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Global Whole Being Fund

Annual Giving
$5.4M
Grant Range
$50K - $0.5M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $5,411,610 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed (estimated $50,000-$500,000 based on 17 awards totaling $5.4M)
  • Geographic Focus: International - Central America, East Africa, Asia Pacific, and Middle East (65 countries)
  • Total Assets: $12.2 million

Contact Details

Website: https://www.gwbf.org/

Email: negar@gwbf.org

Location: Alameda, California

Note: The organization does not accept unsolicited grant proposals but is available for contact via email to discuss ideas.

Overview

The Global Whole Being Fund (GWBF) was established in 2015 as a 501(c)(3) global philanthropic fund that resources community-led and refugee-led organizations supporting displaced populations. The organization operates in 65 countries and supports over 5 million people on the move—including refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons affected by conflict, persecution, natural disasters, and climate change. With total assets of $12.2 million and annual giving of $5.4 million (2023), GWBF applies a holistic resourcing approach encompassing grantmaking, organizational development, accompaniment, and leveraging additional philanthropic funding. The fund works through a network of 400+ local and national nonprofits globally, providing catalytic funding to seed and scale community-based organizations both directly and through value-aligned intermediaries.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

General Grantmaking

  • Provides catalytic funding to seed and scale community-based and refugee-led organizations
  • Made 17 awards totaling $5.4 million in 2023
  • In 2023, began resourcing 49 new community and refugee-led partners
  • Funds organizations directly or through value-aligned, equity-centered intermediaries

Organizational Development Program

  • Comprehensive three-tier program for a cohort of 20 organizations across 11 countries
  • Provides 12 months of leadership coaching, consulting services, and organizational development grants
  • Strengthens leadership, operational infrastructure, and strategic planning
  • Launched in 2023 to build long-term capacity of grassroots organizations

Priority Areas

  • Urgent humanitarian needs: Evacuation, medical care, food aid, and legal assistance
  • Long-term resilience: Capacity-building for grassroots organizations
  • Community-led solutions: Organizations demonstrating commitment to impact ecosystems and holistic approaches
  • Marginalized communities: Focus on organizations receiving less than 2% of global humanitarian funding
  • Geographic priorities: Central America, East Africa, Asia Pacific, and Middle East

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented. The fund focuses exclusively on organizations supporting displaced populations through community-led approaches.

Governance and Leadership

Malaak Malikyar Sills - President and Director

  • Chairs the Global Whole Being Fund
  • Trustee of the Sills Family Foundation
  • Afghan refugee who escaped to Pakistan at age five before resettling in California
  • Also supports survivors of human trafficking, families affected by incarceration, and environmental advocates

Negar Tayyar - Co-Founder and Executive Director

  • Co-founded GWBF in 2016
  • Passionate refugee rights advocate and financial activist
  • Has raised $32 million for global grassroots refugee response
  • Focuses on grassroots ecosystems along migration routes applying a holistic approach

Organizational Structure: The organization operates with 1 employee and 3 volunteers, maintaining a lean operational model that maximizes resources directed to grantees.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Global Whole Being Fund does not accept unsolicited grant proposals. Instead, the organization:

  • Identifies and seeds effective community-led organizations through their own research and networks
  • Works through trusted intermediary partners, particularly Help Refugees/Choose Love
  • Funds organizations they discover through their network of 400+ local and national nonprofits
  • May consider inquiries sent to negar@gwbf.org to discuss partnership ideas

Organizations interested in potential funding are encouraged to email negar@gwbf.org to introduce their work, though there is no guarantee of consideration or response.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available. The organization operates on a rolling basis for identified partners.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. With 17 awards made from their network in 2023, the fund appears highly selective.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only model.

Application Success Factors

While GWBF does not accept unsolicited applications, organizations that align with their priorities typically demonstrate:

  • Community-led or refugee-led leadership: GWBF prioritizes organizations led by those with lived experience of displacement
  • Holistic approaches: Organizations that go beyond institutional agendas and support needs comprehensively
  • Commitment to impact ecosystems: Organizations that collaborate with others and think beyond their own operations
  • Presence in priority geographies: Central America, East Africa, Asia Pacific, and Middle East
  • Grassroots focus: Organizations operating along migration routes providing direct support
  • Underfunded status: Organizations receiving less than 2% of global humanitarian funding
  • Rapid response capacity: Ability to address urgent needs including evacuation, medical care, food aid, and legal assistance
  • Long-term sustainability vision: Commitment to building resilient systems, not just emergency response

The fund's philosophy emphasizes that "grantmaking is most effective when financial investments are mission-aligned and complemented with meaningful organizational development, including leadership coaching, consulting, and discretionary funding to cover organizational needs."

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process: GWBF identifies partners through networks and intermediaries—unsolicited proposals are not accepted
  • Relationship-based funding: Building connections with their intermediary partners (especially Help Refugees/Choose Love) or being active in refugee rights networks may increase visibility
  • Community-led leadership essential: Organizations led by refugees or displaced persons are prioritized
  • Holistic, collaborative approach valued: Demonstrate how your organization works within an ecosystem, not in isolation
  • Focus on underfunded grassroots organizations: If you receive less than 2% of humanitarian funding and operate at the grassroots level, you fit their profile
  • Geographic alignment matters: Strongest opportunities in Central America, East Africa, Asia Pacific, and Middle East
  • Can inquire via email: While unsolicited applications aren't accepted, you can email negar@gwbf.org to introduce your organization

References

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