Uttaran

What Uttaran does

Uttaran is a Bangladesh-based social development non-profit organization founded in 1985 in Jatpur village of Tala upazila, Satkhira district, and now headquartered in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The name "Uttaran" means "transition" in Bangla, reflecting the organization's mission to drive social change for marginalized and underprivileged populations in southwestern Bangladesh. The organization operates across six core thematic program areas: Rights, Gender and Social Justice (RGSJ); Food Security and Nutrition (FSN); Education and Youth Action (EYA); Climate Change, WASH and Water Governance (CCWG); Disaster and Humanitarian Action (DHA); and Integrated Rural Development (IRD). It also runs educational institutions including schools, technical schools, and a library, and produces knowledge products such as publications and documentary films.

The organization employs 164 staff (45% female) and implements programs across multiple Bangladesh geographies including Satkhira, Khulna, Chattogram, Cox's Bazar (Rohingya camps), Lakshmipur, and Paikgacha. Its beneficiaries include marginalized rural communities, climate-affected populations in the Sundarbans coastal region, food-insecure households, youth and adolescents, and marginalized farmers seeking khasland access. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed; the operating model is community-led field implementation rather than technology-driven service delivery.

Uttaran's revenue model is donor and grant-based, with partnerships supporting its work including IOM Bangladesh (flood response in Lakshmipur), the Global Center on Adaptation (Tidal River Management documentation in the Sundarbans), and RVO (the LANDWATER initiative for water and land governance). The organization raises awareness through a website, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, documentaries, publications, and direct donor communications. As a non-profit, it does not sell products or services commercially, and no financial figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Uttaran

Legal name

Uttaran

Website

https://uttaran.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Uttaran is a Bangladesh-based social development non-profit operating since 1985, running six program areas (rights, food security, education, climate/WASH, disaster response, and rural development) serving marginalized and climate-affected communities across southwestern Bangladesh and Rohingya camps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Country Development Assistance Programs (Bilateral ODA) (BPADABAA)

Keywords

• Social development services
• Community development programs
• Humanitarian assistance programs
• Rural development initiatives
• Climate adaptation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor and Partner Funding: Uttaran operates as a non-profit organization funded through international donors, development partners, and grant-based funding. Revenue is generated through project-based grants for social development programs rather than commercial products or services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Uttaran is a Bangladesh-based non-profit social development organization operating since 1985 from Jatpur village in Satkhira district. It delivers six interconnected program areas: Rights/Gender/Social Justice, Food Security/Nutrition, Education/Youth Action, Climate Change/WASH/Water Governance, Disaster/Humanitarian Action, and Integrated Rural Development. Programs target marginalized rural communities in southwest Bangladesh and additional regions, funded through international donor grants and implemented via direct community engagement.

Product overview

Uttaran is a social development organization offering a portfolio of six interconnected program areas focused on rural development in Bangladesh. The core programs include Rights, Gender and Social Justice (RGSJ), Food Security and Nutrition (FSN), Education and Youth Action (EYA), Climate Change, WASH and Water Governance (CCWG), Disaster and Humanitarian Action (DHA), and Integrated Rural Development (IRD). These programs are complemented by educational institutions (schools, technical schools, and library) and knowledge products including publications and documentaries. The organization operates from Jatpur village in Satkhira district, reaching communities across Bangladesh since 1985.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rights, Gender and Social Justice (RGSJ) Program focused on upholding rights, promoting gender equality, and advancing social justice for marginalized rural communities in Bangladesh.
• Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Program addressing food security and nutrition needs of vulnerable populations through agricultural and health interventions in rural Bangladesh.
• Education and Youth Action (EYA) Program focused on educational access and youth empowerment, operating schools, technical schools, and library services for rural youth in Bangladesh.
• Climate Change, WASH and Water Governance (CCWG) Program addressing climate change adaptation, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and water governance issues in coastal Bangladesh, including community-driven Tidal River Management.
• Disaster and Humanitarian Action (DHA) Program providing humanitarian response and disaster recovery support to flood- and cyclone-affected communities, including Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, in partnership with IOM Bangladesh.
• Integrated Rural Development (IRD) Comprehensive rural development program addressing multiple dimensions of poverty, livelihoods, and community empowerment in southwest Bangladesh.
• Publications and Documentaries Knowledge products including People's Plan books, case studies, and video documentaries covering development topics such as climate change, tidal river management, and community empowerment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple documentary films produced showcasing community transformation stories
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IOM BangladeshcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOM Bangladesh supports Uttaran's flood response and recovery activities in Lakshmipur Sadar and Kamalnagar upazilas. The intervention focuses on strengthening community resilience against flooding disasters.
• Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on climate adaptation documenting community-driven Tidal River Management (TRM) initiatives in the Sundarbans. GCA supports documentation of Uttaran's work on climate resilience and community-led adaptation.
• RVO (Recovered Value Organization)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRVO supports the LANDWATER initiative, a locally-led, bottom-up action program. Uttaran implements community-based water and land governance projects under this partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Vision Bangladesh: World Vision Bangladesh operates sponsorship-based child-focused development and humanitarian programs covering education, health, livelihoods, and disaster response in climate-affected districts — comparable to Uttaran's integrated portfolio and overlapping geographic focus in southwest Bangladesh.
• BRAC: BRAC is the largest development NGO in Bangladesh and one of the world's largest, operating integrated programs across microfinance, education, health, climate adaptation, and rights — directly comparable to Uttaran's six thematic program areas, though at vastly greater scale and with a national/international footprint.
• CARE Bangladesh: CARE Bangladesh delivers integrated development and humanitarian programs focused on women's empowerment, food security, climate resilience, and disaster response — closely aligned with Uttaran's RGSJ, FSN, CCWG, and DHA program areas, with comparable community-led GTM.
• Save the Children Bangladesh: Save the Children operates a large Bangladesh country office running education, child protection, health, nutrition, and disaster response programs — overlapping with Uttaran's EYA, FSN, and DHA program areas, including programming for Rohingya adolescents in Cox's Bazar.

Direct peers

• WaterAid Bangladesh: WaterAid Bangladesh focuses on WASH and water governance programming in climate-vulnerable regions of Bangladesh, directly overlapping with Uttaran's CCWG (Climate Change, WASH and Water Governance) program and serving similar beneficiary populations in southwest Bangladesh.
• ActionAid Bangladesh: ActionAid Bangladesh is a rights-based development NGO delivering integrated programs on women's rights, food security, education, climate resilience, and humanitarian response — overlapping closely with Uttaran's RGSJ, FSN, EYA, CCWG, and DHA program areas, with a comparable community-led GTM approach.
• Practical Action Bangladesh: Practical Action Bangladesh implements poverty-focused programs on climate adaptation, WASH, livelihoods, and disaster resilience using appropriate technology — overlapping with Uttaran's CCWG and IRD programs and its RVO-supported LANDWATER initiative, with similar donor-funded, community-led GTM.
• Coast Foundation: COAST is a Bangladesh-based NGO focused on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, food security, and rights-based development in coastal communities — directly comparable to Uttaran's CCWG, DHA, and FSN programs in the same southwestern coastal geography.
• Friendship NGO: Friendship is a Bangladesh-based social purpose organization delivering integrated community development, climate adaptation, healthcare, and education services to remote and climate-affected communities in the char and coastal belt — highly comparable to Uttaran's southwest Bangladesh focus and integrated rural development model.

Others

• CEGIS (Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services): CEGIS is a Bangladesh-based research and technical services organization supporting water, climate, and environmental programs — thematically comparable to Uttaran's CCWG work, particularly the Tidal River Management and water governance themes, and serves as an enabling technical partner in the same donor ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orguttaran
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@uttaranchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/org.uttaran
• Instagraminstagram.com/org.uttaran
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orguttaran

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Uttaran