Find evidence, practical ideas and fresh insight for greater impact

Transformative social impact goes beyond good ideas and solid evidence—it needs diverse perspectives and cultural alignment too.

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The problem we work on

Are your insights and ideas aligned to the unique needs of the communities you serve?

Across international development and foreign affairs, NGOs and governments often struggle to access fresh, critical insights from within the community, leading to the repetition of outdated initiatives or the implementation of misaligned strategies.

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Even when NGOs and governments consult experts who represent an identity within the community, they often rely on the same familiar, trusted individuals who, while experienced, may offer only a single perspective.

Relying on a narrow range of voices risks creating strategies that fail to capture the full complexity of the community’s needs, potentially addressing some issues while overlooking others.

Without incorporating fresh and trustworthy perspectives from both local and global experts, these approaches can miss cultural nuances, lead to avoidable errors, and result in unnecessarily complex solutions that waste time and resources—or worse, damage relationships with the very communities they aim to support.

While academic research offers valuable wisdom, accessing it presents significant challenges. Its insights are often buried in dense, complex texts that are difficult to navigate.

And then, when identified, this research frequently reflects European and American perspectives, overshadowing the representative and valuable voices from the Global Majority. As those with the opportunity to publish in top peer-reviewed journals often reinforce the dominant narrative. Although valuable, these insights reflect the researchers’ biases, potentially leading to ideas that don’t fully align with the community’s needs, values and culture.

This shows that relying solely on academic ideas from peer-reviewed papers isn’t enough. While we need the reliable evidence and depth of insight that academic research provides, it’s essential that this evidence also represents diverse perspectives and ideas grounded in the community’s culture.

Without drawing on a range of representative and diverse insights, the strategies we develop may fail to deliver culturally aligned, effective, and relevant initiatives that truly serve the community’s needs —depriving changemakers of the opportunity to achieve something truly transformative.

Some stats

3 million

Research papers are published in peer-review journals each year

50%

Of all research papers are not read by anyone other than their authors, referees and journal editors

85%

Of research done in Africa is conducted in collaboration with the Global North, representing the huge power imbalance

84%

Of articles published in 20 top development journals were by researchers based in Europe and USA

2 hours

Of articles published in 20 top development journals were by researchers based in Europe and USA

32 hours

Average time academics in global minority spend each month pushing impact for their work

What we do:

Acume bridges the gap between diverse expert perspectives and NGOs or governments. Empowering academic researchers to share their insights and ideas while supporting practitioners and policymakers in making inclusive, culturally aligned, and evidence-backed decisions.

Mission

We are on a mission to make critical, diverse insights from every community easily accessible to professionals and practitioners dedicated to driving meaningful change. By equipping you with knowledge and perspectives that move beyond traditional, one-size-fits-all approaches, we empower you to deliver culturally aligned, effective, and impactful initiatives and policies that truly resonate with and meet the needs of the communities you serve.

Vision

We envision a world where diverse voices and perspectives are not just heard, but valued and used equally, driving decisions that break away from colonial legacies in academia and aid. We believe that knowledge should be barrier-free, which is why we’re committed to building an open library that makes critical insights accessible to all, using clear and inclusive language.

Global challenges we focus on:

What we do

Empowering change with reliable, culturally-aligned insights

At Acume, we bridge the gap between academic wisdom and the practical needs of NGOs and governments by delivering precise, diverse, and culturally-aligned insights tailored to the specific needs of the communities you serve. 

We achieve this through two core services:  evidence hub and expert advisory sessions. These services empower policymakers and practitioners to deliver innovative, effective, and inclusive impact that truly meets the needs and expectations of communities worldwide.

Our services

Evidence hub

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Expert advisory sessions

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Evidence collection

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Our values

Our team

Yasmine Finbow

Founder

Shane Nolan

Tech Lead

Advisory board

Ali Aljasem

Researcher

Arunn Jegan

Advocacy Coordinator

Curtis Raynold

Former Secretary

Dr Mark Siebert

Co-Founder

Dr Peter Matanle

Senior Lecturer, School of East Asian Studies

Gina Dumfries

Advisor on Strategic Growth

Liesbeth Rigter

Leadership Consultant

Our wider community

Thank you to everyone who gave their time to make Acume possible

Anna Chadwell
Bela Ashworth
Angelines Yaport-Garcia
Allegra Clark
Antoine Germain
Emma Spieler
Esther Feeken
Caroline Rohr
Bruna Pellegrino
Belén Martínez González
Ben Levett
Arianne Zajac
Jasmyn Spanswick
Jack Wilkinson
Jess Littman
Kirsti Sletten
Lina Lou
Margaux Baril
Noemi Suter
Martin Haselhoff
Meliha Verlasevic
Peter Emerson
Smaranda Bob
Stefano Cisternino
Sim Hoekstra
Sem Jans
Sophie Falshaw
Tyree Vasconcellos
William Green
Christina Takayama
Maali Jamil
Eva van der Pol
Phaedra Haringsma
Carmen Gabriela Lupu
Loretta Ati
Elise Sem Fa
Elise Granlie
Panos Koromvokis
Ramya Zwaal

Learn more about how we help

Book a no-obligation call with our team to discover how Acume’s platform can connect you with the diverse expertise you need to achieve meaningful impact. We’re here to help you get started.

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We truly appreciate your support.

We believe that policy and projects can be transformed with diverse, evidence-based perspectives. That’s why we’re building a movement to bridge the gap between research and real-world impact. By joining us, you’re part of a community dedicated to making a difference. Explore our free library of practical insights, connect with regional experts, and help us create a more informed, impactful world.

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