Funding to UNICEF
UNICEF relies on voluntary contributions to uphold our mission of reaching every child.
Resources to UNICEF’s programmes come from the voluntary contributions of governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations, the private sector and individuals. UNICEF relies on this mixture of robust funding sources to uphold our mission of realizing the rights of every child, especially the most vulnerable.
Guided by the Sustainable Development Goals, our strategic plan aims to strengthen coherence in partnerships and in the delivery and measurement of outcomes. We work closely with partners on effective funding arrangements to ensure each dollar goes further to support children around the world.
Resources to UNICEF take the form of direct or indirect funding, people (volunteers, consultants and seconded personnel), partnerships, equipment and other in-kind donations. Our funding is categorized by:
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.
UNICEF income1 by type of resource partner, 2015-2020
In 2020, total contributions to UNICEF were over US$7 billion. The public sector contributed the largest share: US$5.45 billion from government, inter-governmental and inter-organizational partners, as well as Global Programme Partnerships.
Our top three resource partners in 2020 (by contributions received2) were the Governments of the United States of America (US$801 million), Germany (US$744 million) and the European Union (US$514 million).
Private sector contributions (from National Committees, individual donors, NGOs and foundations) amounted to US$1.6 billion. The National Committees of the United States (US$286 million), Japan (US$173 million) and Germany (US$119 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.