At Global Fund for Children, learning is central to how we create change. We listen, reflect, and adapt — working alongside our partners to understand what works, what’s emerging, and how we can strengthen impact for children and young people worldwide.
Creating impact with and for children and communities
Since 1994, we’ve touched more than 11 million young lives by supporting our partners’ innovative community-based work. In 2024-2025 our impact included:
M
$ disbursed across 654 grants
community-based organizations, including emergency grant recipients
countries where GFC has supported community-based organizations
%
of our partners are youth-led
%
of our partners are women-led
%
of our partners are led by young women
Stories of impact from our partners
Read the voices and stories of children, young people, and communities creating lasting change around the world.
LEEDO’s Story: Standing with children in the face of adversity
We believe meaningful change comes from those closest to the challenges.
Our approach to learning and evaluation is rooted in partnership rather than oversight. We work alongside community-based partners to understand impact in ways that are relevant, practical, and grounded in regional context. We also examine our own practice: identifying where our processes create barriers, where they fall short, and where we can adapt and change too.
A learning-first approach to philanthropy
We see our role not only as a funder, but as a learning partner — and as an institution willing to be changed by what we learn.
We believe that funders and intermediaries should be learning institutions, not just grant-making institutions. At GFC, we recognize that our unique position as a global intermediary connected to grassroots organizations, peer funders, and global networks, gives us a deep and unique perspective on what drives impact.
Our approach to learning
Trust-based learning
Trust-based learning means being as open about what we don't know as what we do. We actively seek feedback from partners — through surveys, conversations, and structured reflections — and we close the loop by showing what changed as a result. Our partners continuously teach us what's working, what's emerging, and where the field needs to evolve.
Investing in learning ecosystems
We invest in the structures that enable collective learning. Communities of practice, peer networks, convenings, and documentation support are not add-ons — they're essential infrastructure. We treat these investments as equally valuable as financial grants.
Trust-based research funding and partner-led inquiry
We fund partners to ask their own questions. Through trust-based research grants, community-based organisations design their own learning agendas, choose methods that fit their context, and decide what gets shared and with whom. This includes our partner-led peer research model — where partners study one another's work, generate cross-organisational insight, and hold the analysis themselves. It shifts funders from knowledge extractors to participants in collective sense-making.
Global Impact Study
Global Fund for Children’s Global Impact Study is a deep investigation into the difference our work is making for children, young people, and communities around the world.
For the first time in our 30-year history, we had the opportunity to examine what we do, why it matters, and the impact our model of support is having globally. Here’s what the study revealed about the role Global Fund for Children has played in making this impact possible.
GFC’s belief and trust in me were fundamental in stepping into my role as head of the organization. Their approach created a safe and encouraging environment, especially for young leaders.
— Community-based organization leader, participant from the Global Impact Study
This report highlights a year of progress and impact – made possible through the hard work of GFC’s team, the strength of its partnerships, and the dedication of its supporters. It is a testament to what can be achieved when participation and youth engagement are at the forefront of an organization’s efforts.
How Global Fund for Children puts partner voices at the center of our story
A reflection on how Global Fund for Children centers partner and youth voices through inclusive storytelling, asset framing, and partner-led event experiences that shift power and deepen authentic connection.
Explore our Knowledge Library — a space for peer-to-peer learning where grassroots leaders, practitioners, partners, and changemakers share tools, insights, and resources.
Explore the library
Be part of the impact
By investing in Global Fund for Children, you are supporting an approach that listens, adapts, and evolves — driving meaningful change for children and young people around the world.
