Christian Democratic International Center

What Christian Democratic International Center does

Christian Democratic International Center (Kristdemokratiskt Internationellt Center, KIC) is a Stockholm-headquartered non-profit foundation affiliated with the Swedish Christian Democratic Party (Kristdemokraterna). Formally established in 2005 as the successor to the Council for Democracy and Development (KrDU), which traces its origins to a 1995 Swedish Parliament bill proposed by then-minister Alf Svensson to channel development aid through political parties, KIC operates democracy-support programs in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Its core portfolio consists of five programs: PYPA (Program for Young Politicians in Africa, launched 2012, the largest PAO program in Sweden), EWIP (Empowering Women in Politics across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire), PAOLA (Political Party Affiliated Organisations in Latin America, launched 2019 with local partner Cultura Democrática), ELCA (Empowering Local Councillors in Africa, launched 2022 in Uganda), and Sister-Party Cooperation in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Programs deliver training in political leadership, election campaigning, public speaking, media relations, gender equality, and human rights through political academies, workshops, and partner-organization networks.

KIC operates with a small core team of 7 staff, distributed across regional program managers for Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, supplemented by board leadership and finance. The business model is non-commercial: KIC does not charge for its programs or services and is financed primarily through Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) grants under the Swedish government's PAO (party-affiliated organizations) strategy, with secondary income from individual and organizational donations. Its legal name is Kristdemokratiskt Internationellt Center; it trades as KIC and, in Spanish, as Centro Internacional Demócrata Cristiano. KIC is governed by a board and maintains a partnership network including Olof Palme International Center, SILC, The Oslo Center, Robert Schuman Institute, Green Forum, CIS, the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), and, since November 2025, the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies.

In 2025–2026 KIC has visibly deepened its European institutional positioning, with its Acting Secretary General Annika Reyes Rigö elected to the ENoP board (January 2026) and KIC authoring a resolution adopted by the European People's Party Congress in Valencia condemning the Maduro regime in Venezuela (September 2025). The organization celebrated its 30-year anniversary in December 2025 and is not engaged in any disclosed M&A, fundraising round, or commercial product expansion; growth has occurred through programmatic and geographic widening within the PAO funding envelope.

Name

Christian Democratic International Center

Legal name

Kristdemokratiskt Internationellt Center

Website

https://kicsweden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stockholm-based non-profit democracy support foundation affiliated with the Swedish Christian Democratic Party, delivering political-leadership training and capacity-building programs for young politicians, women politicians, and sister parties across Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America, financed primarily through Sida grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Democracy Assistance

NAICS

Political Organizations (81394), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), Faith-Based Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations (BPAGAJAK)

Keywords

• Democracy assistance
• Political capacity building
• International development cooperation
• Civil society strengthening
• Political party support

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants (Sida): KIC's operations are primarily financed through support from Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), forming part of Sweden's overall efforts to strengthen democracy and human rights through international development cooperation.
2. Donations: Individual and organizational donations support KIC's general work, providing flexibility to finance initiatives in programs where needed.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Christian Democratic International Center (KIC) is a non-profit democracy assistance organization that delivers political capacity-building programs for political parties, young politicians, women politicians, and civil society organizations in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Its core offerings include five flagship programs — PYPA, EWIP, PAOLA, ELCA, and Sister-Party Cooperation — implemented through regional political academies, workshops, and field-based training in leadership, election campaigning, public speaking, media relations, gender equality, human rights, and organizational development.

Product overview

Christian Democratic International Center (KIC) offers a portfolio of democracy assistance programs focused on strengthening democratic institutions and political participation in developing regions. The core offerings include PYPA (leadership program for young politicians in East Africa), EWIP (women's political empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa), PAOLA (multi-party cooperation in Latin America), ELCA (local councillor empowerment in East Africa), and Sister-Party Cooperation (support for affiliated political parties in Eastern Europe and Latin America). These programs operate as distinct regional initiatives unified by the common goal of democratic development through political education, capacity building, and cross-party networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PYPA - Program for Young Politicians in Africa A regional cross-party leadership program for young politicians from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, providing training in democracy, gender equality, human rights, election campaigning, public speaking, media relations, and sustainable development. PYPA is the largest party-affiliated development cooperation program in Sweden.
• EWIP - Empowering Women in Politics
• PAOLA - Political party Affiliated Organisations in Latin America A regional multi-party program operating in Argentina, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela since 2019, implemented with local partner Cultura Democrática. It aims to strengthen democracy by enabling political parties to develop strategies, increase women and youth influence, and promote collaboration and strategic alliances.
• ELCA - Empowering Local Councillors in Africa A program launched in Uganda in 2022 focused on strengthening women and young local politicians in East Africa through training in leadership, communication, policy processes, budget literacy, and gender equality. Builds on experiences from PYPA and EWIP programs.
• Sister-Party Cooperation in Eastern Europe and Latin America

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wilfried Martens Centre for European StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025KIC was admitted as a member in November 2025. The centre is the official think tank of the European People's Party (EPP). Membership provides access to a European network and opportunities for collaboration and idea exchange within the European Christian Democratic movement.
• Olof Palme International Center (OPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC collaborates with OPC on the PAOLA program for Latin America, working together with their partner organizations in the region as part of a multi-party cooperation initiative.
• Swedish International Liberal Center (SILC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC collaborates with SILC on the PAOLA program, working together with their partner organizations in Latin America as part of the multi-party regional program.
• Cultura Democrática Asociación CivilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Latin America implementing the PAOLA program alongside KIC since 2019.
• The Oslo CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC implements the EWIP program in Kenya in collaboration with The Oslo Center, which has extensive experience working in Kenya.
• Centre Party International Foundation (CIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC collaborates with CIS on EWIP program implementation in Kenya and Uganda, and as a founding member of KIC.
• Robert Schuman InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest sister-party support partner. KIC cooperates with Robert Schuman Institute on an academy for young Eastern European politicians, focusing on advocacy work with emphasis on youth and women's political participation.
• Green Forum SwedenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with KIC on PYPA program implementation in East Africa.
• European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC's Acting Secretary General Annika Reyes Rigö was elected to ENoP's board in January 2026, representing the European People's Party family. ENoP is a global network for organizations and political foundations working with democracy support to political parties.
• Swedish Christian Democrats (KD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIC is affiliated with the Swedish Christian Democratic Party. The party provides political guidance and KIC conducts exchanges with KD representatives as part of training programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Green Forum Sweden: Swedish Green party-affiliated PAO; collaborates with KIC on PYPA. Comparable scale and PAO funding model make it a direct peer.
• Swedish International Liberal Center (SILC): Liberal party-affiliated PAO co-developing PAOLA with KIC; same funding channel (Sida/PAO), same non-profit structure, same program model — a near-twin peer.
• The Oslo Center: Norwegian non-profit supporting democratic political parties; co-implements KIC's EWIP in Kenya. Directly comparable democracy-support mandate with party capacity-building focus.
• Olof Palme International Center: Swedish Social Democratic party-affiliated organization; together with KIC it co-implements the PAOLA program in Latin America and the broader Swedish PAO aid channel, making it the most directly comparable peer in mission, funding model, and geographic scope.
• Centre Party International Foundation (CIS): Founding member of KIC and co-implementer of EWIP in Kenya/Uganda; shares Swedish PAO funding logic and political foundation structure.
• Robert Schuman Institute: KIC's largest sister-party cooperation partner; runs the Eastern European young politicians academy with KIC. Operates similar party-organizational-development programs in the post-Soviet space.

Broad incumbents

• International IDEA: Intergovernmental democracy support organization headquartered in Stockholm with global programs on political participation and elections; broader in scope but overlapping in democracy assistance mandate.
• Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies: Official think tank of the European People's Party, of which KIC's parent party is a member and where KIC gained membership in 2025; a larger incumbent in policy, networking, and ideological coordination across European Christian Democrats.
• Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS): German CDU-affiliated political foundation — the established global leader in Christian Democratic party development work; KIC sits in the same ideological family and pursues a similar mandate at much smaller scale.

Others

• European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP): Network of European party-affiliated foundations, including KIC; functions as an enabling ecosystem, convenor, and collective advocacy platform for the type of work KIC delivers at the country level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Christian-Democratic-International-Center-KIC-100064858593489
• Instagraminstagram.com/kic_sweden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kristdemokratiskt-internationellt-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Christian Democratic International Center