Centre for Policy Alternatives

What Centre for Policy Alternatives does

Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is a Sri Lankan non-partisan civil society organization operating as a private limited company by guarantee (Centre for Policy Alternatives (Guarantee) Ltd.), headquartered in Colombo. Founded in 2000, CPA's mission is to strengthen institutional capacity for good governance and conflict transformation in Sri Lanka through policy research, advocacy, and public interest litigation. The organization delivers a portfolio of interconnected services: Social Indicator conducts public opinion polling and pioneered the Peace Confidence Index and Confidence in Democratic Governance Index; the Constitution Unit provides constitutional analysis and reform advocacy; CMEV monitors election violence; and three award-winning civic media platforms (Groundviews, Maatram, Vikalpa) amplify citizen narratives marginalized from mainstream media.

CPA's service portfolio also includes an extensive Public Interest Litigation program covering fundamental rights, electoral democracy, judicial independence, and pre-enactment judicial review of legislation, as well as community-level capacity building with local government and civil society organizations. Outputs are distributed freely through the organization's website (cpalanka.org), social media channels, and publications in English, Sinhala, and Tamil. The organization serves a horizontal stakeholder base including government officials, parliamentarians, civil society, academia, media, and international development partners.

CPA is funded primarily through donor grants and international development partners, with documented partnerships including USAID's Sri Lanka Democratic Governance Assistance Project. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, though audited accounts are published for 2020-2023. The organization operates with 35 employees and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025. As of 2026, CPA is undergoing a leadership transition with the departure of founding Executive Director Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu.

Name

Centre for Policy Alternatives

Legal name

Centre for Policy Alternatives (Guarantee) Ltd.

Website

https://cpalanka.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centre for Policy Alternatives is a Sri Lankan non-partisan civil society organization conducting policy research, public interest litigation, civic media, and governance advocacy for government, civil society, academia, and international development stakeholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advocacy Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG), Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN), Peace, Security Sector Reform & Stabilization Programs (BPADABAH)

Keywords

• Policy research services
• Public interest litigation
• Civic media platforms
• Election monitoring services
• Governance capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding and Grants: CPA operates as a non-profit organization primarily funded through donor support and grants from international organizations and development partners engaged in governance, human rights, and democratic strengthening work in Sri Lanka.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Centre for Policy Alternatives is a non-partisan Sri Lankan civil society organization that delivers policy research and advocacy, public interest litigation, civic media platforms, public opinion polling, and community capacity building aimed at strengthening democratic governance and non-violent conflict resolution. Its work is organized around seven core programs: Social Indicator (survey research), Civic Media (Groundviews, Maatram, Vikalpa), Public Interest Litigation, Research and Advocacy, Capacity Building and Outreach Monitoring, CMEV (election violence monitoring), and the Constitution Unit.

Product overview

Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is a non-partisan civil society organization offering a portfolio of interconnected research, advocacy, media, and legal services rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include Social Indicator (public opinion polling and surveys), Civic Media platforms (Groundviews, Maatram, Vikalpa), Public Interest Litigation services, Research and Advocacy programmes, and Capacity Building initiatives. The organization also houses the Constitution Unit and CMEV for election monitoring. CPA produces various publications including Reports, Policy Briefs, Books, Commentaries, and Press Releases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CMEV (Centre for Monitoring Election Violence): A programme of CPA that monitors election violence in Sri Lanka.
• Social Indicator (SI)
• Maatram
• Vikalpa
• Groundviews

Products and services

• Social Indicator (SI) Survey research unit conducting public opinion polling on social and political issues, including the Peace Confidence Index and Confidence in Democratic Governance Index, to inform policy and advocacy.
• Civic Media Platforms (Groundviews, Maatram, Vikalpa) Award-winning civic media initiatives that publish citizen narratives otherwise excluded from mainstream Sri Lankan media, anchored at CPA.
• Public Interest Litigation Programme Litigation programme bringing cases on fundamental rights and pre-enactment judicial review of legislation, ranging from the rights of the internally displaced to electoral democracy and judicial independence.
• Research and Advocacy Programme Research and advocacy programme critiquing public policy and advocating policy alternatives for democratic governance, peace, and human rights in Sri Lanka.
• Capacity Building and Outreach Monitoring Community-level engagement working with local government and community-based organizations on capacity building, local governance, service delivery, income generation mechanisms, language rights, and reconciliation.
• CMEV (Centre for Monitoring Election Violence) Affiliated programme of CPA that tracks and monitors election-related violence and incidents during Sri Lankan elections.
• Constitution Unit Specialized unit within CPA focused on constitutional analysis, reform advocacy, and policy work on democratic governance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pioneered Peace Confidence Index in Sri Lanka
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Social Indicator (SI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Indicator is the survey research arm of CPA, conducting public opinion polling on social and political issues. It pioneered the Peace Confidence Index in Sri Lanka and conducts regular surveys including the Confidence in Democratic Governance Index and Economic Reform Index.
• Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMEV is an affiliated organization of CPA focused on monitoring election violence. It tracks and documents election-related incidents and violence during Sri Lankan elections.
• Constitution UnitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA specialized unit within CPA focused on constitutional reform, democratic governance, and related policy analysis and advocacy.
• Reconciliation TrackercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPA's research and advocacy platform focused on tracking reconciliation progress in Sri Lanka, operating as an affiliated initiative.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Peace Council of Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan peace and conflict resolution organization. Comparable to CPA's conflict transformation and reconciliation work in the same country.
• INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre: Sri Lankan human rights documentation and advocacy organization. Comparable in mission to CPA's human rights advocacy and public interest litigation.
• Law & Society Trust: Sri Lankan human rights and constitutional law organization engaged in research, litigation, and advocacy. Comparable in mission to CPA's public interest litigation and rights-based work.
• Verité Research: Colombo-based independent policy research firm producing evidence-based analysis on Sri Lankan governance, economy, and politics. Highly comparable to CPA's research and advocacy positioning and share the same Sri Lankan policy ecosystem.
• Transparency International Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan chapter of Transparency International focused on anti-corruption, governance, and accountability research. Overlaps with CPA's democratic governance and public interest litigation work.

Broad incumbents

• The Asia Foundation: International development organization running governance and civil society programmes across Asia, including Sri Lanka. Comparable to CPA's governance and capacity building work though operating as a broader portfolio funder/partner.
• International Crisis Group: Global think tank producing analysis and policy recommendations on conflict and governance. Comparable to CPA's conflict transformation and policy research work though operating internationally rather than being Sri Lanka-specific.
• International Alert: International peacebuilding organization with programmes on conflict transformation and governance. Comparable to CPA's peacebuilding and conflict resolution work at a larger international scale.
• International IDEA: Intergovernmental organization supporting democratic governance globally with significant Sri Lanka programming. Comparable to CPA's democratic governance and constitutional reform work but at much larger international scale.

Emerging players

• Berghof Foundation: Germany-based peacebuilding and conflict transformation organization with research and policy work. Comparable to CPA's conflict transformation focus though operating from Europe with global programme reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CPASL
• Facebookfacebook.com/CPASL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-policy-alternatives

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Centre for Policy Alternatives