Children's Investment Fund Foundation | AVPN

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

CIFF works with a wide range of partners, and areas of work include maternal and child health, adolescent sexual health, nutrition, education, deworming, ...

Source: https://avpn.asia/organisation/childrens-investment-fund-foundation/

Funding Details

Funder

Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)

Funding Goal

To improve the lives of children in developing countries living in poverty through transformational, evidence-based, and scalable investments across climate change, child health, sexual & reproductive health, girl empowerment, and child protection.

Funding Amount

CIFF has a $6 billion endowment and a grant portfolio exceeding $2.1 billion. Annual disbursements were $344 million in 2020. Individual grant sizes are not specified but multi-year sector commitments range from $30 million (child protection) to $849 million (climate change).

How to Apply

CIFF does not normally accept unsolicited proposals. They identify funding opportunities through direct engagement and proactive sourcing. If a concept aligns with their priorities, the process follows two stages: Stage 1 is a Concept Note (a two-page overview addressing program feasibility and key risks), reviewed by CIFF's Executive Team. Stage 2 is an Investment Memo phase involving intensive due diligence over 15-20 weeks, examining evidence, design, budgets, and theory of change, with collaboration across Evidence, Finance, and Operations teams.

Target Region

Global — primarily Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya), India, China, Brazil, Mexico, and Europe (climate)

Contact

Offices in London (HQ), Addis Ababa, Beijing, Nairobi, and New Delhi. Executive Director: Hisham Mundol. Co-Founder: Sir Chris Hohn. Website: https://ciff.org

Last Checked

2026-03-12 04:00

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Project must align with one of CIFF's five priority sectors: climate change, child health & development, sexual & reproductive health, girl capital, or child protection

Project Scope

• Projects must demonstrate transformational, systemic impact with measurable pathways to success
• Proposals must be evidence-based and data-driven with robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• Programs must show strong cost-effectiveness and social return on investment

Required Documents

• Stage 1 requires a two-page Concept Note addressing feasibility and key risks
• Stage 2 requires a full Investment Memo with evidence review, budget, and theory of change (15-20 week process)

Constraints

• CIFF does not normally accept unsolicited proposals — organizations typically need to be identified or approached by CIFF directly
• Projects should address long-term solutions at scale with clear financial, behavioral, and political sustainability

Summary

The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is one of the world's largest philanthropic organizations focused specifically on improving children's lives in developing countries. With a $6 billion endowment and over $2.1 billion in grants disbursed, CIFF operates at significant scale across five priority sectors: climate change ($849M committed), child health and development ($813M), sexual and reproductive health and rights ($417M), girl capital ($92M), and child protection ($30M). CIFF provides both financial support through grants and extensive non-financial support including coaching, mentoring, impact measurement, legal support, communications, and training. The foundation has offices in London, Addis Ababa, Beijing, Nairobi, and New Delhi, reflecting its geographic focus on Africa, India, and China. It also supports climate-focused work in Europe. Importantly, CIFF does not normally accept unsolicited proposals. The foundation identifies funding opportunities through proactive engagement and direct sourcing. When a concept aligns with their priorities, the grant-making process involves a two-stage approach: a brief Concept Note followed by an intensive 15-20 week due diligence phase culminating in an Investment Memo. All funded programs must demonstrate transformational and systemic impact, be evidence-based, cost-effective, scalable, and include robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

Historical Context

CIFF describes itself as the world's largest philanthropy focused specifically on children's lives. The foundation has been operating for over 15 years with offices established in Delhi (2007), Nairobi (2009), and more recently Addis Ababa and Beijing (2019). Their grant portfolio has grown to over $2.1 billion across five priority sectors.

Sources

• https://avpn.asia/organisation/childrens-investment-fund-foundation/
• https://ciff.org/
• https://ciff.org/grant-portfolio/our-grant-making-process/

Similar Programs

← Back to list