Acting For Life
Acting For Life is a French non-profit association that designs and co-implements territorial development programs in agropastoralism, food systems, and vocational training across 13 countries in West Africa and Latin America, delivering 14 active projects through 40-50+ local partner NGOs and funded primarily by institutional donors (AFD, EU, NORAD, FCDO) and corporate/foundation sponsorships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersLe Bourget-du-lac, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Acting For Life does
Acting for Life is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901), recognized as an entity serving the public interest since 11 March 2002, that designs and co-implements territorial development programs for vulnerable rural populations in West Africa and Latin America. It operates across 13 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo in Africa; Colombia, Ecuador, Peru in Latin America) through three intervention themes: agropastoralism and livestock mobility, food systems and ecosystems (agroecology), and vocational training and professional insertion. Its 14 active projects — including TERSAA, SAPSOC, PROACT, BIDA, PARCS, PROFIL II, PAMPEC, READY, PAMOBARMA, APAC, and MADE — are delivered not directly but through a network of 40-50+ local partner organizations (NGOs, producer groups, cooperatives, training centers, local authorities), with Acting for Life providing program management, technical assistance, donor reporting, and methodological frameworks. Headquartered in Tremblay-en-France (near Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport) with 11-50 employees led by President Jean-Cyril Spinetta and Director Matthieu de Bénazé, the organization maintains a small HQ that channels grant funding into partner-implemented field activities.
Acting for Life generates no commercial revenue. Its operating budget is built from institutional grants (AFD / Agence Française de Développement, NORAD, European Union, FCDO / UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs), corporate sponsorships (Air France, Nexans), and foundation grants (Fondation Bel, Fondation de France, Communauté d'Agglomération Roissy Pays de France), supplemented by tax-deductible individual donations enabled by its public-utility status. The go-to-market is not commercial but grant-funded: Acting for Life responds to institutional calls for proposals, builds consortia with local implementing partners, and executes multi-year projects (commonly 3-5 year horizons, e.g., READY 2017-2022). Documented outcomes include 1,600+ producers reached through TERSAA, 1,300 youth trained in electricity/plumbing/agriculture under READY, 145 youth trained in eco-construction with 85%+ exam success under PAMPEC, and 224 hectares developed for water management.
The underlying "technology" of the organization is its accumulated territorial-development methodology — including diagnostic frameworks such as the Territorial Analysis Notes (Notes d'Analyse Territoriales Agropastorales), the Cuenca Health Report methodology used in BIDA, and ongoing field-defining research such as the GI-TOC / EAI-R4P work on livestock theft in the West African tri-border area. Outputs are annual reports and technical publications rather than software products; the website (acting-for-life.org), newsletters, social media presence (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr), and Air France magazine features form the communications stack. Acting for Life holds no AI, ML, API, or proprietary-software assets and is not positioned as a technology company.
Acting For Life firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Acting For Life
- Legal name
- Acting for Life
- Website
- https://acting-for-life.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Acting For Life is a French non-profit association that designs and co-implements territorial development programs in agropastoralism, food systems, and vocational training across 13 countries in West Africa and Latin America, delivering 14 active projects through 40-50+ local partner NGOs and funded primarily by institutional donors (AFD, EU, NORAD, FCDO) and corporate/foundation sponsorships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Acting For Life industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development Services
- NAICS
- Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)
- SIC
- Services-Management Services (8741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)
Keywords
Where Acting For Life is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Le Bourget-du-lac
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Acting For Life business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Institutional Funding: Acting for Life operates as a non-profit association funded primarily through institutional donors such as AFD (French Development Agency), NORAD, EU, FCDO, and French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. These grants fund specific development projects in West Africa and Latin America.
- Private Partnerships and Philanthropy: The organization receives funding from corporate partners (Air France, Nexans), private foundations (Bel Foundation, AnBer, Ditumba, Girafe Formations, de France, Fondation pour l'Enfance), and individual donations. Recognized as a public utility entity since 2002, donations are tax-deductible.
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Acting For Life product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Acting for Life is a French non-profit development association that designs and implements territorial development projects for vulnerable rural, agropastoral, and youth populations in West Africa and Latin America. Its work spans three thematic areas—agropastoralism and livestock mobility, food systems and ecosystems (agroecology), and vocational training and professional insertion—delivered through grants from institutional donors and private foundations and executed with 40+ local civil society partners.
Product overview
Acting for Life is a French non-profit development organization (association loi 1901, recognized as serving public interest) operating development programs across West Africa and Latin America. The organization does not offer commercial products or software services; instead, it implements territorial development projects focused on three thematic areas: (1) Agropastoralism and livestock mobility, (2) Food systems and ecosystems (agroecology), and (3) Vocational training and professional insertion. The portfolio includes named programs such as TERSAA (agricultural transition), MADE (eco-construction training), PARCS (social cohesion), PROFIL II (youth insertion in Burkina Faso), PAMOBARMA (livestock mobility in Côte d'Ivoire), APAC (Sahel crisis response), BIDA (biodiversity in Ecuador), and SAPSOC (cross-border communities). Projects are implemented through local partners in 13 countries with funding from institutional donors (AFD, EU, NORAD) and private foundations. The organization also produces annual reports and technical publications documenting methodologies and outcomes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- TERSAA (Transition des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires sur les territoires) Multi-country program supporting the transition to sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agricultural and food systems in West Africa and Latin America, focused on agroecology, market access, and food sovereignty; delivered to rural and producer communities through local partner organizations and funded by AFD, Bel Foundation, Fondation de France, Air France, and others.
- MADE (Maçons de Demain: former et insérer dans l'écoconstruction) Vocational training and professional integration project in eco-construction and masonry trades for young people in Benin and Togo, part of a multi-phase initiative including PAMPEC; targets rural youth with limited employment opportunities.
- PARCS (Projet d'Appui au Renforcement de la Cohésion Sociale) Project supporting social cohesion and economic development in cross-border territories of West Africa through vocational training (electricity, beekeeping) and agropastoral interventions; targets displaced and host populations in Ghana and Burkina Faso.
- PROFIL II (Projet d'appui à la formation et l'insertion socioéconomique des jeunes ruraux) Project strengthening economic resilience and social integration of vulnerable rural youth in Burkina Faso through agropastoral and agricultural vocational training, equipment support, and post-training insertion assistance.
- PAMOBARMA (Projet d'Appui à la Mobilité du Bétail pour un meilleur Accès aux Ressources et aux Marchés) Project supporting livestock mobility and market access for pastoral communities in Côte d'Ivoire, improving access to water and grazing resources for agropastoral households.
- APAC (Appui aux Populations Affectées par la Crise Sahélienne) Project supporting populations affected by the Sahel crisis, implemented in Côte d'Ivoire with focus on agropastoralism and social cohesion for vulnerable households.
- BIDA (Biodiversité, Inclusion, Développement durable et Eau) Project in Ecuador focused on integrated water resource management and biodiversity conservation in the Chocó Darien region using the Cuenca Health Report methodology; implemented with local partners such as Mancomunidad del Norte de Ecuador and WWF Colombia.
- SAPSOC (Supporting Agropastoralism to Reinforce Social Cohesion) Project supporting agropastoral communities in Ghana and Burkina Faso to improve access to water and reinforce social cohesion between displaced and host populations, including solar-powered boreholes in Upper East Ghana.
- PROACT (Développement économique cohérent et pacifié de la filière agropastorale) Project promoting coherent and peaceful economic development of the agropastoral sector in Senegal and Guinea through territorial governance and cross-border collaboration.
- PAMPEC (Projet d'Appui aux Métiers de la Pierre et de l'Écoconstruction) Multi-country project in Togo, Mali, and Benin developing vocational training in stone masonry and eco-construction for youth professional integration, with infrastructure funds allocated to participating communes.
- READY (Renforcement de la formation en faveur de l'insertion professionnelle des jeunes) Project improving vocational training quality and youth professional insertion in electricity, plumbing, and agriculture sectors in Burkina Faso, funded by NORAD (2017–2022); trained 1,300 young people across the trades.
Quantifiable outcome
- 145 young people received training in masonry and eco-construction with 85%+ exam success rates (PAMPEC project)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Acting For Life
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Acting For Life technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Acting For Life partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- IMCA (Instituto Mayor Campesino) - ColombiacoreJesuit social center (60 years old) working with rural, peasant, indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. Long-term partner implementing agroecology and social economy projects since 2017.
- APAPE/PH - MalicorePartner since 2015 for PAMP, PAMPEC, and MADE-M projects in Bandiagara region. Supports pastoralism, natural resource management, and youth training.
- CCAIJO (Asociación Jesus Obrero) - PerucorePeruvian organization accompanying rural communities in Cusco region for agriculture and livestock development. Partner in TERSAA program since 2021.
- ASOPEP - ColombiasecondaryProducer organization in Tolima department partnering in TERSAA program for agricultural development.
- GDCA (Ghana Developing Communities Association)coreLocal partner implementing PARCS project in Ghana, organizing vocational training ceremonies and youth employability programs.
- GEVAPAF (Gestion de l'Environnement et Valorisation des Produits Agropastoraux et Forestiers) - TogocoreTogolese NGO created in 2011 working on sustainable development, agroecology, and local resource promotion. Partner for eco-construction and vocational training.
- ACAD (Association des Communes de l'Atakora et de Donga) - BenincoreAssociation of 13 communes in northern Benin supporting stone trade development and vocational training through territorial approach.
- CLIP (Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships) - GhanacoreImplementing partner for SAPSOC project, inaugurating solar-powered boreholes for displaced populations in Upper East Ghana.
- WWF ColombiasecondaryEnvironmental organization collaborating on BIDA project methodology for watershed health reporting.
- GI-TOC (The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime)secondaryResearch partner for study on livestock theft and insecurity in the tri-border area between Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Ghana.
- EAI/R4P (Equal Access International / Resilience for Peace)secondaryPartner in research on livestock theft and security dynamics in West Africa tri-border region.
- RECOPA - Burkina FasocoreLocal partner implementing PROFIL II project, providing vocational training for rural youth in Burkina Faso.
- ARFA - Burkina FasocorePartner implementing PROFIL II project for youth professional insertion in Burkina Faso.
- Tin Tua - Burkina FasocorePartner implementing READY project for vocational training in Burkina Faso.
- OCADES Bobo-Dioulasso - Burkina FasosecondaryPartner implementing READY project for youth professional insertion in Burkina Faso.
- Centre Agroécologique Songhaï - BeninminorRenowned agroecological model center (created 1999) providing training for TERSAA beneficiaries in agriculture, livestock, and processing.
- Mancomunidad del Norte de Ecuador (MNE)secondaryEcuadorian inter-municipal association participating in BIDA project for water resource management.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Acting For Life competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Solidarités International: Large French humanitarian NGO with operations across multiple African countries. Comparable French institutional funding and West Africa presence, but broader in scope (water, sanitation, food security) and larger in scale than Acting for Life.
- Welthungerhilfe: German development NGO focused on food security and rural development in developing countries. Comparable in agropastoral and food systems focus with global multi-country footprint, but significantly larger in scale than Acting for Life.
- SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation): Dutch development organization working on agriculture, energy, and water across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in agropastoral programming and multi-country delivery model, though larger in scale and operating in similar geographies.
Direct peers
- GRET: French professional development NGO working on food security, agriculture, and social development in Africa and Asia. Highly comparable in thematic focus (agropastoral systems, food sovereignty), French institutional funding model, and multi-country delivery.
- IRAM (Institut de Recherches et d'Applications des Méthodes de développement): French development consultancy and NGO supporting rural development and food systems in West Africa and Latin America. Comparable territorial development approach, AFD-funded programming, and pastoralist/agricultural focus.
- IECD (Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement): French NGO focused on vocational training and professional insertion of youth in Africa and the Middle East. Closely comparable in the training and youth employability pillar of Acting for Life's work, with similar French donor funding.
- Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF): French NGO providing technical support to farming and pastoral communities in developing countries. Directly comparable in mission (agropastoral development), geography (West Africa, Latin America), and donor base (AFD, EU funding) to Acting for Life.
Emerging players
- AVSF — reclassified: Inter-Réseaux Développement Rural: French network supporting information sharing and advocacy on rural development in West Africa. Comparable thematic focus (agropastoral policy, food sovereignty) and French institutional anchoring, though focused on knowledge mobilization rather than direct program implementation.
- SNAP (Service National d'Animation et de Promotion) — Burkina Faso peer equivalent: Burkina Faso-based NGO working on youth professional integration and agropastoral development. Direct operational peer in one of Acting for Life's key geographies (Burkina Faso), implementing READY and PROFIL II-style programs at a more local level.
Regional players
- Triangle Génération Humanitaire: French development NGO working on food security, livelihoods, and youth training in West Africa and Madagascar. Comparable in scale and thematic overlap (rural livelihoods, youth insertion), with shared French institutional donor base.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Acting For Life social profiles
Digital presenceActing For Life financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Acting For Life leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Acting For Life funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Acting For Life M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Acting For Life
What does Acting For Life do?
Acting for Life is a French non-profit development association that designs and implements territorial development projects for vulnerable rural, agropastoral, and youth populations in West Africa and Latin America. Its work spans three thematic areas—agropastoralism and livestock mobility, food systems and ecosystems (agroecology), and vocational training and professional insertion—delivered through grants from institutional donors and private foundations and executed with 40+ local civil society partners.
Is Acting For Life a public or private company?
Acting For Life is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Acting For Life founded?
Acting For Life was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Acting For Life based?
Acting For Life is headquartered in Le Bourget-du-lac, France, in the Europe region.
How does Acting For Life make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Institutional Funding is the primary driver. The others are private Partnerships and Philanthropy.
Who are Acting For Life's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Solidarités International, Welthungerhilfe and SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation). Direct peers are GRET, IRAM (Institut de Recherches et d'Applications des Méthodes de développement), IECD (Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement) and Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF). Emerging players are AVSF — reclassified: Inter-Réseaux Développement Rural and SNAP (Service National d'Animation et de Promotion) — Burkina Faso peer equivalent. Triangle Génération Humanitaire is listed as a regional player.
Does Acting For Life have an API?
No public API is recorded for Acting For Life.
What industry is Acting For Life in?
Acting For Life's product category is International Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAOAD, Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth), with a secondary code of EDAAAFAN, Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills). Its NAICS code is 81399 and its SIC code is 8741.