Funding to UNICEF
UNICEF relies on voluntary contributions to uphold our mission of reaching every child.
UNICEF's programs are supported by voluntary contributions from governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations, the private sector, and individuals. This diverse array of funding sources enables us to fulfill our mission of ensuring every child's rights, particularly for the most vulnerable.
With SDGs for children being core to our work, our strategic plan focuses on enhancing the coherence of partnerships and the delivery and evaluation of outcomes. We engage closely with our partners to develop efficient funding arrangements, maximizing the impact of every dollar spent in support of children worldwide.
Contributions to UNICEF come in various forms, such as direct or indirect funding, human resources (volunteers, consultants, and seconded personnel), partnerships, equipment, and other in-kind donations. Our funding is classified into the following categories:
Pooled Funding – which covers Thematic Funding, joint programmes and trust funds – is an integral part of Other Resources. Multi-year funding of all types allows UNICEF to improve the design and implementation of our programmes, increase the visibility of our advocacy efforts, and lower operational costs to deliver higher social returns on investment. Multi-year funding of all types allows UNICEF to improve the design and implementation of our programmes, increase the visibility of our advocacy efforts, and lower operational costs to deliver higher social returns on investment.
UNICEF income1 by type of resource partner, 2016-2022
In 2022, total contributions to UNICEF were US$9.3 billion. The public sector contributed the largest share: US$6.5 billion from government, inter-governmental and inter-organizational partners, as well as Global Programme Partnerships.
Our top three resource partners in 2022 (by contributions received) were the Governments of the United States of America (US$1,286 million), Germany (US$1,047 million) and the World Bank Group (US$542 million).
Private sector contributions (from National Committees, individual donors, NGOs and foundations) amounted to US$2.7 billion. United States Fund for UNICEF (US$680 million), German Committee for UNICEF (US$234 million) and Japan Committee for UNICEF (US$233 million) were the top three private-sector partners.
With this support, UNICEF delivered life-changing outcomes for children across the Sustainable Development Goals.
Results for children
1 Figures are based on ‘income’ which here represents contributions received from public sector, revenue from private sector and other income.
2 Contributions received in cash and in kind.