New Tactics in Human Rights

What New Tactics in Human Rights does

New Tactics in Human Rights is a non-profit program of the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT), founded in 1999 and based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The organization develops and disseminates strategic planning methodologies, tactical knowledge, and training resources to individual human rights defenders and NGO practitioners across 89 countries and 19 languages. Its core product is a methodology stack built around the Strategic Effectiveness Method — a 5-step framework (Identify, Create a Vision, Map the Terrain, Explore Tactics, Act) — paired with the Tactical Mapping Tool (an online collaborative relationship-diagramming application at tmt.newtactics.org), a searchable Tactics Database containing 260+ documented innovations, and the Advocacy Evaluation Toolkit (E2A) for campaign impact measurement.

The technology layer is intentionally low-friction: an online platform supporting search, diagram-based collaboration, free resource downloads, an online community for peer exchange, a podcast (Human Rights Chat), and a webinar series. Distribution is entirely free of charge; the organization does not monetize via pricing models or subscriptions. Instead, funding flows to CVT through foundation grants, institutional donors, and individual donations processed via Convio.

The business is structurally a capacity-building program embedded within a larger $5B+ nonprofit treatment network (CVT) rather than an independent revenue-generating entity. Its commercial scope is constrained: 7 employees, two physical offices (St. Paul HQ and Amman regional office opened in 2011 to serve the MENA region), and no proprietary IP commercialization. Growth is paced by grant cycles rather than market demand, and the operating model is closer to a public-good knowledge commons than to a venture-scale enterprise.

Name

New Tactics in Human Rights

Legal name

New Tactics in Human Rights

Website

https://newtactics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New Tactics in Human Rights is a non-profit program of the Center for Victims of Torture that provides human rights defenders worldwide with strategic planning methodologies, a Tactical Mapping Tool, and a 260+ tactic searchable database, offered free in 19 languages across 89 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Capacity Building

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Legal Aid) (BPADADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Human rights training
• Advocacy capacity building
• Tactical mapping
• Human rights methodology
• Civil society resources

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Donor Funding: As a non-profit program of the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT), New Tactics operates as a charitable organization funded through donations, grants, and institutional funding from foundations and individual donors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

New Tactics in Human Rights provides training, methodologies, and digital tools that help human rights defenders design, implement, and evaluate effective advocacy campaigns. Core deliverables include the Tactical Mapping Tool (an interactive relationship-mapping web application), the Strategic Effectiveness Method (a five-step planning framework), a searchable Tactics Database of 260+ documented tactics, and live training and mentoring programs offered to defenders globally.

Product overview

New Tactics in Human Rights is a non-profit program of the Center for Victims of Torture offering a comprehensive platform of interconnected resources and tools for human rights defenders. The core offerings include the Tactical Mapping Tool (TMT) for relationship mapping around abuses, the Strategic Effectiveness Method providing a five-step planning framework, and a Tactics Database with 260+ searchable innovative tactics. These are complemented by training programs (live workshops, online courses, mentoring), content series (podcasts, webinars, perspectives articles, success stories), evaluation tools (E2A toolkit), and publications including the multilingual Tactics Book. The ecosystem is designed to support defenders at every stage—from strategic planning through implementation and evaluation—across 89 countries in English, Arabic, and Spanish.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Strategic Effectiveness Method: A five-step methodology developed by New Tactics for strategic thinking and tactical planning in human rights advocacy.
• Evaluación en la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (E2A)
• Tactical Mapping Tool
• Human Rights Chat Podcast

Products and services

• Tactical Mapping Tool (TMT)

Quantifiable outcome

• 3000+ human rights defenders trained in Strategic Effectiveness Method
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Tactics in Human Rights is a program of the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT). CVT is a comprehensive treatment facility for torture survivors founded in 1985. The New Tactics project was conceived in 1995 as an extension of CVT's experience in creating new tactics and building coalitions for human rights.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Peace Direct: INGO supporting local peacebuilders with funding, training, and resources to prevent violence and resolve conflict. Comparable as a capacity-builder providing training and methodologies to grassroots practitioners in conflict-affected settings.
• Tactical Tech: Berlin-based nonprofit producing toolkits, guides, and digital tools that help civil society actors navigate technology and data in their advocacy. Directly comparable as a builder of practitioner-facing tools and methodologies for human rights and civic actors.
• WITNESS: Global nonprofit that helps people use video and technology to document and expose human rights abuses. Comparable as a capacity-builder and tool-maker for human rights practitioners, though specializing in video rather than strategy frameworks.
• Front Line Defenders: International foundation that provides rapid-response grants, training, and advocacy tools for human rights defenders at risk. Directly comparable mission of equipping individual defenders with practical resources to operate more safely and effectively.
• Protection International: International NGO that develops protection strategies, training, and tools for human rights defenders. Directly comparable as it focuses on capacity building, security, and strategic planning methodologies for at-risk defenders worldwide.

Emerging players

• Equal Rights Trust: International NGO working on equality law, advocacy training, and strategic litigation support. Comparable in providing advocacy methodologies and capacity-building for rights defenders, though with a narrower thematic focus on equality.

Broad incumbents

• CIVICUS: Global alliance focused on strengthening civil society and citizen action through research, advocacy, and capacity building. Comparable as a civil-society-strengthening organization with training and resource components at scale.
• Amnesty International: Largest global human rights NGO, offering research, advocacy, training resources, and campaigns. Broadly comparable as a human rights capacity-and-knowledge provider, though focused on campaigning and reporting rather than defender-by-defender tactical training.
• Article 19: Established international organization defending freedom of expression and information, providing legal support, advocacy, and training. Overlaps with New Tactics on digital rights advocacy content (e.g., internet governance) and defender training, but operates at much larger scale.
• Human Rights Watch: Major international human rights organization conducting investigation, advocacy, and capacity support across regions. Comparable as a defender of rights and producer of human rights knowledge, but research-and-reporting-focused rather than defender-training-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newtactics

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 New Tactics in Human Rights