Private funding of humanitarian work is changing – from having been primarily targeted at natural disaster response, in 2015, the response to the conflict in Syria received the majority of reported private funds. With most private funding channeled through non-governmental rather than governments or multi-lateral organizations, understanding current developments in private funding flows and mechanisms has become more pertinent than ever for NGOs.

The fifth session of PHAP’s and ICVA’s learning stream on humanitarian financing focused on the growing potential of private funding in the humanitarian sector. Participants were provided with an overview of the main existing private funding mechanisms, with a particular focus on emerging trends and key challenges for NGOs, followed by an opportunity to ask questions.

Briefing paper

ICVA has prepared an explanatory briefing paper on the discussions during the event. You can access the document in English. The briefing paper will be soon available in also French and Arabic.

For additional resources on this topic, you can go here.

Follow-up responses and interview with Annemieke Tsike-Sossah

Read the written responses to the follow-up questions by the guest experts

Read the interview with Annemieke Tsike-Sossah from IKEA Foundation on the role of the private sector in funding humanitarian work

Learning stream on humanitarian financing

As part of the learning stream on humanitarian financing, this event was the fifth of six live interactive online learning sessions that ICVA and PHAP have organized between September 2016 and March 2017 with the purpose of providing NGOs and humanitarian workers with a stronger understanding of the humanitarian financing system.

Recommended resources

• Velina Stoianova, “Private funding: An emerging trend in humanitarian donorship,” GHA Briefing Paper, April 2012
• Chloe Stirk, “Humanitarian assistance from non-state donors: What is it worth?,” GHA Briefing Paper, April 2014
• Steve A. Zyck, “Using private sector know-how to improve humanitarian fundraising,” ODI, 29 April 2014
• Amjad Mohamed-Saleem, “The role of Islamic social financing in humanitarian action,” WHS Blog, 2015
• Sophia Swithern & Charlotte Lattimer, “Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2016,” Development Initiatives, 2016

Geneva Humanitarian Connector

This event was made possible through the Geneva Humanitarian Connector, an initiative of PHAP supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Learning objectives

• Awareness of the primary factors that drive funding from the private sector to the humanitarian sector
• Familiarity with different sources of private funding, including donations, trusts, foundations, and fundraising campaigns
• Awareness of the main trends and challenges regarding NGO access to private funding sources
• Knowledge of the different sources of information on private funding

Target audience and event access

The stream specifically targets NGO staff, including field, policy and HQ staff, but all live sessions are open to anyone interested in improving their understanding of humanitarian financing.