Children's Investment Fund Foundation: CIFF

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Enriched family-office · Found: 2026-03-11 08:10

Building on several years of engagement with Chinese partners on climate programming, CIFF opened an office in Beijing in 2019. CIFF's work in China focuses ...

Source: https://ciff.org/

Funding Details

Funder: Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)
Funding Goal: To transform the lives of children and adolescents globally by funding large-scale, evidence-based programs in climate change mitigation, child health, sexual and reproductive health, girl capital, and child protection.
Funding Amount: Endowment of ~$6 billion; annual disbursements of ~$344 million (2020); total current multi-year commitments of $1.7 billion. Individual grant sizes vary widely but tend to be large-scale (tens of millions).
How to Apply: CIFF does not accept unsolicited proposals. The foundation proactively identifies and invites partners whose work aligns with its strategic priorities. Once invited, the process involves: (1) a 2-page Concept Note submitted for review by the Executive Team, (2) upon approval, development of a comprehensive Investment Memo in collaboration with CIFF staff, reviewed by the Board of Trustees. Typical timeline from concept note to approval is 15-20 weeks.
Target Region: Global — with particular focus on Africa, India, China, and Europe
Contact: Offices in London (headquarters), Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Beijing, and New Delhi. No public application contact — engagement is by invitation only.
Last Checked: 2026-03-11 22:10

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Organization must be invited by CIFF to submit a proposal — unsolicited applications are not accepted

Project Scope

Proposed work must align with one of CIFF's five strategic priority areas (Climate Change, Child Health, SRHR, Girl Capital, Child Protection)
Programs must demonstrate transformational, systemic impact at scale — not small project-based interventions

Required Documents

Submit a 2-page Concept Note as the first stage of the application process
Develop a comprehensive Investment Memo after concept note approval, in collaboration with CIFF staff

Constraints

Include robust monitoring and evaluation framework with key performance indicators
Demonstrate strong cost-effectiveness and social return on investment
Address long-term sustainability from financial, behavioral, and political perspectives

Summary

The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is one of the world's largest independent philanthropic organizations, with an endowment of approximately $6 billion and a grant portfolio exceeding $2.1 billion. Founded by Sir Chris Hohn, CIFF operates from five offices in London, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Beijing, and New Delhi. The foundation focuses on five strategic priority areas: Climate Change ($808M committed — the largest area), Child Health & Development ($426M), Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights ($349M), Girl Capital ($98M), and Child Protection ($18M). CIFF's climate change work — its largest funding area — focuses on energy transition, industrial decarbonization, air quality, urban sustainability, cooling equipment, and agriculture/land use. The foundation emphasizes systemic, catalytic change through policy influence, financial sector engagement, and large-scale delivery models rather than small project-based grants. Importantly, CIFF does not accept unsolicited proposals. The foundation proactively identifies partners and invites organizations to submit proposals that align with its strategic priorities. The application process involves a two-stage review: first a Concept Note reviewed by the Executive Team, then a comprehensive Investment Memo reviewed by the Board of Trustees, with a typical timeline of 15-20 weeks. CIFF evaluates proposals based on transformational impact, evidence-based approach, cost-effectiveness, scale and sustainability, and robust measurement and evaluation frameworks.

Historical Context

CIFF opened a Beijing office in 2019 to deepen climate programming with Chinese partners. The foundation has committed over $2.1 billion in grants since inception, with climate change becoming its largest priority area at over $800 million. Annual disbursements reached $344 million in 2020.

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