Foundations

UNDP and Foundations

News 28 November - UNCDF launches microfinance fund for Least Developed Countries The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is launching MicroLead - a USD 26 million fund for developing savings-led market leaders for Inclusive Finance in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Working in partnership is essential to achieving peace and prosperity in the world. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is increasingly engaging public and private sector partners in a common effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and the other goals of the Millennium Declaration by the year 2015. Philanthropic foundations will play an essential role in ensuring that we succeed.

As an organization, UNDP shares common values and objectives with many foundations, promoting development and working toward the benefit of communities and nations around the world. UNDP also recognizes that many foundations have valuable experiences in areas such as governance, environment, and HIV/AIDS and as such, they represent major driving forces in international development cooperation. UNDP's partnerships with foundations combine resources, knowledge and networks to increase the influence and impact in helping countries find solutions to their development challenges.

UNDP engages in three types of partnerships the first and most common is the “donor-grantee” relationship. In such cases a foundations may award grants to UNDP in support of specific projects in line with their overall mission and priorities. 

A second kind of partnership is based on mutual information sharing. UNDP recognizes the tremendous knowledge that foundations offer in specific areas such as governance, environment or HIV/AIDS and works with them to utilize their expertise and knowledge capacities. This type of partnerships significantly enhances the quality and scope of UNDP programmes. 

The third type of partnership is forged at the community level. UNDP works in partnership with civil society organizations and community foundations in their efforts to better address issues on the local level.