Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative

What Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative does

The Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative (RSRI) is a non-profit initiative co-founded in 2019 by RefugePoint and the Women's Refugee Commission, and hosted by RefugePoint. RSRI's core product is the Self-Reliance Index (SRI), a proprietary multidimensional household assessment tool measuring 12 domains of refugee life — including safety, food security, housing, health, employment, financial resources, and social capital. The SRI has been released in three major versions (1.0 in April 2020, 2.0 in 2021, and 3.0 in August 2024) and is available in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic. It is used by 88+ agency partners across 39+ countries, with 20K+ households assessed and 2.5M+ refugees reached with self-reliance programming. RSRI also operates a Community of Practice of 650+ organizations, specialized Technical Working Groups (Climate Risks, RLO Engagement, Market Systems Development, Research), a '12 Months, 12 Domains' webinar series, e-learning modules on TalentLMS, and the RSRI Hub online community platform.

RSRI's business model is grant-funded philanthropy rather than commercial revenue. All tools, training, and resources are provided free of charge to partner organizations; funding flows through institutional grants and donations routed via the host organization RefugePoint. The go-to-market motion is community-led: RSRI convenes rather than sells, leveraging a Community of Practice model, Technical Working Groups, and collaborative research to advance self-reliance approaches among NGOs, refugee-led organizations, host country governments, UN agencies, academics, think tanks, and funders. Customers are not buyers in the conventional sense — they are partners, implementing organizations (e.g., IRC, HIAS, Malteser International, Norwegian Refugee Council, Danish Refugee Council), and constituents (refugee households and donor governments). Distribution is achieved through direct training, technical support, e-learning, and partnership networks rather than sales channels.

Headcount is 5 employees, with senior personnel including a Training & Technical Support Manager (Ned Meerdink), Senior Research and Policy Advisor (Dr. Evan Easton-Calabria), Program Officer (Mary Wangui), Communications Manager (Shelby Quackenbush), and external advisors (Sasha Muench on Market-Based Programming; Daniela Segovia as RLO-Led Insights Fund Advisor). The organization operates from Boston, MA and reaches 17+ named countries across East Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, with active participation in high-level initiatives such as the Global Refugee Forum 2023 Multistakeholder Pledge on Economic Inclusion and Social Protection.

Name

Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative

Legal name

Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative

Website

https://refugeeselfreliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative (RSRI) is a non-profit initiative co-founded in 2019 by RefugePoint and the Women's Refugee Commission that develops and disseminates the Self-Reliance Index, a 12-domain household assessment tool used by 88+ agency partners across 39+ countries, while convening a 650+ member Community of Practice to advance refugee self-reliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Refugee Self-Reliance Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAAAH

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief

SECONDARYBPAGAEAI

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPADABAL

Migration, Refugees & Forced Displacement Assistance

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Bilateral Development Agencies & Aid Programs

SECONDARYBPADAEAK

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Development & Technical Assistance

Keywords

• Refugee self-reliance
• Humanitarian assessment tools
• Community of practice
• Humanitarian policy advocacy
• Capacity building training

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Philanthropic Support: As a non-profit initiative, RSRI is funded through grants, donations, and institutional funding from foundations and government donors. The organization advocates for policies and practices that provide appropriate funding for refugee self-reliance programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RSRI operates a global Community of Practice and convening hub that advances refugee self-reliance through the proprietary Self-Reliance Index (SRI) — a 12-domain household assessment tool — together with training, technical support, research, and policy advocacy. All tools and resources are provided free of charge to NGOs, governments, UN agencies, refugee-led organizations, academics, and funders working with displaced populations.

Product overview

The Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative operates a platform-centric model anchored by the Self-Reliance Index (SRI), a multidimensional household assessment tool that measures 12 domains of refugee life. The core SRI product is available in Version 3.0 (launched August 2024) and is complemented by e-learning training modules available in four languages, a Community of Practice network of 650+ organizations, and specialized Technical Working Groups. The RSRI Hub provides the online coordination platform, while direct training and technical support services support implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Self-Reliance Index (SRI) A multidimensional household assessment tool measuring 12 domains of refugee life (safety, food security, housing, health, employment, financial resources, social capital, etc.). Used globally by 88+ agency partners in 39+ countries to assess, track, and improve refugee programming. Available in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic.
• E-Learning Modules Comprehensive self-paced training modules for the Self-Reliance Index, available in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic through the TalentLMS platform.
• SRI Training & Technical Support Live training sessions and ongoing technical support for SRI users, including implementation guidance and version 3.0 assistance.
• Community of Practice (CoP) Global network of 650+ organizations — including NGOs, UN agencies, governments, refugee-led organizations, academics, and funders — meeting bi-monthly for learning calls and providing access to Technical Working Groups and resource sharing.
• RSRI Hub Online community platform for RSRI members providing coordination, resource sharing, and collaboration tools for the refugee self-reliance network.
• Technical Working Groups Specialized sub-groups within the Community of Practice, including the Research CoP, Climate Risks and Self-Reliance TWG, Market Systems Development TWG, and Refugee Leadership & RLO Engagement TWG, convening experts on specific self-reliance topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5M+ refugees reached with self-reliance programming
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• RefugePointcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRefugePoint co-founded RSRI and serves as the host organization. RSRI is described as a strategic initiative of RefugePoint. RefugePoint provides organizational infrastructure and leadership for RSRI's operations and is an active partner in SRI development and implementation.
• Women's Refugee CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded RSRI alongside RefugePoint. Contributed to SRI development as reflected in RSRI publications acknowledging the Women's Refugee Commission as a contributing organization.
• HIASmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported the intensive 24-month period of domain evaluation and testing to improve the SRI Safety Domain. Active in SRI implementation and research collaborations.
• Malteser InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the SRI domain evaluation and testing process for the improved Safety Domain in SRI 3.0.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SRI development, testing, and implementation since the tool's launch in 2020.
• Refugees InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-facilitates the Climate Risks and Self-Reliance Technical Working Group with Dr. Evan Easton-Calabria from RSRI (represented by Sarah Miller and Jocelyn Perry).
• Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports the Partnerships and Research Coordinator fellowship position at RSRI, including current staff member Su Myat Thwe. Facilitates refugee-led research engagement.
• Washington University in St. LouismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on multiple RSRI publications including 'Beyond Shelter' study on rental assistance for Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, led by Lindsay Stark.
• HIASmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on SRI-related academic publications including studies on mental health linkages and livelihoods programs for displaced women in Colombia.
• Universidad de los AndesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner on Colombia-based research studies on rental assistance and self-reliance.
• BlumontminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner on Colombia rental assistance research examining impacts on Venezuelan migrants.
• Danish Refugee CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive in the RSRI Community of Practice, contributed to MSD Technical Working Group, and published on leveraging SRI for livelihoods impact assessment in East Africa.
• Women's Refugee CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publishing partner on the 'Rooted In The City' policy vision document alongside Refugees International, IIED, and RSRI.
• International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published 'Rooted In The City: A New Vision for Refugees and Humanitarian Action' policy document. Collaborates on urban displacement programming research.
• Refugees InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published 'Rooted In The City' policy vision and collaborates on urban refugee policy advocacy.
• Norwegian Refugee CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on market systems development resources, Dadaab refugee formalization briefs, and economic inclusion research in Kenya and South Sudan.
• RELON UgandamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRefugee-led organization network in Uganda partnering on RLO engagement research and local decision-making publications.
• R-SEATminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on research examining refugee-led organization involvement in local decision-making in Uganda.
• CohereminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublished research on enabling meaningful refugee participation, contributing to the field's evidence base.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): IRC is a major humanitarian NGO and active RSRI partner in SRI development, testing, and implementation since 2020. It serves refugee populations globally and uses self-reliance-style programming, making it a directly comparable implementing partner.
• RefugePoint: RefugePoint is the host organization and co-founder of RSRI. It directly shares the mission of advancing refugee self-reliance, provides organizational infrastructure for RSRI, and collaborates on SRI development and implementation, making it the closest structural peer.
• Women's Refugee Commission: Women's Refugee Commission co-founded RSRI alongside RefugePoint. It is a research and advocacy organization focused on the rights and well-being of displaced women, children, and youth, directly contributing to SRI development and co-publishing policy documents with RSRI.
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC): DRC is a leading refugee-focused humanitarian NGO active in the RSRI Community of Practice and contributor to the Market Systems Development Working Group. It has published on leveraging the SRI for livelihoods impact assessment in East Africa, directly comparable as both implementer and SRI user.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC): NRC is a major refugee-focused humanitarian organization active in the RSRI Community of Practice, contributing to the MSD Technical Working Group and publishing SRI-based livelihoods impact assessments in East Africa, with parallel focus on self-reliance and economic inclusion.
• Refugees International: Refugees International co-facilitates the Climate Risks and Self-Reliance Technical Working Group with RSRI and co-published the 'Rooted In The City' policy vision. It is a directly comparable advocacy organization focused on refugee rights and self-reliance.
• HIAS: HIAS is a refugee-focused Jewish humanitarian organization that partnered with RSRI on the intensive 24-month domain evaluation and testing that produced the SRI 3.0 Safety Domain. It is an active SRI implementer and research collaborator.

Broad incumbents

• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): UNHCR is the UN agency mandated to protect refugees globally and is listed as an RSRI partner for advancing self-reliance opportunities. It is a broad incumbent that sets refugee policy and programming standards at a much larger scale than RSRI, but overlaps significantly on self-reliance advocacy and measurement.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a large international humanitarian organization that runs market systems development and economic inclusion programs for displaced populations. While not an RSRI-specific partner, its programming overlaps substantively with RSRI's self-reliance mission and likely uses comparable assessment approaches.

Emerging players

• Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH): RLRH supports refugee-led research and funds the Partnerships and Research Coordinator fellowship at RSRI. As an emerging player championing refugee-led evidence generation, it shares RSRI's interest in shifting power toward displaced communities and is closely tied operationally.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/refugeeselfreliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rsri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative