UNDP and our philanthropic partners share a common ambition: to maximise our impact by combining our strengths. Pairing philanthropic flexibility and innovation with UNDP’s on-the-ground reach and technical expertise, we identify where we can make the greatest difference and co-design locally owned solutions that deliver immediate breakthroughs and build the foundations for lasting change.

Six ways UNDP & Philanthropy work together: 

• Directing resources to where they are needed most: Working on the ground alongside local partners, UNDP sees firsthand who stands to benefit most from sustainable development and who is hit hardest by crises. Because we sit alongside national planning processes, we understand the intricate dynamics of local ecosystems. This unique position allows us to help our philanthropic partners bypass assumptions, target the real gaps, and direct resources exactly where they will have the greatest impact. 
• Designing initiatives together from the start: We co‑create programmes with philanthropies and local communities, combining partners’ insights, community experience, and UNDP’s global development expertise. Co-designing from the ground up ensures every initiative is tailored to local realities and delivers lasting, meaningful impact. 
• Reach without repetition: Philanthropy can reach directly into communities on the ground through UNDP's network of 170 country offices, avoiding the need to set up and operate parallel systems.  
• Operating safely in the most challenging environments: UNDP has spent decades building trusted, deep-rooted local relationships in high-risk areas. Our permanent presence on the ground, combined with secure, fully audited operational frameworks, ensures that philanthropic resources safely reach the people and services that need them most—even in the world's most fragile contexts. 
• Making every dollar go further: UNDP combines private, public, and philanthropic funds to advance locally led priorities and tackle global challenges. Approximately 91 cents of every dollar goes directly to programmes, and since 2022, we have helped promote $920 billion in public and private investments in the SDGs. 
• Preparing communities for future crises: A crisis can undo decades of community progress overnight. UNDP partners with philanthropies to shift our focus from reacting to disasters to actively preventing them. The financial and human case is clear: studies show that $1 spent on preparation saves up to $15 in post-disaster recovery, helping protect lives and safeguard local economies before a crisis can strike. 

Philanthropy partnerships in action  

UNDP is already working alongside leading philanthropic partners to invest in sustainable, community-driven and locally owned change. Below are examples of how these co-investments are transforming lives across the globe.