Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF)

What Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) does

Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) is a UK-based, non-profit grantmaking foundation founded in 2006 and hosted by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) at its London office. It is the only global grantmaker fully dedicated to safe abortion, providing flexible funding and capacity development support to locally-led civil society organizations working on abortion access, advocacy, research, attitude-transformation, movement-building, and organizational strengthening. Since inception, SAAF has funded 274 organizations across five global regions: Asia and the Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and North Africa and the Middle East. SAAF does not provide abortion services directly; instead, it routes individuals seeking care to partner hotlines and regional support organizations.

SAAF's business model is that of a charitable intermediary rather than a commercial enterprise. It receives institutional donor funding — historically including the UK Government's Department for International Development (DfID) — and disburses it as grants to a distributed portfolio of NGOs, feminist collectives, and grassroots groups. Its core technology is its grantmaking process, grantee relationship management, and a multilingual website (saafund.org) used for outreach, applications, and impact storytelling. The secretariat operates within IPPF's infrastructure, leveraging shared safeguarding and administrative services.

The organization's customer base is bifurcated: institutional donors on the funding side and 274 grantee partner organizations on the spend side. Marketing and distribution occur through the website, email newsletter, earned media coverage, international conferences (e.g., the Abortion and Reproductive Justice Conference), and grantee partner storytelling. SAAF has no commercial revenue, no products, no app, and no proprietary AI or technology stack; its competitive position rests on its unique mission focus, ecosystem of grantees, and two-decade institutional knowledge in a politically stigmatized funding area.

Name

Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF)

Legal name

Safe Abortion Action Fund

Website

https://saafund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) is the only global grantmaker fully dedicated to safe abortion, founded in 2006 and hosted by IPPF in London. It provides flexible funding and capacity support to 274 locally-led civil society organizations across five global regions working on abortion access, advocacy, and reproductive justice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reproductive Health Grantmaking

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Reproductive health grants
• Abortion access funding
• Reproductive rights advocacy
• Global health grantmaking
• Civil society funding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donor Funding: SAAF operates as a grant-making foundation, receiving funding from institutional donors such as the UK Government's Department for International Development (DfID). They provide grants to civil society organizations working on safe abortion access globally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) is a grantmaking foundation that provides flexible funding and capacity development support to locally-led civil society organizations working on safe abortion access, advocacy, research, attitude-transformation, movement-building, and organizational strengthening. Since 2006, SAAF has provided funding to 274 organizations across five global regions and does not provide direct abortion services.

Product overview

Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF) is a global grantmaking organization founded in 2006, dedicated entirely to funding safe abortion access worldwide. SAAF is not a product or technology company; it is a charitable funding mechanism that provides flexible grants and capacity development support to local organizations working on abortion access, advocacy, research, attitude-transformation, movement-building, and organizational strengthening. The organization's primary "offering" is its grantmaking program, through which it has funded 274 organizations across five global regions since inception. SAAF does not provide abortion services directly but connects individuals seeking abortion care with regional hotlines and support organizations. SAAF operates as a hosted program of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and is headquartered in London, UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAAF Grantmaking Programme
• Capacity Development Support
• Conferences and Knowledge-Sharing Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2006, SAAF has provided funding to 274 organisations around the world
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAAF is hosted by IPPF. They use IPPF's SafeReport whistleblowing service for safeguarding concerns. SAAF's secretariat is managed within IPPF's infrastructure at their London office.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CREA: International feminist fund and intermediary based in India, resourcing and building capacity of women, LGBTQ, and other marginalized groups. Comparable to SAAF as a grantmaker focused on sexual and reproductive rights and movement-building in the Global South.
• Global Fund for Women: Long-standing US-based grantmaker investing in women's rights organizations globally. Comparable to SAAF in mission (advancing women's rights and SRHR), structure (grantmaking to CSOs), and use of flexible funding mechanisms.
• Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism: Rapid-response feminist grantmaker providing short-term, flexible funds to women and LGBTQI+ activists under threat. Comparable to SAAF as a rights-based grantmaker offering flexible support to frontline organizations, though focused on crisis response rather than multi-year capacity-building.
• Mama Cash: Amsterdam-based feminist grantmaker founded in 1983, funding women's and LGBTQI+ rights organizations globally. Directly comparable to SAAF as a specialist feminist/rights grantmaker distributing flexible funds to locally-led organizations, though Mama Cash's mandate is broader than abortion specifically.
• Wellspring Philanthropic Fund: Private US foundation with a dedicated portfolio on sexual and reproductive health and rights, including safe abortion. Directly comparable to SAAF in grantmaking focus on abortion access and the political/legal advocacy needed to sustain it.
• FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund: Global fund that resources young feminist-led organizations across the Global South. Closely comparable to SAAF as a participatory grantmaker providing flexible, multi-year, core funding to locally-led groups advancing gender justice and SRHR.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: One of the largest private foundations globally, with significant grantmaking in women's rights, reproductive rights, and human rights. Comparable as a funder of SRHR and rights organizations, but with a much broader thematic mandate than SAAF's abortion-only focus.
• International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF): Global reproductive health federation that hosts SAAF and operates across more than 120 countries. IPPF is a broader incumbent providing direct SRHR services, while SAAF operates as the niche grantmaking arm fully dedicated to safe abortion within that ecosystem.

Others

• Center for Reproductive Rights: Global legal advocacy organization using human-rights law to advance reproductive rights, including abortion access. Closely aligned with SAAF-funded legal reform grantees (e.g., in Thailand, Argentina), though operates as an advocacy/legal org rather than a grantmaker.
• Gynuity Health Projects: International research and technical-assistance organization focused on reproductive health, including medical abortion and telemedicine. Adjacent to SAAF's grantee ecosystem (e.g., Moldova telemedicine work) but operates as a research/technical partner rather than a grantmaker.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safe-abortion-action-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Safe Abortion Action Fund (SAAF)