What Recourse does

Recourse is an Amsterdam-based non-profit civil society organisation that campaigns to make international financial institutions (IFIs) democratic, accountable, rights-based, and environmentally sustainable. Its work targets the World Bank Group, IFC, MIGA, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, African Development Bank, IMF, and other multilateral development banks, focusing on development finance flows, climate finance governance, just energy transition, and debt sustainability. Recourse operates through evidence-based research, direct advocacy with IFI decision-makers, and coalition coordination with over 200 civil society organisations globally.

Its core offerings are research publications (including flagship reports such as 'Off Track' on IMF climate action and 'A Safe Pair of Hands' on MDB climate finance), dedicated campaign initiatives (Banking on Renewables, IFC and MIGA Sustainability Framework review), a civil society guide website (imf-climate.org), and remedy case support for communities pursuing accountability through IFI complaint mechanisms. The organisation does not operate a software product, API, or developer platform; its technology footprint consists of a WordPress-based website, email newsletters via MailChimp, and social media channels. Recourse does not sell products or services; all publications and resources are freely available.

Recourse's business model is grant-funded non-profit operations, with €1,645,241 total income reported for 2025 from institutional donors including the Energy Transition Fund, Climate and Land Use Alliance, Climate Energy Collaboration Group, Oxfam Hong Kong, The Sunrise Project, and Trust for Mutual Understanding. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on coalition building, movement support, and direct engagement at IFI fora such as World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings, COP conferences, and African Development Bank Annual Meetings. A staff of approximately 20 led by Executive Director Duncan Pruett executes the programme, with an active board chaired by Theodoros Chronopoulos providing strategic oversight.

Name

Recourse

Legal name

Recourse

Website

https://re-course.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Recourse is an Amsterdam-based non-profit that campaigns to make international financial institutions accountable, rights-based, and environmentally sustainable, serving affected communities and 200+ civil society partners through research, coalition coordination, and direct IFI advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Finance Advocacy and Civil Society Campaigning

NAICS

Business Support Services (5614)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Transitional Justice, Accountability & Reparations (BPADAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

ESG, Sustainability Reporting & Compliance (BPAEAPAM), Transition / Engagement & Stewardship Funds (FSANAJAO)

Keywords

• Development finance advocacy
• Climate finance reform
• Civil society coalitions
• IFI accountability
• Just energy transition

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Recourse is sustained by grant funding from institutional partners. In 2025, their income was €1,645,241 from donors including Energy Transition Fund, Climate Energy Collaboration Group, Climate and Land Use Alliance, Pool fund for International Energy, Tara Climate Ltd, Oxfam Hong Kong, The Sunrise Project, and Trust for Mutual Understanding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Recourse is a non-profit civil society organization that produces evidence-based research publications, coordinates campaigns and coalitions, and engages directly with international financial institutions (World Bank Group, IFC, MIGA, ADB, AIIB, AfDB, IMF) to push for accountable, rights-based, and environmentally sustainable development finance. Its work centers on stopping fossil fuel financing, promoting just energy transition, strengthening environmental and social safeguards, and supporting affected communities through IFI accountability and remedy mechanisms.

Product overview

Recourse is a civil society organization that operates primarily as a campaign and advocacy hub rather than a software product company. Its core offerings consist of research publications on climate justice and development finance, coordinated campaign initiatives including the Banking on Renewables campaign, a civil society guide website (imf-climate.org), coalition coordination for policy reviews, and community accountability support services. The organization functions as a coordination platform for civil society engagement with international financial institutions, producing evidence-based research to influence IFI policy and practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Publications Evidence-based research publications including reports on multilateral development bank climate finance, IMF lending practices, fossil fuel financing through financial intermediaries, gender justice, and just energy transition. Notable publications include 'Off Track: The Long Road to Mainstreaming Climate Action into IMF Lending' and 'A Safe Pair of Hands: How MDBs Fail on Climate Finance'. Distributed freely to civil society organizations, IFI stakeholders, and policymakers.
• Banking on Renewables Campaign A civil society campaign endorsed by over 67 organizations setting criteria for sustainable renewable energy finance, grounded in human rights, community benefit, and environmental integrity. Coordinated by Recourse and targeting multilateral development banks to redirect financing from fossil fuels to community-owned, decentralized renewable energy.
• IFC Sustainability Framework Review Coordination Coalition coordination service convening over 200 civil society organizations and 12 thematic working groups to contribute to the review of the IFC and MIGA Sustainability Framework, the world's most influential environmental and social safeguards system.
• Remedy Cases Support Support for affected communities pursuing accountability and remedy through IFI complaint mechanisms, including the IFC Compliance Advisor Ombudsman. Notable cases include coal financing in the Philippines and Indonesia, gas in Bangladesh, mining in Pakistan, and Indigenous Peoples complaints in Nepal.
• IMF Climate Civil Society Guide (imf-climate.org) A dedicated website and civil society guide providing analysis and resources on the IMF and climate issues, designed to support civil society engagement with IMF policy review processes. The guide explains the IMF's structure, policies, and practices that impact countries' ability to tackle climate change.

Quantifiable outcome

• Convened and coordinated 200+ civil society organisations globally to participate in IFC and MIGA Sustainability Framework review
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

31 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Power Shift AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy for just energy transition in Africa, collaboration on Mission 300 engagement with African Development Bank, and coordinated campaigns on public finance for renewable energy.
• Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Indigenous Peoples engagement in Sustainability Framework review processes, facilitated advocacy opportunities and spaces to share Indigenous experiences.
• Big Shift Global CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner on MDB reform advocacy, Banking on Renewables campaign, and coordinated civil society engagement with multilateral development banks.
• Trend AsiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Asia-focused energy transition advocacy, Bahasa Indonesia campaign launch, and regional civil society coordination.
• Christian AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced 'Powering Africa Justly' report on AfDB renewable energy access, joint advocacy on development finance and climate justice.
• BRICS Feminist WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research on AIIB Gender Action Plan, advocacy on gendered impacts of IFI policies, and feminist economic justice collaboration.
• Bretton Woods ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on IMF surveillance and conditionalities advocacy, joint submissions on IFC safeguards, and coordinated advocacy on harmful gendered IMF impacts.
• Gender ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy on gender equality in development finance, research on gendered impacts of fossil fuel projects, and IFC safeguards engagement.
• Oil Change InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on climate finance tracking, fossil fuel subsidy research, and public finance for energy transition analysis.
• Alternative Law CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research on IMF climate action and programme conditionalities, case work on Pakistan energy policies and climate impacts.
• AFRODADcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced 'Powering Africa Justly' report with Christian Aid on African Development Bank renewable energy access.
• MENA FemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on feminist economic justice, gender-responsive climate finance advocacy, and MENA region engagement.
• Indus ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal language dissemination of false solutions research in Pakistan, joint advocacy on South Asia development finance impacts.
• NGO Forum on ADBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Asian Development Bank advocacy, safeguards policy engagement, and energy policy review.
• Center for Economic and Social RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Article 2.1c Paris Agreement report examining role of IFIs in financial flows and climate-resilient development.
• EurodadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on sovereign debt resolution principles, Financing for Development engagement, and debt-climate nexus advocacy.
• Global Policy ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Article 2.1c Paris Agreement report and international financial architecture reform advocacy.
• WEDOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint work on gender equality in climate finance, Feminist Economic Justice Convening participation, and women-centred energy access advocacy.
• Sustainable Inclusive SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Article 2.1c Paris Agreement report examining financial flows and climate-resilient development.
• Philippine Movement for Climate JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCase work support on coal projects linked to IFC financing, accountability mechanism engagement for communities in the Philippines.
• Inclusive Development InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on RCBS coal financing complaint, accountability mechanism engagement.
• Trend AsiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJava 9 and 10 coal case support, evidence provision to IFC Compliance Advisor Ombudsman for Indonesia.
• LA HURNIPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous rights advocacy collaboration, Nepal cable car project complaint filing to CAO.
• Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Argentina lithium extraction impacts, World Bank and IFC-financed mining advocacy.
• Coasta Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on fossil gas and gender impacts research, Bangladesh case work on Bhola gas plant.
• Oyu Tolgoi WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy on ADB climate smart mining concerns in Mongolia, human rights and environmental impacts.
• SYND (Ghana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership at COP29 on MDB climate finance scrutiny, civil society coordination at climate conferences.
• LatindaddcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration at G20 Social Summit on breaking chains of debt in the Global South.
• BRICS Policy CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership at G20 Social Summit on sovereign debt and climate justice advocacy.
• Institute For Economic JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration at G20 Social Summit on debt and climate nexus.
• GestoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership at G20 Social Summit on breaking chains of debt advocacy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Eurodad: European network of CSOs working on development finance, debt, and IFI reform. Directly comparable to Recourse on sovereign debt, Financing for Development, and MDB advocacy; listed as a core partner in Recourse's data.
• BankTrack: International tracking coalition focused on the operations of private and multilateral development banks, including fossil fuel financing and accountability. Closely mirrors Recourse's MDB and private-bank accountability focus.
• Bretton Woods Project: UK-based CSO that scrutinises the IMF and World Bank and coordinates civil society advocacy on their policies. Highly comparable to Recourse's IFI accountability and IMF conditionalities work; Recourse's data lists it as a core partner.
• Climate Action Network International: Global network of over 1,800 civil society organisations working on climate policy, including MDB and climate finance advocacy. Comparable convening function to Recourse; listed as a partner in Recourse's data.
• Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL): International environmental law organisation working on climate finance governance, IFI accountability, and international financial architecture reform. Overlaps directly with Recourse's climate-finance and safeguards advocacy.
• Inclusive Development International: Organisation supporting communities in holding development finance institutions accountable through complaint mechanisms and case work. Directly comparable to Recourse's remedy case and CAO engagement work; listed as a core partner.
• Oil Change International: Research and advocacy organisation focused on tracking public finance for fossil fuels, including MDB and export-credit flows. Highly comparable to Recourse's fossil-finance tracking work; listed as a core partner.

Broad incumbents

• 350.org: Global climate movement organisation campaigning on fossil finance and public money for renewables. Significant overlap with Recourse's Banking on Renewables and stop-funding-fossil-fuels campaigns; broader mass-mobilisation orientation.
• Global Witness: International investigative and campaign organisation exposing environmental and human rights abuses linked to extractive industries and finance. Operates broadly in the same accountability space as Recourse, but with a wider portfolio and larger budget.

Emerging players

• Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI): Independent organisation promoting accountable management of oil, gas, and mineral resources, with growing focus on the role of development finance. Partially overlaps with Recourse's extractives and IFI accountability workstreams.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RecourseTeam
• Facebookfacebook.com/RecourseTeam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/re-course

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Recourse