Philanthropic foundations played an important, positive role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic in many developing countries, drawing on their strategic advantages: agility, speed, innovation and collaboration. In the early stages of the pandemic, private philanthropy was able to move quickly and flexibly to fill critical gaps and took on risks in piloting innovative programmes and approaches that would later be adopted by governments. Foundations also served as conveners, collaborating extensively with various stakeholders across the private, public and multinational sectors. They supported international vaccination efforts and other collaborative responses. While the financial contributions of philanthropic foundations were relatively modest, their flexibility and adaptability allowed them to play a complementary role to the efforts of other development actors. This study also identifies lessons to be learned, particularly to ensure the complementarity of philanthropy with official providers of international assistance.
The Response of International Philanthropic Organisations to the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2022)
