The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)

What The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) does

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) is a non-partisan, membership-based non-governmental organization founded in 1995 and headquartered in Tbilisi, Georgia. ISFED's primary mission is to support democratic development in Georgia through independent election observation and monitoring, in-depth research on the electoral environment, voter and civic education across 63 municipalities, legal aid for citizens facing political discrimination, social media monitoring and disinformation analysis, and policy advocacy supporting Euro-Atlantic integration and decentralization. The organization has observed every major election cycle in Georgia from 1995 through the 2025 local self-governance elections and has trained over 1,700 self-government officials, 450 university students, and 250 women from ethnic minority regions including Pankisi gorge and Marneuli district.

ISFED does not sell commercial technology products; instead it delivers programmatic NGO services, including election observation reports, long-term observer deployment (e.g., 73 long-term observers for the 2012 parliamentary elections), legal assistance for politically dismissed public sector employees, and disinformation analysis under the EU-funded GUARDIAN project (€240,792, 2025-2026). Its technology footprint is limited to a bilingual website (isfed.ge), social media presence, and digital research outputs; no APIs, SDKs, applications, or certifications are disclosed.

ISFED is governed by a Board of Directors that selects an Executive Director for renewable one-year terms (up to four consecutive), and the organization is funded exclusively through international grants from Western government donors and foundations, with a disclosed active pipeline including multi-year awards from SIDA (SEK 10,700,000 through 2026), USAID ($900,000 FAIR Elections through 2025), the European Union, NED, the British Embassy, the Netherlands Embassy, EED, the German Federal Foreign Office, UNDP, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Black Sea Fund for Regional Cooperation, the Open Information Partnership, the Council of Europe in Georgia, and EWMI. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)

Legal name

International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)

Website

https://isfed.ge

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ISFED is a Tbilisi-based, non-partisan Georgian NGO founded in 1995 that conducts independent election observation, civic education, disinformation monitoring, and legal aid for politically discriminated citizens, serving voters, minorities, and public sector employees across Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Election Observation and Civic Education Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

Keywords

• Election observation services
• Civic education programs
• Disinformation monitoring services
• Legal aid assistance
• Democratic governance research

Headquarters

HQ city

Tbilisi

HQ country

Georgia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISFED is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that conducts election observation and monitoring across all major Georgian elections, from pre-election environment assessment through election day deployment of long-term and short-term observers. The organization also provides civic and voter education workshops in municipalities, legal aid to citizens facing political discrimination, social media disinformation monitoring, and policy research and advocacy for electoral reform.

Product overview

ISFED is a civil society organization (NGO), not a commercial technology product company. It does not offer software products or platforms for sale. Instead, ISFED provides programmatic services and activities including: election observation and monitoring, social media monitoring for disinformation, civic education workshops, legal assistance for politically dismissed public servants, policy research and advocacy, voter education, and supporting democratic reforms in Georgia. These are NGO programs and services, not commercial technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Election Observation and Monitoring Pre-election environment monitoring and election day deployment of long-term and short-term observers to assess compliance with electoral standards; produces comprehensive election reports for parliamentary, presidential, and local elections. For electoral administration, civil society, international donors, and the Georgian public.
• Civic and Voter Education Workshops, training, and educational programming for voters, municipal officials, university students, and ethnic minority women on electoral processes, democratic participation, and local self-governance.
• Legal Aid for Politically Discriminated Citizens Free legal representation and litigation support for citizens, particularly public sector employees, who have been dismissed or discriminated against on political grounds; involves court filings, case preparation, and strategic litigation.
• Social Media Monitoring and Disinformation Analysis Monitoring of social media platforms for coordinated disinformation campaigns, propaganda narratives, and manipulative information operations during electoral cycles, with public reporting and blog-based analysis.
• Policy Research and Electoral Reform Advocacy In-depth research, policy papers, recommendations, and advocacy work targeting electoral reform, legislative framework improvement, and local self-governance and decentralization policies.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Elections Portal of GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia's elections portal providing comprehensive election information and resources to voters and stakeholders
• ENEMO (European Network of Election Management Bodies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network of election management bodies working on election standards and best practices across Europe
• EPDE (European Platform for Democratic Elections)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean platform bringing together civil society organizations focused on democratic elections observation
• Civil Society Foundation (CSF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the GUARDIAN project for countering disinformation and interference operations
• GRASSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the GUARDIAN project for Georgia's unified action against disinformation
• Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the GUARDIAN project providing research capabilities
• Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the 'Supporting Free and Fair Elections Cycle in Georgia' project
• Georgian Charter of Journalistic EthicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the 'Supporting Free and Fair Elections Cycle in Georgia' project
• Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner organization in equal access to justice project for media and public sector employees

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE): EPDE is a Brussels-based platform uniting civil society organizations engaged in domestic and international election observation, primarily in the post-Soviet and Eastern European space. It directly mirrors ISFED's mission of citizen-led election observation and is already a stated partner.
• Transparency International Georgia: The Georgian chapter of Transparency International monitors political financing, corruption, and electoral integrity. It is a direct domestic peer with overlapping mandate on transparency, electoral environment research, and political-party financing reporting.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI): NDI is a US-funded NGO supporting democratic institutions worldwide, including active programs in Georgia on political party development, civic participation, and election integrity. It shares ISFED's mandate and donor ecosystem but operates at significantly larger scale.
• International Republican Institute (IRI): IRI is a US-funded democracy NGO that supports political and civic programs in Georgia, including election-related work. It competes for similar Western donor funding and shares ISFED's focus on democratic processes in transitional states.
• The Carter Center: The Carter Center runs long-standing international election observation programs, particularly in transitional democracies. It is a globally-recognized peer with comparable methodology (long-term and short-term observers, parallel vote tabulation) and is active in the same post-Soviet space.
• Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA): GYLA is a leading Georgian civil society organization providing legal aid, strategic litigation, and rights-monitoring. It is a direct domestic peer in the rule-of-law and legal-assistance space, often co-litigating and co-receiving grants alongside ISFED.
• European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO): ENEMO is a regional network of national election observation organizations that deploys international election observation missions across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. ISFED is itself a member/partner, and ENEMO operates at a directly comparable level of methodology and election monitoring focus.

Broad incumbents

• OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission: The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights deploys large-scale election observation missions across the OSCE area. It is a much larger incumbent actor that conducts parallel observation in Georgia alongside ISFED, with overlapping scope but greater mandate and resources.
• International IDEA: The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance is an intergovernmental organization supporting democratic processes globally. It is a broader incumbent that provides election-related research, technical assistance, and convening—overlapping with ISFED's mandate around electoral reform and democratic governance.

Emerging players

• Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Coalition '98): A regional/national civic coalition focused on election observation and voter education in post-Soviet/Eastern European states. While smaller in scale, it operates a comparable citizen-observation model and shares donor funnels with ISFED.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-international-society-for-fair-elections-and-democracy-isfed-

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 The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)