Advocacy and Policy Institute

What Advocacy and Policy Institute does

The Advocacy and Policy Institute (API) is a Cambodia-based non-governmental organization founded in 2002 and headquartered in Phnom Penh. With a team of 23 staff and programmatic reach across all 25 provinces of Cambodia, API works on advocacy, policy influencing, good governance, civic engagement, and capacity building for civil society. Its beneficiaries span government officials, NGO staff, students, women entrepreneurs, and informal workers, making the demand side meaningfully diversified.

API's core offerings include training courses (priced between $150 and $1,500 depending on depth and audience), policy research and advocacy campaigns, consulting services, and convening platforms such as the Change the Game Academy (run in partnership with the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia and Wilde Ganzen). It also operates the GenSEA Climate Academy e-learning platform. Its flagship multi-country initiative, the A-SASSY project (2023–2026), is funded by the European Union with a EUR 280,000 budget and extends API's work into Indonesia and the Philippines.

The revenue model blends training-course fees and consulting income with grant funding from a network of more than 40 institutional donors and partners, including the EU, USAID, SIDA (Sweden), SDC (Switzerland), Bread for the World, and Wilde Ganzen. A social-enterprise subsidiary, API Development Consulting, has been spun off to generate additional earned revenue from consulting work. The 2025 termination of US government funding has triggered a strategic plan revision, accelerating API's shift toward diversified, non-US donor sources and a higher mix of earned income.

Name

Advocacy and Policy Institute

Legal name

The Advocacy and Policy Institute

Website

https://apiinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Advocacy and Policy Institute (API) is a Cambodia-based non-profit founded in 2002 that delivers advocacy training, policy research, and capacity-building programs across all 25 provinces for government, NGO, and civil society audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Society Capacity Building and Governance Training Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (6117), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance (BPADAEAI), Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE)

Keywords

• Civil society capacity building
• Policy advocacy training
• Governance consulting services
• Nonprofit organizational training
• Civic engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Phnom Penh

HQ country

Cambodia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Course Fees: API generates revenue through training course fees, with standardized courses priced between 150-300 USD and customized group training available. Course fees are charged for capacity building programs in advocacy, project management, local governance, and access to information.
2. Donor Funding and Grants: The organization is primarily funded through grants and donations from international development partners including the European Union, USAID, SIDA, SDC, and various foundations such as Bread for the World, Wilde Ganzen, and The Asia Foundation.
3. Consulting Services: API offers on-demand capacity building and consulting services tailored for the needs of civil society and community-based organisations, providing customized training solutions and advisory services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

API delivers standardized and customized training courses plus consulting services that build advocacy, policy-influencing, project management, local governance, access-to-information, and social-accountability capacity for civil society organizations, NGOs, sub-national government officials, and local councillors in Cambodia. Offerings are sold both individually (course fees $150–$1,500) and through multi-year grant-funded programs such as A-SASSY (EU-funded climate education across Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines) and WE ACT (USAID-funded women entrepreneurship support).

Product overview

The Advocacy and Policy Institute (API) offers a portfolio of standardized and on-demand training courses for civil society organizations, government officials, and local councillors. The core offerings include advocacy and policy influencing training programs (Advocacy Skill, Advanced Advocacy, Grassroots Advocacy, Lobby Skills, Public Policy Analysis), local governance training (District/Commune Planning and Budgeting, Local Budget Analysis, Roles of Local Councillors), access to information training (A2I Requesting and Disclosing Public Information), social accountability training (I-SAF for NGOs and Local Administrations), and professional skills training (Project Management, Effective Communication, Facilitation Skills, Proposal Writing). API also provides on-demand consulting services for civil society organizations. Major projects include the A-SASSY climate education initiative and WE ACT women's entrepreneurship program. The organization operates a Change the Game Academy partnership with the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC) and Wilde Ganzen Foundation for community mobilization training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Management Training
• Advocacy Skill Training
• Advanced Advocacy Training
• Advocacy Expert Training
• Mobilizing Support Training (Change the Game Academy)
• I-SAF for NGOs, CBOs and CAFs
• A-SASSY Project (Building One ASEAN of Sustainability and Solidarity with Youth)
• WE ACT - Women Entrepreneurs Cambodia
• Consulting Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,507 students reached with environmental education in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Transparency International Cambodia (TIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIC is the fully-accredited local chapter of Transparency International, officially founded on 5 July 2010, committed to transparent and accountable Cambodia. TIC works with API on anti-corruption, transparency, and good governance initiatives including the WYEL project and access to information advocacy.
• University of Management and Economics (UME)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUME is a key implementing partner for the A-SASSY project, contributing to environmental education program implementation in Battambang and Kampong Cham campuses.
• Save the ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSave the Children is an implementing partner for the A-SASSY project, collaborating on youth education and climate action initiatives.
• Mlub BaitongminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMlub Baitong (MB) is a local partner contributing to A-SASSY project implementation in schools and universities.
• Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDEA is a key partner in WE ACT project, providing outreach and advocacy support for women street vendors and informal economy workers.
• Coalition for Partnership in Democratic Development (CPDD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPDD collaborates with API on WE ACT project for women entrepreneurship support and advocacy.
• Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in research study on skill development needs of informal workers, contributing to the 1,132 respondent assessment across 10 provinces.
• Phnom Penh International University (PPIU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in informal workers skill development research, one of 6 collaborating organizations in the study.
• Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCC partners with API on the Change the Game Academy program, delivering Mobilizing Support and Local Fundraising training courses funded by Wilde Ganzen Foundation.
• CARE CambodiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARE Cambodia collaborates with API on development and governance initiatives.
• OxfamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOxfam collaborates with API on development and governance advocacy work.
• Article 19minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArticle 19 collaborates with API on freedom of information and access to information advocacy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DanChurchAid (DCA) Cambodia: Long-term API supporter on access-to-information and civil society capacity building; operates similar donor-funded governance programming in Cambodia and the broader region.
• GIZ Cambodia: German development agency implementing capacity-building and governance reform programs in Cambodia alongside API; comparable governance training and donor-funded technical assistance mandate.
• CARE Cambodia: International INGO with a long-standing Cambodia country program collaborating with API on governance and development initiatives; comparable donor-funded capacity-building model at larger scale.
• Save the Children Cambodia: International INGO implementing the A-SASSY project with API; broader development/youth mandate with overlapping governance, youth and civic-engagement programming across Cambodia.
• The Asia Foundation (Cambodia): International development organization supporting API since 2012 on citizen engagement; operates overlapping governance, civic participation and capacity-building programming across Cambodia.

Direct peers

• Article 19: International freedom-of-expression and access-to-information organization; collaborates with API on access-to-information advocacy and shares the same thematic focus on civic space and transparency.
• Transparency International Cambodia: Local chapter of Transparency International working on anti-corruption, transparency and good governance in Cambodia; collaborates with API on the WYEL project and access-to-information advocacy, operating the same advocacy/governance niche.
• NGO Forum on Cambodia: Cambodian CSO umbrella providing capacity building, advocacy and policy engagement for NGOs; highly comparable mission, target audience (Cambodian CSOs) and training/governance programming.
• Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC): Cambodian NGO umbrella and capacity-building organization; co-implements the Change the Game Academy with API, delivers training to CSOs, and shares the same civil society capacity-building mandate in Cambodia.
• Coalition for Partnership in Democratic Development (CPDD): Cambodian civil society coalition co-implementing the WE ACT women's entrepreneurship program with API; comparable CSO capacity-building, advocacy and donor-funded training profile.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/APIInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advocacy-and-policy-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Advocacy and Policy Institute