), Government Accountability, Ethics & Anti-Corruption Advocacy (BPAGAFAN)

Keywords

• Advocacy consulting services
• Policy research
• Lobbying training
• Corporate political responsibility
• Civic engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: The Good Lobby provides strategic advocacy advice, policy analysis, and consulting services to nonprofits, foundations, progressive businesses, and think-tanks. Revenue is generated through service fees for these engagements.
2. Advocacy Training Programs: The organization delivers tailored workshops and in-depth incubator programmes lasting 3-12 months. Training programs are offered to grassroots movements, NGOs, philanthropies, and progressive companies, likely generating program fees.
3. Foundation Grants and Donations: The Good Lobby receives funding from foundations including Porticus, European Climate Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and others. The organization accepts donations via change.thegoodlobby.eu/donate/.
4. Research and Reporting: The organization conducts research studies and publishes reports for clients including nonprofits, philanthropies, public authorities, and international organizations such as UN agencies, generating research fees or grants.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Good Lobby provides strategic advocacy advice, research, and training to nonprofits, activists, progressive businesses, and philanthropies to give them a greater, more responsible voice in the policy process. Its three core service pillars are Consulting (strategic advice on advocacy, integrity, and responsible stakeholder engagement), Research (reports, studies, and policy papers), and Advocacy Training (tailored workshops plus 3–12 month incubator programmes).

Product overview

The Good Lobby operates as a platform-plus-services organization offering advocacy consulting, research, and training services alongside a portfolio of named initiatives and tools focused on lobbying transparency and civic participation. Its core offerings span three service pillars: Consulting (strategic advice on advocacy, integrity, and responsible stakeholder engagement), Research (reports, studies, and policy papers for nonprofits and institutions), and Advocacy Training (workshops and incubator programmes lasting 3-12 months). The product portfolio also includes The Good Lobby Tracker — the organization's flagship analytical tool that assesses 27 corporate political responsibility standards across 8 categories — paired with The Good Lobby Diagnostic, a self-assessment scoring tool for companies. Specialized initiatives include the Deregulation Monitor (rapid-response legal analysis on EU deregulation), the Decarb Initiative (ranking of public affairs firms' fossil fuel lobbying), REBASE (business associations governance reform), the Future Generations Initiative (intergenerational justice advocacy), The Good Lobby Profs (60+ academic network for rule of law monitoring), EU Far-Right Tracker (EPP-far right voting alignment monitor), the EU Masterclass (webinar cohort for civil society), the Summer Academy (annual training event), and The Good Lobby Hub (post-election resource platform). Resource publications include The European Guide to Citizen Lobbying, Lobbying for Change (book), and Social Media for Change. The organization also publishes podcasts and maintains a Citizen Lobbyist podcast series on Spreaker.com.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Good Lobby Profs: An initiative gathering 60+ academics from over 30 countries that monitors the respect of the rule of law by holding EU and national institutions and leaders accountable.
• REBASE (Business Associations Initiative)
• The Decarb Initiative
• The Good Lobby Diagnostic
• The Good Lobby Tracker
• The Good Lobby Summer Academy
• EU Masterclass
• Impact Under Stress
• The EU Far-Right Tracker
• Deregulation Monitor

Products and services

• Consulting Expert strategic advice on advocacy, integrity, and responsible stakeholder engagement as well as in-depth research support for nonprofits, foundations, progressive businesses, and think-tanks to advance policy goals in a responsible, ethical, and accountable way.
• Research Design and writing of reports, studies, and policy papers for nonprofits, philanthropies, social change actors, public authorities, domestic and EU institutions, and international organizations such as UN agencies, often co-signed and co-convened with clients.
• Advocacy Training Empowering individuals and organizations with skills and knowledge for policy change through tailored workshops with proven methodology, hands-on exercises, and real-world examples, as well as in-depth incubator programmes lasting 3–12 months with mentoring and project development.
• The Good Lobby Summer Academy Annual training event gathering leading thinkers, practitioners, and academics working internationally on new forms and politics of influence, mobilisation and lobbying, providing deep understanding of participatory politics.
• EU Masterclass An upskilling programme for a select cohort of participants preparing organisations active in environment, climate, and social justice to effectively shape the EU policy agenda for the 2024–2029 policy cycle, consisting of 8 interactive webinar sessions.
• The Good Lobby Climate Incubator A climate-focused incubator programme providing in-depth advocacy support for grassroots movements and NGOs working on climate policy at EU level, with mentoring and project development services.
• The Good Lobby Diagnostic A self-assessment tool scoring organisations' corporate political conduct against best lobbying practices as emerging from voluntary initiatives and ESG data providers, providing a collection of political activities data, baseline measurement, benchmarking, and actionable guidance on areas of improvement.
• Future Generations Initiative An advocacy initiative since 2023 calling for embedding future generations' rights into EU policymaking through three key reforms: nominating a Future Generations Commissioner, developing an interinstitutional declaration on rights of Future Generations, and setting up a Future Generations Impact Assessment.
• REBASE (The Good Lobby Business Associations Initiative) An initiative focused on raising expectations for responsible conduct and governance of business associations, conducting gap and bright spot analysis, stakeholder interviews, and incubating a coalition for reform to identify priorities for improvement in business association governance.
• Decarb Initiative An initiative providing the first data set and ranking of public affairs and law firms based on volume of fossil fuel industry work, investigating lobbying ties between fossil fuel companies and EU-based consultants through primary data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and networking events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 editions of Summer Academy completed with 400+ alumni from 46+ nationalities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Copenhagen Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCopenhagen Business School is represented through Dieter Zinnbauer as co-lead of the REBASE initiative. The academic partnership brings research rigor to business association governance and responsibility analysis.
• HEC PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEC Paris is represented through Alberto Alemanno (founder of The Good Lobby) as academic director and co-lead of REBASE. The partnership provides academic credibility and research capabilities.
• UNICEFstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF partnered with The Good Lobby ahead of the European elections to urge the EU to strengthen children's rights governance, releasing a joint press release in March 2024.
• European ParliamentstrategicOthersThe Good Lobby engages with European Parliament through events, research, and advocacy initiatives. The organization hosted events at the European Parliament and works with MEPs on various policy initiatives.
• Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on research related to the Digital Omnibus package, with CEO contributing analysis on industry influence in EU policymaking. Collaboration on public interest litigation and advocacy.
• OECDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPauline Bertrand from OECD serves on the REBASE Expert Advisory Committee, bringing international standards perspective on corporate political transparency.
• The GuardianGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Guardian published coverage of The Good Lobby's Decarb Initiative findings on public affairs firms and fossil fuel lobbying, providing media visibility for the research.
• MakairaminorOthersMakaira is a Tokyo-based partner organization where The Good Lobby has an office presence with staff including PR Director Mai Toda and Co-Representative Director & CEO Ko Fujii.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Sunlight Foundation: US-focused NGO using open data and policy research to increase transparency in government and politics. Highly comparable on lobbying transparency and disclosure tools, but with a US rather than EU geographic focus.

Direct peers

• Transparency International: Global anti-corruption NGO that scores and ranks countries and corporates on transparency and integrity. Listed as a partner/client of The Good Lobby and shares the broad mission of holding powerful actors accountable.
• InfluenceMap: Research organization that produces systematic data and scoring on corporate climate lobbying and industry influence, including A-F grades on corporate climate policy engagement. Closely comparable to The Good Lobby's Tracker and Decarb Initiative in method and audience.
• Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO): Brussels-based research and campaign group that investigates and exposes corporate influence over EU policy. Closely parallel mission to The Good Lobby's transparency work (including joint research on Digital Omnibus), overlapping NGO audience, and similar funding model.
• LobbyFacts (ALTER-EU coalition): Online database that turns EU Transparency Register data into searchable, comparable metrics on lobbying activity. Directly comparable to the Good Lobby Tracker in methodology and EU lobbying transparency focus.

Emerging players

• Access Info Europe: NGO promoting transparency and accountability of EU institutions including lobbying access. Adjacent to the Good Lobby's mission on EU transparency, but with a more focused information-rights mandate.
• ClientEarth: Environmental law charity using strategic litigation, advocacy and policy work to drive environmental and climate outcomes. Comparable overlap with The Good Lobby Profs' rule-of-law monitoring and with Good Lobby's use of public interest litigation support via the Deregulation Monitor.

Broad incumbents

• ApCO Worldwide: Large global public affairs and strategic communications consultancy serving corporate clients on government relations. Comparable only on the public affairs consulting side; a much larger competitor serving the corporate accounts that The Good Lobby's Diagnostic targets.
• Open Government Partnership: International multi-stakeholder initiative promoting transparency, accountability and civic participation across 70+ countries. Comparable advocacy/transparency mission and global footprint to The Good Lobby's community-led GTM.

Others

• Open Society Foundations: Major philanthropic funder of civic engagement and accountability work, listed as a funder and partner of The Good Lobby. Not a peer in services but an ecosystem participant whose funding posture directly influences The Good Lobby's operating environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-good-lobby
• Xx.com/thegoodlobby
• Facebookfacebook.com/thegoodlobby-1420129598280317

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Good Lobby