Launched in 2017, Co-Impact is a global philanthropic collaborative for equitable systems change at scale.

Co-Impact operates two complementary funds. The Foundation Fund and the Gender Fund, announced in June 2021, which aims to raise and deploy US $1 billion over the next decade to support transformative systems change for gender equality, with an emphasis on elevating women and girls’ power, agency, and leadership at all levels.

They invest in initiatives across the Global South tackling the root sources of inequality. They support initiatives that aim to dismantle structural barriers and discriminatory gender norms. Co-Impact’s approach to supporting systems change draws from experience and evidence, and continues to evolve as they learn from their partners and practice.

Their role is to support the strategic vision of our partners within the contexts in which they live and operate. Through their model for collaborative philanthropy, they bring together funders from around the world to provide the larger, longer-term and more flexible support needed to transform systems in a lasting way – and promote a values-aligned approach to funding systemic change which is supportive, rather than directive.

Their support to program partners focuses on advancing education, improving health, and expanding economic opportunity for people in low- and middle-income countries in the Global South. In each of these sectors, they take an intersectional gender approach in the ways that they analyze problems, make grants, and engage with partners.

They believe that systems change is only possible when discriminatory structures are consciously addressed, and women and other excluded groups can exercise their full share of agency and power. They believe that philanthropy has the potential to do more. Philanthropy can make significant resources available to support the transformation of underlying systems and redress entrenched discrimination. But too often not enough money is being  spent  or  funds  are  spent  in  ways  that  do  not  address  systemic barriers – and particularly to the advancement of women and girls.Pooling funding towards systems change initiatives can achieve greater impact because the vision is long-term – far beyond a single intervention or year-to-year funding.