Grants for Global Development
Learn more about grants for global development by exploring Inside Philanthropy’s list of top global development nonprofits below. Subscribers can also explore funders using our Grantfinder Search Tool. Become a member.
Key Funders
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Howard G. Buffett Foundation
- Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
- Ford Foundation
- Gates Foundation
- Helmsley Charitable Trust
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
- Mastercard Foundation
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- New Venture Fund
- Omidyar Network
- Open Philanthropy
- Rockefeller Foundation
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Funding Trends for Global Development
Global development is one of the oldest focus areas of modern philanthropy, and private funding in this area has long been dominated by large foundations engaging in conventional, top-down philanthropy. However, longstanding philanthropic sectors are now evolving as leading funders consider sustainability and equity, while emerging philanthropic leaders emphasize the importance of local decision-making and community solutions. Private philanthropy for global development has always been modest compared to official development assistance, but private grantmakers have moved considerable resources to address some of the world’s intractable problems, like diseases,hunger and inequality.
Traditional philanthropic involvement by large American foundations has been critiqued as a contemporary form of colonialism, as funders attempted to impose Western ideas and Western-led solutions around the world. IP’s Philip Rojc explores this issue in further depth here. Today, a number of the major funders for global development align their giving with the sustainable development goals set by the global community via the U.N. in 2015.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-related catastrophes, and the war in Ukraine have all slowed progress toward achieving those goals. Leading private funders have made new pledges to address some of the gaps.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation dominates private funding across this giving landscape with a focus on agricultural development, global health, gender equality and the alleviation of poverty, among other interests. Gates’ recent commitments include support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as for agriculture and food security programs and education of healthcare workers around the world. Digital inclusion is another growing area of philanthropy for global development, as seen in the Gates Foundation’s 2022 commitment of $200 million to expand global digital public infrastructure.
Bloomberg Philanthropies, another major private funder for global development, focuses on diseases and the environment. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation leads private funding for reproductive health and rights work worldwide. A more recent entrant to the field is mega-donor MacKenzie Scott, who, in just a few years, has made significant contributions in several African nations, Brazil and rural India, with a focus on women and girls, farmers, and socio-economic equity and inclusion.
As in most philanthropic sectors, equity and inclusion are growing priorities. The Ford Foundation, Omidyar Network, and Open Society Foundations have all joined the donor collaborative Funders Organized for Rights in the Global Economy (FORGE), which is dedicated to “funding a future that works for people and the planet.” They are supporting reforms informed by communities and workers to shift the balance of power in the global economy.
The gender justice and climate justice movements have also called for funders to support local and grassroots solutions, an approach taken up by grantmakers modeling an alternative to top-down philanthropy such as the Global Greengrants Fund and Global Fund for Women.
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