Since 2002, GRI has been established as an independent international institution (foundation) based in The Netherlands, having been managed for the five years prior to that by one of its founder organizations, CERES, in the USA. It is structured as a global multi-stakeholder network, overseen by several governance bodies and coordinated by the Secretariat.

One of GRI’s strongest attributes is having its governance bodies comprised of a broad mix of people with diverse skills, education, life experiences and cultural backgrounds. Through its governance voting structure, GRI strives to keep this multi-stakeholder representation in place, as it ultimately helps GRI to retain the credibility it has established for the guidance in the Framework.