MacKenzie Scott, the multibillionaire philanthropist, has released figures showing where she gave away her cash in 2023. Although Scott’s funding remains United States-centric, international causes once again received significant sums.
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Great Scott!
MacKenzie Scott’s latest tranche of data shows that she gave around $2.2 billion in 2023. Of her grantees, 58 either work primarily in low- and middle-income countries or have a regional or global presence. Overall, they received $217.5 million.
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Information is not available for around a third of all funding, so this figure might be much higher.
My colleague Miguel Antonio Tamonan has more information about where the money went.
Read: MacKenzie Scott gave away over $2B last year. Where did it go? (Pro)
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Funding activity
We publish tenders, grants, and other funding announcements on our Funding Platform. Here are some of the ones which have been viewed the most in the past 10 days.
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration approved $96.3 million in funding to support the construction of a new resilient highway in Honduras.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced a $15 million project to promote women-owned enterprises and women’s financial access in Kazakhstan.
The IMF approved $71 million in financing to address urgent payment needs related to a fuel depot explosion in Guinea.
The Islamic Development Bank is hiring a consultancy firm for the development of an online module for climate change training.
USAID is awarding $30 million in grants to strengthen family planning and reproductive health in the Philippines.
The World Bank has announced €100 million ($107 million) of financial support for climate-conscious projects run by smaller enterprises, women-owned businesses, and agribusinesses in Türkiye.
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Under the microscope
For years, my colleague Michael Igoe has been tracking the story of DT Global, a major for-profit supplier to USAID, and its relationship with its nonprofit arm, DT Institute.
In 2021, a lawsuit from a former board member of the nonprofit alleged that DT Global illegally misused the nonprofit affiliate as a “vehicle for profit and marketing.” DT Global denied those allegations at the time.
That lawsuit was eventually withdrawn last year after DT Global agreed to some changes, but now a similar U.S. Justice Department investigation is underway looking at many of the same issues.
Exclusive: Justice Department investigating USAID contractor (Pro)
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The French disconnection
There may be a bit of a gap between what Emmanuel Macron says and what he does.
The French president has been a champion of development issues in his time in office, holding a number of high-profile summits to lobby for more action on issues such as emerging market debt, my colleagues Adva Saldinger and Vince Chadwick write in a look at French aid policies.
But in 2023, French official development assistance was down by 11% on the year prior, and it’s safe to say that civil society is less than impressed.
“Behind the French government’s proactive approach and all the communications efforts,” one advocate says, “there is a lot of blah-blah-blah.”
Read: Is Macron still an aid champion? (Pro)
+ Don’t forget to join us on Wednesday, May 15, to explore why big European donors are slashing their budgets and what the upcoming EU elections could mean for aid groups. Register now. If you can’t attend live, we’ll send you a recording.
A clean bill of health?
Things aren’t looking entirely rosy at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent’s highly influential health body. Dr Jean Kaseya, its leader, requested an audit from the African Union, after a series of damaging allegations about his personal behavior.
But that audit — exclusively seen by my colleague Sara Jerving — has arguably done little to dispel concerns, finding evidence of weak financial controls and irregular hiring practices.
Exclusive: Africa CDC audit warns against creating an 'avenue for fraud'
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About the author
David Ainsworth@daveainsworth4
David Ainsworth is business editor at Devex, where he writes about finance and funding issues for development institutions. He was previously a senior writer and editor for magazines specializing in nonprofits in the U.K. and worked as a policy and communications specialist in the nonprofit sector for a number of years. His team specializes in understanding reports and data and what it teaches us about how development functions.
