Centre for Disaster Protection

What Centre for Disaster Protection does

The Centre for Disaster Protection is a London-based non-profit organization founded in 2018 that provides impartial technical advisory, research, and policy engagement on disaster risk financing systems. It serves national governments (particularly low- and middle-income countries vulnerable to climate and natural disasters), multilateral development banks, regional sovereign risk pools (ARC, CCRIF SPC, PCRIC, SEADRIF), and humanitarian organizations including the IFRC. Its stated purpose is to help countries and organizations change how they plan and pay for disasters, on the thesis that pre-arranged financing — currently less than 2% of international crisis finance — produces faster and fairer disaster responses than reactive humanitarian appeals.

Its core products and outputs include (i) the State of Pre-Arranged Financing Dashboard, the only comprehensive interactive tracker of international pre-arranged financing (coverage and payouts) at global and country levels for 2017-2024; (ii) an annual flagship report (most recent 2025 edition reporting an all-time high of $9.4 billion in 2024 pre-arranged finance); (iii) country-level Disaster Risk Finance Diagnostics delivered to governments such as The Gambia and Jamaica; (iv) the Labs innovation platform (launched December 2025) that co-designs open tools alongside governments; (v) the Counter Crisis podcast with Tortoise Media; and (vi) policy engagement through G20, COP, and the High-Level Panel on Closing the Crisis Protection Gap. Its technical differentiation rests on being the only organization to publish systematic longitudinal data on pre-arranged crisis finance, alongside the first-ever indemnity insurance policy developed for a humanitarian fund (IFRC DREF).

The business model is grant- and contract-funded rather than commercial. The Centre does not publicly disclose pricing for its services. Revenue streams consist of advisory, capacity development, and learning services delivered to governments and international organizations, supplemented by grant funding from institutional donors. DAI serves as the Centre's managing agent under a contractual relationship. The organization operates with 11-50 staff from a single London office (WeWork, 51 Eastcheap) and works across Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America. Customer and donor concentration is moderate, anchored on UK FCDO (represented on the board), the World Bank, and a small set of repeat country and regional risk pool partners.

Name

Centre for Disaster Protection

Legal name

Centre for Disaster Protection

Website

https://disasterprotection.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disaster Risk Financing Advisory Services

NAICS

National Security and International Affairs (9281)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Management & National Resilience (Civil Protection) (BPAIAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emergency Planning & Risk Assessments (BPABANAA)

Keywords

• Disaster risk financing
• Pre-arranged financing
• Climate risk advisory
• Catastrophe insurance policy
• Disaster preparedness research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Services: The Centre offers a wide range of advisory, capacity development and learning services, all delivered impartially to governments and organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Centre for Disaster Protection provides impartial advisory, capacity development, and learning services to governments and international organizations on disaster risk financing systems. Its portfolio includes the State of Pre-Arranged Financing Dashboard, annual flagship reports, the Labs innovation platform for co-designing open disaster finance tools with governments, and engagement in global policy forums such as the G20 and the Global Shield against Climate Risks.

Product overview

The Centre for Disaster Protection offers a portfolio of interconnected products and services focused on disaster risk finance. The core offering includes the State of Pre-Arranged Financing Dashboard (an interactive data visualization tool tracking international pre-arranged financing from 2017-2024) and annual flagship reports. These are complemented by advisory services, research/evidence production, global policy engagement, and the Labs innovation platform for co-designing tools with governments. Additional resources include the Counter Crisis podcast and a comprehensive glossary of disaster risk finance terminology. The organization functions as a policy and research institute rather than a commercial software vendor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State of Pre-Arranged Financing Dashboard Interactive dashboard providing the most comprehensive overview of international pre-arranged financing (coverage and payouts) at global and country levels, with downloadable Excel data covering calendar years 2017 to 2024. Includes data on contingent loans and grants from MDBs, regional risk pool insurance, and catastrophe bonds.
• The State of Pre-Arranged Financing for Disasters (Annual Report) Flagship annual report assessing the state of pre-arranged financing supported with international development financing in low- and middle-income countries, published yearly. The 2025 edition reports that pre-arranged finance reached an all-time high of USD 9.4 billion in 2024.
• Client Services (Advisory) Advisory, capacity development, and learning services delivered impartially to governments and international organisations on disaster risk financing. Includes disaster risk finance diagnostics, country engagement, workshops, and technical advice on instruments such as Cat DDOs, parametric insurance, and regional risk pool products.
• Global Policy Engagement Engagement across global and regional policy processes (including G20, COP, London Climate Action Week, Global Shield against Climate Risks) bringing together actors who would not otherwise share a table to build shared understanding and drive change on disaster risk finance.
• Labs Innovation Platform Innovation platform working alongside governments to co-design open tools that make it easier to plan and pay for disasters. Developed in response to less than 2% of international crisis finance being arranged in advance.
• Glossary of Disaster Risk Finance Terms Comprehensive glossary of key terms and definitions related to disaster risk finance, including pre-arranged financing, contingent liabilities, parametric insurance, and other specialized terminology.

Quantifiable outcome

• International pre-arranged financing reached USD 9.4 billion in 2024 (all-time high)
• +4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Centre provided impartial technical advice that resulted in the first-ever indemnity policy for a humanitarian fund (DREF), enabling 1.6 million people to be reached.
• Global Shield against Climate Risks (Global Shield)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2023Centre selected as Coordinator for Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of Global Shield, providing independent advice to support in-country processes.
• DAIcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDAI is the Managing Agent for the Centre for Disaster Protection and has responsibility for policies and operations. The Centre relies on DAI policies in most cases.
• UK Government Actuary's DepartmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with the Centre to strengthen PCRIC's finances and standing with Pacific governments and donors.
• GNDR (Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint publication of report on localizing disaster risk financing revealing CSO challenges in accessing time-critical funding.
• African Risk Capacity (ARC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional risk pool for Africa. Centre supports and advises on strategic initiatives including hosting summits.
• Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional risk pool for Caribbean. Centre supports and advises including hosting strategic summits and collaboration initiatives.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner for disaster risk financing strategies, Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Options (Cat DDOs), and country engagements including The Gambia and Zambia.
• UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshop with 50 attendees from national, regional, and international organisations on disaster risk financing.
• Social Protection Technical Assistance, Advice, and Resources (STAAR) FacilitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on emerging lessons reports for pre-agreed financing for shock-responsive social protection in Jamaica, Malawi, and Mozambique.
• Regional Risk Pools (ARC, CCRIF SPC, PCRIC, SEADRIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour regional risk pools included in State of PAF Dashboard. Centre supports and advises these sovereign insurance mechanisms for disaster risk financing.
• G20 Joint Finance-Health Task ForcemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre contributed to policy development on pandemic and epidemic risk finance through new partnerships with multilateral development banks.
• African Development BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on disaster risk financing strategies and responses to climate-related shocks in African countries.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project): International non-profit running a global environmental disclosure system that has built a data-driven advisory role with corporates, investors, and governments. Closely comparable operating model (data-led, impartial, advisory + convening) though focused on climate disclosure rather than disaster finance.
• Insurance Development Forum: Public-private partnership led by insurance industry CEOs and the World Bank to expand use of risk pooling and insurance in emerging markets. Comparable convening role at the intersection of sovereigns, MDBs, and (re)insurers.

Direct peers

• Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC): Pacific regional risk pool where the Centre is actively working with the UK Government Actuary's Department to strengthen PCRIC's finances and standing with Pacific governments. Operates analogous pre-arranged financing products for vulnerable small island states.
• Start Network: A UK-based network of humanitarian NGOs that pools pre-arranged financing to enable faster, more predictable disaster response. Highly comparable to the Centre's mission of shifting disaster financing from reactive to pre-arranged, though Start Network operates as a network/cooperative rather than a policy think tank.
• CCRIF SPC (Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility): Caribbean regional parametric insurance pool for sovereign disaster risk, explicitly listed as a partner the Centre advises and hosts strategic summits with. Operates the same disaster risk financing instruments the Centre helps countries access.
• Climate Bonds Initiative: International organization working to mobilize bond markets for climate and resilience solutions, including catastrophe bonds. Shares the Centre's mission of expanding pre-arranged climate/disaster finance instruments, with strong overlap in standards-setting and investor engagement.
• SEADRIF (Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility): Southeast Asian regional risk pool included in the Centre's State of PAF Dashboard. Engages on the same disaster risk financing agenda and instruments, making it a natural operational peer across geographies.
• African Risk Capacity: African Union-affiliated regional sovereign risk pool providing parametric insurance to African member states. The Centre lists ARC as a strategic partner and supports its strategic initiatives; ARC is a direct operational peer in the same disaster risk financing ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): UK-based global affairs think tank producing research and policy advice on international development, including disaster risk and climate finance. Larger, more diversified research footprint than the Centre, but operates the same impartial advisory model for governments and donors.

Others

• UNDRR (UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction): UN system entity coordinating global disaster risk reduction, including the Sendai Framework. Operates upstream of the Centre's work on pre-arranged financing and sets the broader policy framework within which the Centre engages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-disaster-protection

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre for Disaster Protection