FEDERATION OF HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGISTS LTD

What FEDERATION OF HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGISTS LTD does

The Federation of Humanitarian Technologists Ltd is a UK-incorporated, democratically run membership organization founded in May 2020 by Mike Nolan and Kavita Kapoor to address what the founders describe as a broken digital infrastructure funding pipeline in the humanitarian aid sector. The organization is explicitly modeled on the UK Government Digital Service (GDS) and US Digital Service (USDS) — bodies credited with saving £1.7 billion on UK IT bills between 2014-2015 — and applies that governance philosophy to coordinating open-source software development for NGOs. It is governed by appointed members drawn from open-source projects serving NGO members, humanitarian aid programs requiring digital services, and Federation employees, with membership grown only in line with funding.

The Federation's principal product is Coalesce, an open-source volunteer management web platform that centralizes recruiting and data management for charities. Coalesce was developed through a series of hackathons (November 2020, April 2021, November 2021) that bring together roughly 20 technologists, psychologists, and UX experts. Beyond Coalesce, the Federation maintains an Open Source Steering Committee meeting quarterly to align product roadmaps with member-driven priorities, and it publishes a GitHub presence under the FederationOfTech organization.

Revenue is generated through three streams: bespoke consultancy to charities, not-for-profits, and social enterprises (clients disclosed include NHS Royal Free, UCL, and a large grant-making INGO); a managed membership program; and grant funding channeled through member-governed allocation. The team operates with 1-10 employees — a core group of four named members plus the founding pair — and is supported by an ecosystem of partners including Camden Giving, Just Eat Takeaway, Aam Digital, Bletchley Group, TechStart/CODE University, Mattermost, Aiimi, Open Tech Strategies, OpenMined, and connections through UNICEF Innovation Fund. No external funding rounds, disclosed revenue figures, or pricing structures are public.

Name

FEDERATION OF HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGISTS LTD

Legal name

Federation of Humanitarian Technologists Ltd

Website

https://federationof.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Federation of Humanitarian Technologists is a UK-based democratic membership organization, founded in 2020, that develops open-source digital infrastructure — including the Coalesce volunteer management platform — for humanitarian aid NGOs, while providing bespoke technology consultancy to charities and social enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Source Humanitarian Technology

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Software Engineering & Application Development Training (Languages, Frameworks, Testing) (BPAEANAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Information Technology & Software (EDAAAPAB)

Keywords

• Open source software
• Humanitarian technology
• Volunteer management platform
• Technology consultancy services
• Nonprofit digital infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Bespoke consultancy provided to charities, not-for-profit and social enterprises. Key members can be hired directly for software development, technology delivery, and strategic advice including fundraising applications and technology architecture.
2. Membership Program: Managed membership program where members govern the overall organization. Only grow membership in line with funding. Eligible members include open-source project representatives, humanitarian aid program representatives, and Federation employees.
3. Grant Funding: Centralizing funding through democratically controlled organization. Funding is allocated based on member-driven priorities and humanitarian aid project needs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Federation of Humanitarian Technologists develops open-source software for the humanitarian aid sector, with its flagship product Coalesce being a volunteer management web platform that centralizes recruiting and data management for charities. It also provides bespoke technology consultancy services to charities, not-for-profits, and social enterprises, covering software development, technology delivery, and strategic advice.

Product overview

FEDERATION OF HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGISTS LTD is a democratically run membership organization that develops open-source digital infrastructure for the humanitarian aid sector. Their primary product is Coalesce, an open-source volunteer management web platform that helps charities recruit and manage volunteers more efficiently. The organization also provides bespoke technology consultancy services to charities, not-for-profits, and social enterprises, and runs an Open Source Advisory Committee and Steering Committee to guide product development. Their products are developed through collaborative hackathons and community-driven roadmaps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coalesce An open-source web-based volunteer management platform for humanitarian aid organizations that centralizes recruiting and data management, improving operational scalability by engaging volunteers who deliver more to the overall mission.
• Bespoke Technology Consultancy

Quantifiable outcome

• Inspired by UK Government Digital Service which saved £1.7 billion on IT bills between 2014-2015

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered founding, core and supporting.

• Aam DigitalfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2021Part of inaugural Open Source Steering Committee membership. Open source case management software enabling organizations to digitally manage client files, reduce administrative workload, and increase information sharing between frontline workers.
• Bletchley GroupfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2021Founding organization in Open Source Steering Committee, participating in first meeting on May 4, 2021 to establish committee objectives.
• UCL Tissue Bank / Royal Free HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding project providing technology solution, embedded strategic leadership and support with fundraising to create a new data service around Covid19.
• Camden GivingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create new open source volunteering platform (Coalesce). Partnership to improve operational scalability of charities by lowering time spent on recruiting and managing volunteers.
• Just Eat TakeawaysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerHackathon supporter for Coalesce development. Provided support for hackathon events including November 2020 and November 2021 hackathons.
• TechStart / CODE UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram connecting humanitarian aid projects with students to accelerate careers for migrants in tech. Hackathons supported by TechStart program based inside CODE University.
• MattermostsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSupporting organization for hackathons and events, providing collaboration platform infrastructure for humanitarian aid projects.
• AiimisupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting organization for hackathons. Data Science Principal Jack Lawton participated as panelist at November 2021 hackathon.
• Open Tech StrategiessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization shown in partner logos, supporting Federation initiatives and open source humanitarian technology development.
• OpenMinedsupportingTechnology or IntegrationMike Nolan is a core contributor to OpenMined's federated learning team. Federation draws on expertise from AI transparency and ethics research communities.
• UNICEF Innovation FundsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMike Nolan previously worked with UNICEF Innovation Fund. Connection provides pathways for Federation involvement in UNICEF-supported humanitarian technology initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• TechSoup Global: Global network that distributes donated and discounted technology to NGOs and nonprofits. Comparable target customer (NGOs and charities needing technology) and complementary enablement role.

Broad incumbents

• Government Digital Service (GDS): UK Government Digital Service explicitly cited as the founding inspiration for the Federation. Comparable as a centralized digital-service model that achieved sector cost savings (£1.7B cited by the Federation).

Direct peers

• Ushahidi: Open-source platform for crisis mapping and citizen reporting, originally built during the 2008 Kenya post-election violence. Directly comparable as an open-source, community-built humanitarian technology organization.
• NetHope: A consortium of ~60 international NGOs that pools technology capacity and funding for humanitarian operations. Directly comparable mission (collective tech infrastructure for humanitarian sector) and shared customer base (large INGOs).
• Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT): Applies open-source mapping and community volunteers to humanitarian and development challenges. Comparable as an open-source + volunteer-driven model serving humanitarian response.
• CartONG: France-based NGO specializing in geospatial information management for humanitarian and development projects. Comparable as a sector-specialist open-source technology provider for humanitarian organizations.
• Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL): Hosted at the UN Foundation, DIAL catalyzes digital inclusion and shared digital infrastructure for development and humanitarian programs. Closely mirrors the Federation's mission of coordinated digital tools for aid organizations.

Emerging players

• Open Knowledge Foundation: UK-based charity promoting open data and open-source tools for civic and social good. Comparable open-source-first approach and use of community governance for technology development.
• DataKind: Connects data science volunteers with humanitarian and social-impact organizations. Comparable mission (tech talent mobilized for humanitarian outcomes) and adjacent operating model.
• Bayes Impact: Non-profit building technology products for public services (e.g., criminal justice, healthcare). Comparable as a tech-nonprofit building human-centered software for public-good sectors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/FederationOfTech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/federation-of-humanitarian-technologists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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