What KOPRU does

Köprü (legally Gönül Köprüsü) is a Turkey-based non-profit organization founded in approximately 2019–2021 by a group of Turks and Syrians, initially headquartered in Şanlıurfa. The organization's stated mission is to build bridges between Syrian populations in Turkey, those inside Syria, and Turkish host communities by leveraging the creative economy as a driver of sustainable economic growth and social cohesion. It serves a portfolio of beneficiary segments including Syrian refugees and migrants, women and girls, Syrian entrepreneurs and SMEs, disabled individuals, the Turkish host community, and Syrian civil society organizations in Northern Syria.

The organization operates through a three-pillar platform structure — DATA (research and structural mapping), VOICE (advocacy and cultural dialogue), and ACTION (field implementation and economic growth). Documented products include financial inclusion mapping research, creative industry impact studies, market verification across 175+ Syrian-led companies in Şanlıurfa, the Cultural Encounters Podcast series (with British Council, Rozana FM, and Resonance FM, Jan 2023–Apr 2024), the 'Ses-siz-biz' International Women's Day exhibition (Mar 2022, Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall), an Artist Residency Program (since Oct 2021), the Sustainable Marketplace Türkiye project (with Building Markets), the Civil Society Support Program in Northern Syria, and Economic Inclusion & Skill Development training at municipal centers. There is no proprietary technology platform; the core methodology is field-based research, qualitative interviews, and structural mapping.

Köprü is funded primarily through international grants and donor contracts. Key documented grants include a $517,000 project with Building Markets (the largest by budget), a $12,800 research commission from SPARK (EU-funded), and partnerships with the British Council on the podcast series. Programs are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries. The organization has 8 employees, operates offices in Şanlıurfa with reach across Turkey, and is strategically expanding into Syria. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, using exhibitions, podcasts, residencies, training workshops, and cultural events as primary engagement channels.

Name

KOPRU

Legal name

Köprü

Website

https://kopru.ngo

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Köprü (Gönül Köprüsü) is a Turkey-based non-profit founded in Şanlıurfa that bridges Syrian and Turkish communities through the creative economy, delivering research, advocacy, and field programs (training, mentorship, podcasts, exhibitions) for refugees, women, SMEs, and disabled individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit community development and refugee integration services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)

Keywords

• Social impact research
• Refugee economic inclusion
• Cultural dialogue programs
• SME capacity building
• Community development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Şanlıurfa

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Köprü operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through international grants and donor funding. Key project funding includes a $517,000 project with Building Markets and a $12,800 research contract for SPARK (EU-funded).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Köprü (Gönül Köprüsü) is a non-profit organization that delivers research, advocacy, and field programs to support the economic and cultural integration of Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey. It operates through three pillars: DATA (structural analysis, financial inclusion mapping, and creative industry impact research), VOICE (cultural dialogue and advocacy through podcasts, exhibitions, and artist residencies), and ACTION (mentorship, training, market access, and civil society support for SMEs and grassroots organizations). All programs are funded by international grants and donor contracts and delivered free of charge to beneficiaries.

Product overview

KÖPRÜ (Köprü) is a non-profit organization operating as a platform structured around three interconnected pillars: DATA (research and analysis services), VOICE (advocacy and cultural dialogue programs), and ACTION (field implementation and economic growth initiatives). The organization offers research services including financial inclusion mapping and creative industry impact studies, advocacy programs such as the Cultural Encounters Podcast and artist residencies, and economic development programs including the Sustainable Marketplace Türkiye and skill development training. All initiatives focus on bridging Syrian and Turkish communities through the creative economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Inclusion Mapping Research service that produces comprehensive reports investigating financial barriers for Syrian SMEs in border cities of Turkey, including field interviews with entrepreneurs. Designed for funders and development organizations seeking evidence-based insights on refugee economic inclusion.
• Creative Industry Impact Research Research program investigating the economic contribution of Syrian entrepreneurs to Türkiye's creative sectors, with findings showcased internationally. Intended for development organizations, cultural institutions, and policy audiences.
• Market Verification and Outreach Data verification and field research service that maps and validates Syrian-led companies to enhance market transparency and improve access to opportunities. Used to inform program design and direct outreach.
• Cultural Encounters Podcast Year-long podcast series sharing narratives on how refugees leverage heritage and creativity, produced in partnership with the British Council, Rozana FM, and Resonance FM. Aimed at broad public audiences to advance cultural dialogue and social cohesion.
• International Women's Day Exhibition (Ses-siz-biz) Curated public exhibition featuring works of women artists to raise visibility for female empowerment, hosted at prominent cultural venues such as Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.
• Artist Residency Program Residency program in Şanlıurfa that hosts international and local artists for creative exchange and psychosocial support, with engagement of both host and refugee communities.
• Sustainable Marketplace Türkiye Economic development program delivered as a strategic partnership with Building Markets ($517,000 project), providing mentorship sessions, training sessions, and in-person events to help Syrian-led SMEs win business opportunities.
• Civil Society Support Program (CSSP) Capacity-building program that empowers Syrian grassroots organizations in peacebuilding and non-violent activism in Northern Syria.
• Economic Inclusion and Skill Development Training program delivered at municipal centers for disabled individuals, women, youth, and refugees covering entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, and product marketability improvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 175+ Syrian-led companies mapped and market data verified
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SPARKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPARK, an EU-funded organization, commissioned Köprü to prepare comprehensive reports investigating financial barriers for Syrian SMEs in 4 border cities. The research involved interviewing 60 entrepreneurs with a project budget of $12,800. This partnership provided critical funding for evidence-based research on refugee economic inclusion.
• British CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe British Council partnered with Köprü to produce the Cultural Encounters Podcast, a year-long series (Jan 2023–Apr 2024) sharing narratives on how refugees leverage heritage and creativity. The partnership leveraged British Council's international reach and cultural programming expertise.
• Building MarketscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding Markets partnered with Köprü as a strategic partner in a $517,000 project. Köprü facilitated over 500 mentorship sessions, organized 27 training sessions and 16 in-person events, and helped SMEs win more than $5 million in business. This is the organization's largest documented project by budget.
• Rozana FMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRozana FM served as a broadcast partner for the Cultural Encounters Podcast, providing distribution渠道 for podcast content focusing on refugee narratives and cultural heritage.
• Resonance FMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerResonance FM partnered on the Cultural Encounters Podcast to broadcast content on refugee heritage and creative expressions to international audiences.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major humanitarian INGO with significant Turkey programming for Syrian refugees, including economic recovery and livelihoods. Overlapping mandate on refugee self-reliance and women/girls empowerment though operating at global scale.
• Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian organization running Turkey programs on economic resilience and youth employment for Syrian refugees. Comparable programmatic focus on refugee SME and market systems development at much larger scale.
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC): Large international NGO with extensive Turkey operations focused on displacement and refugee economic inclusion. Comparable beneficiary base and livelihoods programming but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• IOM Turkey (International Organization for Migration): UN migration agency with extensive Turkey presence running livelihoods, social cohesion, and reintegration programs for Syrians. Touches overlapping beneficiary population but as part of a wider global migration mandate.

Direct peers

• Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM / SGDD): One of Turkey's largest refugee-focused NGOs delivering psychosocial support, livelihoods, and social cohesion programs for Syrians. Directly comparable in target population and program mix (protection + economic empowerment).
• SPARK: Dutch NGO supporting higher education and youth entrepreneurship in conflict-affected regions, operating Turkey programs. SPARK commissioned Köprü's Financial Inclusion Mapping research, sharing EU-funded grant-maker model and refugee/Syrian SME focus.
• Small Projects Istanbul (SPI): Turkey-based NGO supporting refugees through community organizing, livelihoods, and cultural integration programs. Comparable in size and mission of pairing refugee economic empowerment with community-based delivery.
• Building Markets: INGO that supports SMEs in fragile and conflict-affected markets. Köprü is its strategic implementation partner on the $517,000 Sustainable Marketplace Türkiye project — both share the core mission of connecting refugee/displaced entrepreneurs to procurement opportunities and economic inclusion.
• Support to Life (Hayata Destek): Turkish humanitarian NGO providing refugee-focused programming including livelihoods, education, and protection. Operates in similar Şanlıurfa/Southeast Turkey geography serving Syrian refugee populations with comparable program types.
• Refugee Support Center (Multeci Destek Derneği): Turkish NGO specializing in refugee rights, livelihoods, and psychosocial support. Comparable in operating geography, beneficiary base, and hybrid research-plus-direct-service model in southeastern Turkey.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gonulkoprusu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 KOPRU