What Humanitarian Outcomes does

Humanitarian Outcomes is an independent research organization incorporated as a UK private limited company (Company number: 8970715) and headquartered in London at Canalot Studios, 222 Kensal Road. Established in 2009 with a small core team of partners and associates, the organization produces evidence and policy advice for the humanitarian sector, with a primary focus on aid worker security, humanitarian access, and NGO risk management.

The organization's portfolio consists of research databases, publications, and analytical tools rather than a unified software product. Core data assets include the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), tracking major attacks against civilian aid operations globally since 1997, and the Global Database of Humanitarian Organisations (GDHO), a compendium of humanitarian actors. These underpin longer-form research programmes including the Coverage, Operational Reach and Effectiveness (CORE) study, the Secure Access in Volatile Environments (SAVE) programme, and the Humanitarian Rapid Research Initiative (HRRI) launched in 2022 with UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub and FCDO. The Good Practice Review 8 (GPR8) on Humanitarian Security Risk Management, first issued in 2000 and revised through a 2025 third edition co-led with HPN and GISF, is a flagship field reference.

The business model is donor-funded commissioned research. Revenue flows from grants and contracts with government donors (FCDO, USAID/BHA, USAID OFDA, U.S. State Department PRM), foundations, and international bodies, alongside commissioned studies from consortiums such as InterAction. All publications, databases, and tools are distributed free of charge to the public via the website, newsletter, and partner networks, and there are no subscription fees or registered-account requirements. Customers and end users are primarily humanitarian NGOs, government donors and policymakers, and UN agencies including OCHA, with field operational reach spanning the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Name

Humanitarian Outcomes

Legal name

Humanitarian Outcomes

Website

https://humanitarianoutcomes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Humanitarian Outcomes is an independent UK-based research organization that produces evidence and policy advice on aid worker security, humanitarian access, and NGO risk management for humanitarian NGOs, government donors, and UN agencies, operating donor-funded with all outputs freely distributed.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Research and Policy Advisory Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian security research
• Aid worker safety
• Humanitarian policy advisory
• Humanitarian access research
• Humanitarian risk management

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Donations: Humanitarian Outcomes is a donor-funded independent research organization. Revenue comes from grants and commissioned research from governments, foundations, and international organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Humanitarian Outcomes is an independent research organization that provides evidence-based research, data assets, and policy advisory services to inform better humanitarian action. Its portfolio consists of research databases (Aid Worker Security Database, Global Database of Humanitarian Organisations), research programmes (CORE, SAVE, HRRI), and seminal publications (Good Practice Review 8) focused on aid worker security, humanitarian access, and organisational risk management.

Product overview

Humanitarian Outcomes is an independent research organization (private limited company incorporated in the UK) that provides evidence and policy advice to inform better humanitarian action. Their portfolio consists primarily of research databases, publications, and analytical tools rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD) - a comprehensive global tracking system for attacks on aid workers; the Global Database of Humanitarian Organisations (GDHO) - a compendium of humanitarian organizations; and the CORE programme - a data-intensive study on humanitarian coverage and operational reach. These data assets are complemented by the Humanitarian Rapid Research Initiative (HRRI) for rapid crisis analysis, the GPR8 security risk management guide (now in its third edition), and research studies on NGO risk management. The organization also produces a risk register tool for organizational use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD) A comprehensive global information source tracking major attacks against civilian aid operations, providing verified statistics on aid worker violence and security incidents. Used by humanitarian NGOs, UN agencies, and policymakers.
• Coverage, Operational Reach and Effectiveness (CORE) A data-intensive programme that probes the size and scope of global humanitarian response, with particular focus on conflict-affected countries that pose challenges to humanitarian access.
• Global Database of Humanitarian Organisations (GDHO) A global compendium of organisations that provide aid in humanitarian crises.
• Secure Access in Volatile Environments (SAVE) A programme that studied how to deliver humanitarian aid in some of the most challenging conflict environments.
• Humanitarian Security Risk Management – Good Practice Review 8 (GPR8) A seminal guide to security risk management in humanitarian operations, now in its third edition (2025), introducing a person-centred approach and addressing digital threats, access considerations, and national-international partnerships.
• Humanitarian Rapid Research Initiative (HRRI) Rapid analytical reviews conducted in partnership with UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub (UKHIH) to inform and steer humanitarian responses in new or newly exacerbated crises, with analyses focusing on critical issue areas with potential policy or operational impact.
• Necessary Risks A book by Abby Stoddard providing an in-depth analysis of challenges to humanitarian action in warzones, risk management and negotiation strategies, and an ethical framework for aid organizations.
• NGOs and Risk A study examining how major humanitarian NGOs perceive, define, and manage risks to their organizations and within their partnerships, conducted in two phases with international and local/national NGOs.
• Risk Register Tool A risk management tool that assists in creating a repository of potential risks that could affect organizations and their operations, describing nature and severity of risks, mitigation measures, and risk owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• GPR8 has been a staple reference for practitioners navigating complex and volatile operational contexts for over two decades
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub (UKHIH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration on the Humanitarian Rapid Research Initiative (HRRI) to conduct rapid analytical reviews to help inform and steer humanitarian responses in new or newly exacerbated crises.
• InterActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterAction commissioned Humanitarian Outcomes to conduct the NGOs and Risk study examining how humanitarian NGOs perceive, define and manage risks to their staff and operations.
• Humanitarian Practice Network (HPN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPN co-led the project to update the Good Practice Review 8 (GPR8) on Humanitarian Security Risk Management, third edition published in 2025.
• Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGISF co-led the project to update the Good Practice Review 8 (GPR8) on Humanitarian Security Risk Management, third edition published in 2025.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Refugees International: Independent research and advocacy organization producing analysis on refugee and humanitarian crises for policymakers; comparable in producing donor-facing, evidence-based humanitarian policy work on a similar scale.
• Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF): Interagency forum producing research and resources on humanitarian security risk management; co-develops GPR8 with HO and addresses an overlapping NGO audience on the same security topic.
• ALNAP: Global network of humanitarian organizations focused on learning and accountability in humanitarian response; comparable as a research and evidence producer serving the same NGO and donor audience.
• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): UK-based policy research organization hosting the former Humanitarian Policy Group; produces evidence and policy advice on humanitarian action using similar methods and audiences as Humanitarian Outcomes.
• Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI): University-based research program conducting evidence-based research on humanitarian practice, with overlap on localization, access, and protection research that mirrors HO's thematic scope.
• Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC): Specialized humanitarian data provider tracking internal displacement globally; directly comparable as a small, mission-driven producer of authoritative humanitarian datasets used by donors and policymakers.
• Tufts Feinstein International Center: Academic research center producing evidence-based field research on humanitarian policy, conflict, and food security; directly comparable in research output, methodology, and policy advisory role.

Emerging players

• Centre for Humanitarian Data (UN OCHA): UN OCHA data hub producing open humanitarian datasets and analytical tooling; comparable in open-data ethos and sector-wide data coverage but operates at much larger scale from a multilateral base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/humoutcomes
• Facebookfacebook.com/HumanitarianOutcomes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humanitarian-outcomes
• Instagrambsky.app/profile/humanitarianoutcomes.bsky.social

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Humanitarian Outcomes