FAQ
Automatic translation.
What is Atlas of Aid?
A website that collects public data on international NGOs and development cooperation organisations: economic size, countries where they work, sectors, families of affiliation and history, with the source of every figure.
Which organisations are included?
Non-governmental organisations for international development cooperation and humanitarian aid, that is, those that work for populations in other countries: NGOs that publish data on IATI, charities from official registers (England and Wales, Scotland, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) that exceed a size threshold and work abroad, Swedish organisations certified by Svensk Insamlingskontroll, Italian organisations listed on the AICS register or present on Open Cooperazione, members of the main NGO families, and some organisations added by hand for the thematic pages, such as those in sea rescue. We do not include universities, hospitals, religious bodies, private foundations that provide grants, or organisations that work only for a high-income country. The full criteria are in the Methodology.
Why is an organisation I know missing?
It probably does not appear in the sources we use, it is below the size thresholds for its country, or it falls into one of the categories we exclude (see the Methodology). NGOs from many European, African, Asian and Latin American countries are only included if they publish on IATI or belong to an NGO family. You can report it by writing to info@atlasofaid.com.
Why are the figures for a family (for example Oxfam) not the sum of its members?
Because members transfer funds among themselves: adding them up would count the same money twice. We use the consolidated accounts or the total published by the family itself, where one exists, and we always indicate what it covers.
Is the spending on IATI projects the organisation's total spending?
No. IATI only contains the projects that the organisation chooses to publish, often those funded by public donors. It is a part, sometimes a small one, of total spending, which instead comes from the accounts.
What does "active since at least" mean?
It is the first year in which the organisation appears in an official source (registration, tax recognition, entry on a public list). We use it when the year of foundation is unavailable or unreliable: the organisation may be older.
Why are some values not shown?
Our automatic checks hide values that are clearly wrong in the source, such as typing errors or wrong currencies. The profile flags this. See the Methodology.
Do the figures show whether an NGO works well?
No. They measure economic size and presence in the world, not the effectiveness, impact or efficiency of an organisation.
Does Atlas of Aid say whether an NGO is trustworthy?
No, we do not give ratings or rankings of trustworthiness. Being in the atlas means that the organisation exists in an official source: a public register of non-profit organisations, the list of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, the IATI standard, one of the main NGO families or, for a few organisations added for the thematic pages, the European Union Transparency Register or their annual report. It does not mean that they work well, that they use donations well or that they have never had problems.
In each profile, the "Official checks" box collects only verifiable facts, each with its source: in which register it is listed and whether it appears active, the latest accounts filed and whether it is up to date with filings, any reservations from the auditor (where the register publishes them), the quality marks and codes of conduct it adheres to. The criteria are in the Methodology.
How can I recognise a fake fundraising appeal?
If you receive a donation request in the name of an organisation, compare the name, the registration number and the official website with those in the profile, and open the link to the public register: a genuine body is listed and active. Be wary of names similar to those of well-known organisations, of websites other than the official one, and of requests for payment to personal accounts. If in doubt, contact the organisation using the details on its official website.
How often is the data updated?
We check the sources every night; registers generally change weekly, tax returns and accounts once a year. Each figure states the year to which it refers.
How do you know what public funds an organisation receives?
In addition to what the organisation declares in its accounts, we use data published by funders: European Union commitments, humanitarian funding recorded by OCHA, and the payments that 20 government cooperation agencies (including USAID, FCDO and Sida) publish on IATI. The three sources partly overlap and are not complete. Details are in the Methodology.
Are the translations reliable?
Organisation descriptions and the text pages of the site are written in one language and automatically translated into the others; we always indicate this, and for descriptions the original text is one click away. Terms and the privacy policy have professionally curated translations.
Can I reuse the data?
Yes, under the conditions set out in the Terms, citing Atlas of Aid and the original sources.
I found an error: how do I report it?
See the page Report an error.