Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research

What Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research does

Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR) is a not-for-profit research think-tank established in September 2016 and headquartered in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The organization conducts policy research, advocacy, and capacity-building on public policy issues affecting the Tamil polity in Sri Lanka's North-East, with thematic focus on human rights documentation, accountability, memorialization, transitional justice, and caste-based discrimination. ACPR is explicitly independent and non-partisan, refusing donor-driven agendas and maintaining accountability to war-affected communities.

ACPR's core outputs are research publications, including briefs, reports, statements, pamphlets, and newsletters, supplemented by authored books such as 'Stories of Mullivaikkal', 'Yet Whom Do They Destroy', and 'Nilam Izhantha Kathaikal'. The organization also runs structured capacity-building programs, including the 'Students Making Change' program with Jaffna University and Eastern University students, a six-month Media Capacity Building Program for Tamil-speaking journalists (33 participants completed), and human rights documentation training for civil society actors. Distribution is primarily digital via the adayaalam.org website and monthly newsletter, with physical distribution through book launches in Jaffna, Colombo, and Trincomalee, plus partnerships with academic institutions and civil society networks across nine districts of the North-East.

The business model is non-commercial. ACPR derives all operating support from individual donors and crowdfunding campaigns, and all research outputs are made available free of charge. Pricing is not applicable. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds, and no commercial revenue streams. Marketing and dissemination rely on its website, email newsletter, Facebook and Twitter/X accounts, event-based outreach (book launches, panel discussions, workshops), and partnerships with academic and civil society organizations.

Name

Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research

Legal name

Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research

Website

https://adayaalam.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research is a Jaffna-based not-for-profit think-tank, established in September 2016, that conducts policy research, advocacy, and capacity-building on human rights issues affecting Tamil communities in Sri Lanka's North-East, producing publications, books, and training programs for journalists, students, and civil society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Jaffna

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Crowdfunding: ACPR operates as a not-for-profit organization relying heavily on individual donors and crowdfunding to ensure independence and sustainability. They do not have commercial revenue streams and do not allow donor agendas to determine their research priorities.
2. Research and Advocacy Services: The organization conducts research and advocacy work on public policy issues, particularly focusing on issues affecting the Tamil polity. As a nonprofit think-tank, they provide policy analysis, documentation, and capacity-building programs primarily serving civil society, victims' families, and academics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACPR is a not-for-profit think-tank that produces policy research publications (briefs, reports, statements, pamphlets, newsletters, and books) and delivers capacity-building programs for Tamil communities in Sri Lanka's North-East. Its work focuses on human rights, accountability, transitional justice, memorialization, and civic engagement issues affecting the Tamil polity.

Product overview

Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR) is a not-for-profit research think-tank that does not operate a technology product. Instead, it produces policy research publications including reports, briefings, statements, pamphlets, and newsletters focused on public policy issues affecting the Tamil polity in Sri Lanka. ACPR's portfolio includes authored books (Stories of Mullivaikkal, Yet Whom Do They Destroy, Nilam Izhantha Kathaikal), thematic reports (on surveillance, accountability, memorialization), and capacity-building programs including the Students Making Change program, Human Rights Documentation Training, Media Capacity Building, and the Stories of Resilience project. The organization also publishes research on transitional justice, human rights documentation, and political analysis through various publications and events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stories of Resilience: A project launched by ACPR on June 2, 2017 that aims to document and share stories of strength, courage and resilience of Tamil communities before, during and after the armed conflict. Includes the 'Stories of Mullivaikkaal' series presenting alternative narratives from survivors.

Products and services

• Stories of Mullivaikkal A book project documenting the lived experiences and resilience of survivors of the final phase of the Sri Lankan armed conflict in Mullivaikkaal, presenting alternative narratives that emphasize survivor agency rather than reducing them to victimhood. Aimed at Tamil victim-survivor communities, researchers, and the broader public.
• Yet Whom Do They Destroy A book illustrating through three characters the 1983 pogrom and its impact on Tamil communities. Aimed at Tamil victim-survivor communities, students, and the general public.
• Nilam Izhantha Kathaikal A narrative journalism book documenting the lives of those forcibly displaced from their lands in the North-East of Sri Lanka. Aimed at Tamil victim-survivor communities, journalists, and researchers.
• A Phantom that is Real: Persisting Culture of Surveillance and Intimidation in the North-East A report shedding light on prevailing patterns of surveillance, intimidation, and arrests that activists, civil society members, and journalists face in the North-East of Sri Lanka. Aimed at civil society actors, journalists, human rights organizations, and policymakers.
• The Test: Chemmani and Sri Lanka's Accountability Crisis A briefing on the Chemmani mass grave discovery and Sri Lanka's accountability crisis, examining the exhumation of remains and the state's response to investigating atrocities. Aimed at civil society actors, human rights organizations, and policymakers.
• Students Making Change Program A capacity-building program aimed at creating student change-makers who can build initiatives for sustainable civic activism among university students in Jaffna and Batticaloa. Aimed at university students and student union leaders.
• Human Rights Documentation Training A training program working with civil society actors in the North-East to build their capacity for human rights documentation and engagement with international accountability mechanisms. Aimed at civil society organizations and activists.
• Media Capacity Building Program A 6-month program for journalists from the Northern province to build skills and capacity for investigative journalism through workshops with foreign and local facilitators, including equipment provision. Aimed at Tamil-speaking journalists in the Northern province.
• Stories of Resilience Project A project that aims to document and share stories of strength, courage and resilience of Tamil communities before, during and after the armed conflict, preserving these stories for current and future generations. Aimed at Tamil victim-survivor communities and the broader public.
• Human Rights Documentation in a Transitional Justice Context A booklet prepared by ACPR on human rights documentation in the context of transitional justice. Aimed at civil society actors, human rights practitioners, and researchers.
• Erasing the Past: Repression of Memorialization in the North-East A report prepared by P.E.A.R.L. examining the repression of memorialization efforts in the North-East of Sri Lanka. Aimed at civil society actors, human rights organizations, and policymakers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 community members engaged through major political rallies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 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 core and minor.

• Centre for Equality and JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2024Ms Kamaleswary Letchumanan, Projects Manager at the Centre for Equality and Justice, provided commentary on ACPR's publications 'Stories of Mullivaikkal' and 'Yet Whom Do They Destroy' at the book launch event in Colombo, discussing the significance of the books for Tamil victim-survivor communities.
• Jaffna University Department of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on multiple events including forums on Law as Activism, discussions on Tamil Political Prisoners, and documentation in post-war context. Joint hosting of book discussions and academic presentations with the Forum on Contemporary Issues in Law.
• People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (P.E.A.R.L.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint collaboration on the release of 'Erasing the Past: Repression of Memorialization in the North-East' report and discussion on 'Documentation in a Post-War Context' featuring Mario Arulthas, Advocacy Director of P.E.A.R.L.
• VellamaiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on hosting a discussion on 'Gender and Transformative Justice' featuring Dr. Rebekkah Friedman, a lecturer specializing in reconciliation, transitional justice, collective memory, gender and peace-building.
• Pakirvu (Trincomalee)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint hosting of the Eastern book launch of 'Nilam Izhantha Kathaikal' in Trincomalee, a narrative journalism project documenting lives of those forcibly displaced from their lands.
• Jaffna Science Association (Social Science Section)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on hosting a discussion on researching social justice and caste issues in the North-East featuring three anthropologists who have studied these issues extensively.
• Jaffna Learning ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint hosting of a discussion titled 'Understanding Diasporic and Refugee Life' featuring Sinthujan Varatharajah, PhD candidate at UCL and co-curator of 'Roots of Diaspora'.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tamil Civil Society Forum: Coalition partner of ACPR conducting joint civil society advocacy on truth, memory, and memorialization rights. Operates a closely aligned mission and constituency in the Tamil polity of Sri Lanka.
• INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre: Sri Lankan documentation-focused human rights organization producing systematic reports on violations and state accountability. Directly comparable to ACPR's human rights documentation training and reporting work.
• International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP): Sri Lanka-focused international justice and accountability organization pursuing legal accountability for atrocity crimes. Highly comparable to ACPR in mandate, victim-centered methodology, and focus on Sri Lankan transitional justice.
• Centre for Equality and Justice: Sri Lankan civil society organization that has publicly collaborated with ACPR on book launches and commentary for 'Stories of Mullivaikkal' and 'Yet Whom Do They Destroy'. Comparable in its focus on victim-survivor communities and rights-based advocacy in Sri Lanka.
• Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA): Sri Lankan independent policy research think tank producing analysis on governance, human rights, and constitutional reform. Comparable in operating model as a domestic, non-partisan research organization engaged in policy advocacy.
• People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (P.E.A.R.L.): Direct civil society partner of ACPR, jointly producing reports such as 'Erasing the Past: Repression of Memorialization in the North-East' and co-hosting documentation forums. Operates a comparable Tamil-diaspora-led advocacy model focused on accountability and memorialization in Sri Lanka.
• National Peace Council of Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan interreligious and civil society body working on conflict transformation, ethnic reconciliation, and peace-building. Closely comparable to ACPR in its North-East orientation and rights-based peace agenda.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Global human rights organization that has published extensively on Sri Lankan accountability and Tamil rights. Broader than ACPR in scope but operates in overlapping thematic territory with comparable research and advocacy methodology.
• International Crisis Group: Global conflict analysis organization producing regular reporting on Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict and post-war dynamics. Overlaps with ACPR's policy analysis mandate at a much larger international scale.
• Amnesty International: Global human rights organization engaging on Sri Lankan accountability, surveillance, and civil liberties. Comparable in advocacy and documentation function, with a much broader portfolio and global footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AdayaalamCPR
• Facebookfacebook.com/AdayaalamNE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adayaalam-centre-for-policy-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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