The IKEA Foundation’s top grantees

The IKEA Foundation is a large philanthropy. Its grantmaking efforts are focused on poverty reduction and climate change. This is because its board sees these two issues as the biggest threats to the future of children worldwide. IKEA has historically given out somewhere in the region of €200 million ($232.8 million) in grants each year. In 2021, IKEA decided to make an additional €1 billion available for five years in response to the rise of greenhouse gas emissions. IKEA works in the most vulnerable parts of the world. It also supports global climate change action programs. IKEA focuses its climate funding in the European Union, India, Brazil, and Indonesia, believing that it would have the most impact. IKEA scouts for possible partnerships and does not accept any unsolicited grant proposals. This ensures that the projects it funds are best aligned with its strategic approach. Emergency relief is another key funding mechanism. IKEA provides a set amount of unrestricted funding to its partners and local NGOs. However, IKEA mostly provides emergency relief to “unseen emergencies.” This refers to emergencies that do not make headlines in global media. Over the past seven years, IKEA has given out €1.1 billion, in 2019 constant prices, in grants. Devex analyzed the data to find out which organizations received the most and where these organizations are located. The figures were converted into 2019 euro constant prices. We used the European Union’s harmonised indices of consumer prices, or HICP, for the conversion. This is because it provides the most normal economic conditions before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We are able to get more precise year-on-year comparisons this way. What does the top-level data say? From 2018-2024, IKEA has seen a rise in its grantmaking. It started with €44.9 million in 2018, rising to €260.3 million in 2024. Grantmaking peaked at €294.4 million in 2022. Of the €1.1 billion, around €325.9 million — or 28.5% — went to programs with a global reach. Among countries and regions, India tops the list with €157.9 million, or 13.8% of all distributed funds. Next, the African region received €55.1 million — or 4.8% — of the total. There are around 11.1% of projects that do not have a specified geographic area. In terms of IKEA’s thematic areas, renewable energy received the most money. It received €254.2 million — or 22.2% — of the total. Next is governance and society, with €221.5 million; refugee livelihoods, with €202.4 million; real economy, with €179.4 million; and agricultural livelihoods, with €170.5 million. In terms of partners, the data says that IKEA has given 161 grants worth €918.7 million to partners that are based in global north countries. The remaining €226.3 million went to partners based in the global south. Who are the top partners? 1. ClimateWorks Foundation The ClimateWorks Foundation is a U.S.-based philanthropy focused on driving climate progress. They received €125.6 million for five projects, with IKEA serving as support. The largest of these amounted to €78.3 million for the Drive Electric Campaign’s Leapfrogging Partnership. 2. SELCO Foundation The SELCO Foundation is an India-based organization. It delivers sustainable energy to the lowest-income population in India. It received a total of €62.1 million for four projects. The largest of these amounted to €43.1 million for the integration of energy-efficient designs to health care facilities in India. 3. Médecins Sans Frontières MSF is one of IKEA’s primary partners in providing emergency relief. It received €58.1 million for eight emergency relief-related projects. The biggest of these amounted to €29.1 million to provide humanitarian assistance to Sudan. Who are the top partners working in the global south? In this section, we will be looking at the top-funded organizations whose main work concerns the global south. This is regardless of where they are located. The data is based on the geographic area stated in IKEA’s grant dataset. 1. AVSI Foundation The AVSI Foundation is an Italy-based humanitarian organization. It only received one award, which amounted to €22.4 million to work with refugees and host-community households in Uganda. 2. International Rescue Committee IRC is a U.S.-based humanitarian organization. It only received one grant worth €29.9 million to support the IRC’s Re:BUiLD program. 3. CLASP CLASP is a U.S.-based organization with a mission to improve the energy and environmental performance of everyday appliances. It received two grants worth €16.5 million. The largest of these was worth €14.5 million to assist the Efficiency for Access Coalition. It is to provide access to energy-efficient solar appliances in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. 4. Acumen Acumen is another U.S.-based organization that works mostly in the global south, investing in entrepreneurs. It received five grants with a total of €21.9 million. The largest of these amounted to €12.6 million, which allows Acumen to invest in companies that supply solar-powered appliances. 5. Access to Energy Institute A2EI is a Germany-based research and development institute. It primarily provides solar-powered solutions and appliances to small businesses and smallholder farmers. It only received one award worth almost €10 million to improve access to renewable energy in India, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Who are the top global south-based partners? 1. Global Methane Hub The Global Methane Hub is a Chile-based organization. It funds partners that focus on reducing methane pollution. It received two grants worth €48.6 million. The largest of these amounted to €31.5 million for general support. 2. Sustain Plus Sustain Plus is an India-based organization that functions as an open-source platform. It is dedicated to scaling technological solutions for productive use in the underserved communities across India. It received three grants worth €45.1 million. The largest of these amounted to €25.3 million for support. 3. Co-Impact Co-Impact is a philanthropic collaborative. It is focused on providing a just and inclusive systems change to improve the lives of people worldwide. It is headquartered in Kenya. It received two grants worth €9.5 million. The largest of these amounted to €4.8 million for general support. 4. BOMA The BOMA project is a Kenya-based NGO that works to build sustainable livelihoods for rural individuals. It focuses on communities living under extreme poverty in Africa’s drylands. It only received one grant worth €9.1 million for the improvement of livelihoods in Kenya. 5. World Vegetable Center WorldVeg is an organization that conducts research and carries out training related to vegetables. It sees the importance of vegetables in improved health and poverty alleviation. It only received one grant worth €7.1 million for the Veggies4PlanetandPeople program in Ethiopia and Kenya. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.