AGHA JOON FOUNDATION

What AGHA JOON FOUNDATION does

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private, non-denominational, international development organisation founded in Switzerland in 1967 by His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV. AKF addresses the root causes of poverty through seven interconnected thematic areas: agriculture and food security, climate resilience, civil society, early childhood development, education, health and nutrition, and work and enterprise. The Foundation operates in 18 countries with implementation offices in 13 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East, and outreach offices in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA. In 2025, AKF reached 13.9 million people, with more than half being women, and supported over 1 million learners annually through education programmes; over the past four decades the Foundation has planted 87.6 million trees. Approximately 4,000 staff serve beneficiaries globally, of whom 99% are local to the places they work.

AKF's operating model is community-led, working alongside civil society organisations, local institutions, and government counterparts to design, build, and sustain programmes. Its technology layer includes the AKF Learning Hub (a blended learning platform offering courses and resources in 19 languages) and the Accelerate Impact design incubator for co-creating innovative solutions. Flagship initiatives include ReGeneration (a 10-year Indian Ocean coastal ecosystem restoration programme), Schools2030 (a 10-country education improvement initiative targeting SDG4), Accelerate Prosperity (entrepreneurship support in Central and South Asia), the GROW microforest initiative, and Project Lehar (girls' empowerment in India). The Foundation is part of the broader Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of nine agencies that collectively delivers 8 million outpatient visits, teaches nearly 1 million students, and provides financial services to over 50 million people, with an annual non-profit budget of approximately US$1 billion.

AKF's revenue model is funded entirely through donations from individuals, trusts, foundations, corporations, and the Ismaili community globally, alongside government and institutional grants from partners including Global Affairs Canada, USAID, FCDO, the EU, AFD, GPE, KfW, Gavi, the Bezos Family Foundation, and MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving. The Foundation operates national fundraising campaigns through volunteer networks in Canada (World Partnership Walk, World Partnership Golf), the USA (Atlanta Walk & Run), the UK, and Australia. Following the passing of His Late Highness Aga Khan IV in February 2025, his eldest son Prince Rahim Aga Khan V became the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and assumed the role of Chair of AKF and AKDN.

Name

AGHA JOON FOUNDATION

Legal name

Aga Khan Foundation

Website

https://akf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Aga Khan Foundation is a non-profit international development organisation operating in 18 countries, addressing root causes of poverty across seven thematic areas including agriculture, education, health, and climate resilience. It reaches approximately 20 million people annually through community-led programmes and operates as part of the Aga Khan Development Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development & Humanitarian Assistance

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH), Community Health, Health Promotion & Behavior Change (SBCC) (BPADAIAL), Social & Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) for Nutrition (BPADAJAK)

Keywords

• International development
• Community development
• Humanitarian assistance
• Agriculture food security
• Education health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: AKF raises funds through donations from individuals, trusts, foundations, corporations, and the Ismaili community globally. Country offices (Australia, Canada, UK, USA) focus on resource mobilisation, public outreach, and fundraising campaigns such as World Partnership Walk and World Partnership Golf in Canada.
2. Government and institutional grants: AKF receives funding from governments and multilateral organisations including Global Affairs Canada, USAID, FCDO, EU, and others to implement development programmes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private, non-profit international development organisation that designs and implements integrated, community-led programmes across seven interconnected thematic areas — agriculture and food security, climate resilience, civil society, early childhood development, education, health and nutrition, and work and enterprise. Programmes are delivered free of charge to beneficiary communities in 13 implementation countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, while five outreach offices in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, the UK and the USA lead fundraising, partnerships and public engagement.

Product overview

The Aga Khan Foundation is a global development organization that implements integrated programs across seven interconnected thematic focus areas: Agriculture & Food Security, Climate Resilience, Civil Society, Early Childhood Development, Education, Health & Nutrition, and Work & Enterprise. The organization operates several flagship initiatives including ReGeneration (coastal ecosystem restoration across the Indian Ocean), Accelerate Prosperity (entrepreneurship support in Central and South Asia), Schools2030 (education improvement across 10 countries), and the GROW Microforest Initiative. The AKF Learning Hub serves as a digital knowledge platform providing educational resources in 19 languages. Project Lehar is a specific girls' empowerment program in India. These programs work holistically to address root causes of poverty, with emphasis on community-led development, gender equality, and climate resilience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReGeneration: A 10-year initiative working across the Indian Ocean bringing together ecosystem restoration and economic opportunity to strengthen climate resilient communities
• Accelerate Prosperity
• Schools2030
• GROW
• Madrasa Early Childhood Programme
• Aga Khan Rural Support Programme
• Project Lehar

Products and services

• Agriculture & Food Security Programme Programme addressing food security through sustainable agricultural practices, regenerative farming techniques, and support for smallholder farmers to improve livelihoods and nutrition in rural communities across AKF's implementation countries.
• Climate Resilience Programme Programme working with communities to adapt to climate challenges through ecosystem restoration, disaster preparedness, and sustainable resource management across vulnerable geographies.
• Civil Society Programme Programme strengthening local community organisations, fostering civil society participation, and building institutional capacity for community-led development.
• Early Childhood Development Programme Programme ensuring children have the best possible start through quality early childhood development services, community-based ECD centres, and support for caregivers. The Madrasa Early Childhood Programme in East Africa celebrated 40 years in 2024.
• Education Programme Programme improving access to quality education through teacher training, school improvement programmes, and learning initiatives for children and youth, reaching over one million learners annually.
• Health & Nutrition Programme Programme improving community health outcomes through access to healthcare services, nutrition programmes, and community health interventions across supported health facilities in programme countries.
• Work & Enterprise Programme Programme supporting economic opportunity through entrepreneurship programmes, skills development, and enterprise support for adults to gain employment or start businesses.
• ReGeneration Initiative A 10-year initiative working across the Indian Ocean that combines ecosystem restoration (including mangrove planting) with economic opportunity to strengthen climate resilience in coastal communities.
• Accelerate Prosperity Initiative inspiring rising entrepreneurs in Central and South Asia to grow new markets, create sustainable employment, and strengthen communities through business incubation and investment.
• Schools2030 A 10-year learning improvement programme operating in 10 countries that catalyses teacher-led innovations to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education) by 2030.
• GROW Microforest Initiative Global microforest initiative planting thousands of small, dense forests with communities to increase biodiversity, reduce carbon dioxide, and create livelihoods.
• AKF Learning Hub Digital learning platform making available high-quality resources including blended learning courses, instructional videos, webinars and documents in 19 languages, serving both internal and external audiences.
• Project Lehar Girls' empowerment initiative supporting young women aged 16-29 in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India, to learn, earn and thrive through life skills, education support, and economic opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13.9 million people reached in 2025, more than half women
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Conservation InternationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026AKF and Conservation International convened global leaders at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa and London Climate Action Week to advance sustainable ocean economies and coastal community resilience. Partnership aligned with AKF's ReGeneration initiative across the Indian Ocean.
• French Government (Ministry for Overseas Territories, AFD)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026MoU signed in Paris for lagoon protection and Mayotte reconstruction worth €8.5 million in initial projects covering environmental protection, agriculture, water and waste management, with focus on restoring mangrove ecosystems following Cyclone Chido. Funded by AKF, coordinated by AFD.
• Global Partnership for Education (GPE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Partnership to address Afghanistan's acute education crisis by strengthening teaching quality and expanding learning pathways in underserved rural communities.
• Global Partnership for Education (GPE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAKF partnered with GPE to launch a $25 million education programme reaching over 282,000 children and adolescents across eight provinces in Afghanistan over 29 months, investing in teacher training, diverse learning pathways, and resource distribution.
• Blue VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Blue Ventures to support small-scale fishing communities in Madagascar's Melaky region, developing alternative livelihoods and building climate resilience. Supported by Blue Action Fund.
• Ismaili ImamatflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ismaili Imamat and AKF donated €1.5 million to support reconstruction efforts in Portugal.
• The King's Trust InternationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership supporting Project Lehar, a girls' empowerment initiative in India supporting over 15,000 girls since 2014. Supported Naina who received the Amal Clooney Women's Empowerment Award at the King's Trust Awards.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian and development INGO operating in over 40 countries with programmes spanning food security, economic opportunity, education and climate resilience. Closely comparable to AKF in multi-thematic delivery, donor mix (USAID, FCDO, EU), and presence in fragile states including Afghanistan, Syria and Tajikistan-adjacent geographies.
• BRAC: BRAC is one of the world's largest non-profit development organisations operating integrated poverty programmes across health, education, livelihoods, and microfinance in multiple Asian and African countries. Directly comparable to AKF as a multi-thematic, multi-country INGO with strong community-led delivery and measurable scale (millions of beneficiaries).
• CARE International: CARE is a leading international development and humanitarian organisation with programmes in 100+ countries focused on gender equality, food security, health, education and climate justice. Highly comparable to AKF on integrated thematic areas, donor-funded model, and emphasis on women's empowerment (CARE reaches 100M+ people).
• Oxfam International: Oxfam is a confederation of INGOs working on poverty, inequality, food security, education, gender and humanitarian response across 80+ countries. Comparable scale, multi-thematic structure, donor-funded model and advocacy-plus-programme mix make it a close AKF peer.
• Heifer International: Heifer International works to end hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture, livestock and livelihoods programmes across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Closely comparable to AKF's Agriculture & Food Security and Work & Enterprise thematic areas and its rural, community-led delivery model.
• Save the Children: Save the Children is a global INGO focused on children's rights, education, health and nutrition, and humanitarian response in 100+ countries. Directly comparable to AKF on education, ECD, health & nutrition programmes and large official-donor funding base.
• Concern Worldwide: Concern is an international humanitarian and development organisation working on livelihoods, health, education and emergencies across 25+ mostly fragile states. Comparable to AKF on integrated multi-thematic delivery, donor mix, and operation in countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Tajikistan and Mozambique.

Others

• Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS): AKHS is a sister AKDN agency operating 200+ health centres and hospitals across East Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. Directly comparable to AKF as a sibling institution under AKDN sharing staff, facilities and geographies, but focused on clinical health services rather than community development.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Ford Foundation is a large US-based international grantmaking foundation addressing inequality, civil society and economic development globally. Comparable to AKF as a development grantmaker with civil-society-strengthening focus, but primarily philanthropic rather than direct programme implementer.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The Gates Foundation is a much larger philanthropic grantmaker focused on global health, development and education, with multi-billion-dollar annual giving. Comparable to AKF as a private foundation funding poverty and health programmes but with a primarily grantmaking (rather than implementation) model and far greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AKF_Global
• Facebookfacebook.com/agakhanfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aga-khan-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/agakhanfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AGHA JOON FOUNDATION