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Co-Impact Philanthropic Funds Inc

Annual Giving
$64.2M
Grant Range
$300K - $50.0M
Decision Time
9mo

Co-Impact Philanthropic Funds Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $64,160,621 (2023)
  • Grant Range: $300,000 (design phase) to $50 million (systems change)
  • Typical Implementation Grant: $3-25 million over 5 years
  • Number of Awards: 52 grants in 2023
  • Geographic Focus: Africa, Asia, and Latin America (8 core countries)
  • Application Method: Invitation only/regional sourcing (no unsolicited proposals)

Contact Details

Website: https://co-impact.org
Email: Not publicly listed
Phone: Not publicly listed
Location: New York, NY

Co-Impact does not accept unsolicited proposals. Their grantmaking is regionally-led through active ecosystem engagement, research, and referrals from existing partners.

Overview

Co-Impact Philanthropic Funds Inc (EIN: 88-2408684) is a global collaborative for systems change founded in 2017 by Olivia Leland, formerly founding director of The Giving Pledge and Senior Vice President at The Rockefeller Foundation. The organization has united over 60 funding partners—including Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott, Rohini and Nandan Nilekani, and major foundations such as Rockefeller, Estée Lauder, Chanel, and Cartier—to deploy over $800 million across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Co-Impact operates two funds: the Foundational Fund and the Gender Fund, which together have raised over $859 million and funded over 150 initiatives. The Gender Fund alone aims to deploy $1 billion by 2030. Co-Impact has received significant recognition, including MacKenzie Scott's largest single reported donation to date ($125 million total in two gifts). Their approach centers on providing large-scale, long-term, flexible funding to locally-rooted organizations driving systems change in health, education, and economic opportunity, with a strong emphasis on intersectional gender equality and women's leadership.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Foundational Fund

  • Focus: Systems change in health, education, and economic opportunity
  • Grant Structure: $300,000 for 8-10 month design phase, followed by $3-8 million over 5 years for implementation
  • Geographic Focus: Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa), Asia (India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Peru)
  • Application Method: Regionally-led sourcing; no unsolicited proposals accepted

Gender Fund

  • Focus: Advancing women's power, agency, and leadership; institutional change in law and economics; systems change in health, education, and economic opportunity
  • Grant Range: Up to $50 million, flexibly structured
  • Target: $1 billion deployment by 2030
  • Core Countries: Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa
  • Eligible Organizations: Civil society groups, think tanks, academic institutions, professional associations, networks, women's rights groups, feminist and allied movements
  • Application Method: Invitation only; regionally-led sourcing

Priority Areas

Co-Impact funds initiatives that demonstrate:

  • Deep local roots in Africa, Asia, or Latin America
  • Systems-change focus addressing root causes of health, education, and economic inequities
  • Gender equality integration with minimum 50% of initiatives substantively led by women
  • Coalition-building capacity with proven partnerships with government and key actors
  • Track record of results with technical competence and organizational strength
  • Political awareness and ability to engage with governance and political economy
  • Feminist values (especially for Gender Fund)
  • Practitioner orientation with nuanced understanding of local context

Co-Impact ensures 100% of country-led grants go to Global South-rooted organizations, with the majority to women-led organizations.

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations outside Africa, Asia, and Latin America
  • Single-country initiatives without systems-change approach
  • Organizations without demonstrated track record
  • Projects lacking local roots or political savvy
  • Short-term or small-scale interventions
  • Organizations that cannot demonstrate collaborative approach

Governance and Leadership

Olivia Leland, Founder and CEO

Olivia Leland launched Co-Impact in 2017 following three years of consultations with funders and changemakers. Previously, she served as founding director of the Giving Pledge, growing the community to over 200 families committed to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

Key Quotes from Leadership:

On collaboration: "We believe that collaboration is critical to solving some of the world's most daunting social challenges. Our goal is to build a community where philanthropists can work and learn together—along with successful social change leaders—to drive extraordinary results."

On creating a global funder community: "One of the key things for me was to create a global community of funders, people who bring different perspectives, experiences, and expertise."

On long-term support: "To be able to provide that additional support over the longer term and in an aligned way…is really rare," citing findings that just 20% of grants to nonprofits come with support beyond funding.

On philanthropy's role: "Philanthropy needs to step up."

Funding Partners (60+): Core partners include Richard Chandler, The ELMA Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates, Rohini and Nandan Nilekani, The Rockefeller Foundation, MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Skoll, Tsitsi Masiyiwa, The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation, Chanel Foundation, and Cartier Philanthropy.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Co-Impact does not have a public application process. The organization no longer uses open calls for proposals. Instead, their grantmaking and sourcing is regionally-led.

How Grants Are Awarded:

Co-Impact sources potential grantees through:

  • Regional research conducted by their regional teams
  • Referrals from existing partners and trusted networks
  • Active ecosystem engagement in their focus countries
  • Recognition within coalitions working on systems change

Decisions are made at the sole determination of Co-Impact, considering the best fit for their portfolio and alignment with their regional strategies.

Getting on Their Radar

Being referred by a current partner or being part of a recognized coalition is one of the most effective ways to get on Co-Impact's radar.

Co-Impact's Regional Approach:

  • Regional teams conduct active research in their 8 core focus countries (Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa)
  • The Fund prioritizes partners' knowledge and expertise of the regions in which they work
  • Co-Impact values organizations deeply embedded in local ecosystems with trusted relationships

Specific Strategies:

  • Build strong partnerships with government and key actors in your sector
  • Demonstrate systems-change results that attract attention in your region
  • Connect with existing Co-Impact grantees and learn from their approaches
  • Participate in systems-change coalitions in priority sectors (health, education, economic opportunity)
  • Ensure your organization exemplifies feminist values and women's leadership (especially for Gender Fund)
  • Review Co-Impact's Handbook (available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish) to understand their values and approaches

Resources to Review:

  • Co-Impact Handbook (2nd edition): Details values, assumptions, and approaches
  • "Approach to Sourcing and Grantmaking in 2024" document
  • Their website resources section for insights into their thinking

Decision Timeline

Design Phase Timeline (for organizations that are sourced):

  • Preliminary conversations: Initial discussions with Co-Impact regional teams
  • Design phase: 8-10 months with $300,000 funding for deep strategic planning
  • Design phase includes 4 core modules with reduced check-in moments
  • Implementation decision follows design phase completion

Implementation Phase:

  • Multi-year grants (typically 5 years) ranging from $3-8 million for Foundational Fund
  • Gender Fund grants can reach up to $50 million
  • Every grant includes dedicated funding for organizational strengthening

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly available. However:

  • 52 awards made in 2023 from regionally-led sourcing
  • 37 awards made in 2022
  • Over 150 initiatives funded to date across both funds
  • Highly selective given invitation-only model and focus on locally-rooted systems-change leaders

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as Co-Impact does not accept unsolicited applications. Organizations are identified through regional sourcing processes on an ongoing basis.

Application Success Factors

What Co-Impact Looks For (Based on Their Selection Criteria and Approach)

1. Systems-Change Mindset and Track Record

Co-Impact believes systems change is best achieved by organizations deeply rooted in their geographic context who bring nuanced understanding of local governance, political savvy, trusted relationships, and long-term commitment to improving systems. They look for:

  • Technical competence and organizational strength
  • Strong track record of results at scale
  • Effective engagement with political economy and governance
  • Ability to work at the scale of the problem

2. Deep Local Roots

"Local leaders have the solutions, expertise, networks, and relationships needed to deliver sustainable change at scale." Co-Impact specifically prioritizes:

  • Organizations based in and led by people from the Global South
  • Demonstrated understanding of local context and governance
  • Trusted relationships with government and community actors
  • Long-term commitment to the region

3. Collaborative Approach

Green flags include:

  • Track record of collaboration with government and other key actors
  • Ability to build and sustain powerful coalitions
  • Political awareness and relationship-building capacity
  • Openness to partnership with Co-Impact as a thought partner

4. Women's Leadership and Feminist Values

Co-Impact ensures minimum 50% of initiatives are substantively led by women. They prioritize:

  • Women-led organizations (majority of country-led grants)
  • Organizations with feminist values and approaches
  • Focus on elevating women's power, agency, and leadership at all levels
  • Intersectional gender equality embedded in systems-change approach

5. Capacity for Iteration and Adaptation

Co-Impact values:

  • Ability to iterate and adapt strategies based on learning
  • Openness to deep thinking and strategic planning (design phase)
  • Willingness to engage in organizational strengthening
  • Learning orientation and measurement capacity

Examples of Funded Organizations

CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education) - Led by CEO Angeline Murimirwa, leading a movement of young women turning exclusion into empowerment

ARMMAN - Led by Dr. Aparna Hegde, using mobile technology to empower millions of women and health workers across India to prevent maternal and child deaths

Gender Mobile Initiative - Founded by Omowumi Ogunrotimi, transforming how Nigeria confronts sexual violence in schools and universities

Organizations led by Alejandra Ancheita - Fighting to put land back in the hands of rural women, inspired by comuneras who stopped Latin America's biggest wind farm

Co-Impact's Approach to Partnership

From their own documentation: "At Co-Impact, we understand that many organizations working on the complex work of systems change often do not have sufficient space or resources to do the deep thinking needed to develop concrete strategies for their work."

The design phase provides organizations with "time, resources, ideas, tools, community, and support necessary" for strategic planning. "From the very first design phase, Co-Impact acts as a thought partner—helping organizations map strategies, troubleshoot pain points, and identify what it will take to build coalitions and shift systems."

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Co-Impact does not accept unsolicited proposals - Focus on building a strong track record of systems-change work that gets noticed in your region rather than trying to apply directly
  • Referrals matter enormously - Being recommended by current Co-Impact partners or recognized within coalitions is the most effective pathway to consideration
  • Local roots are non-negotiable - Co-Impact exclusively funds Global South-rooted organizations with deep local knowledge, relationships, and political savvy
  • Think systems, not projects - Co-Impact funds initiatives that address root causes and work at the scale of problems, not individual interventions
  • Women's leadership is central - Ensure your organization demonstrates substantive women's leadership and feminist values, particularly for Gender Fund consideration
  • Coalition-building capacity is essential - Demonstrate proven ability to partner with government and key actors, not just implement programs
  • Be in their core countries - Focus is on 8 priority countries for Gender Fund (Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa) and slightly broader for Foundational Fund
  • Patient capital mindset - Co-Impact's approach includes design phases and 5+ year implementation grants; they seek partners ready for long-term systems transformation, not quick wins

References

All sources accessed December 2025.

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