Over the last decade, funders have embraced a wide range of approaches to maximize the impact of their resources. How can these strategies be applied to eliminating neglected tropical diseases?

Collaborative philanthropy – bringing together investors and grantees to work together toward solutions to social, economic, or environmental causes – has become increasingly common as a strategy to pool the resources of individual donors and foundations to apply to large-scale challenges, particularly in global health and international development. Beyond financing, collaborative philanthropy derives value from the blended knowledge, networks and influence from a range of actors to drive impact greater than the sum of the parts. The impact of collaborative philanthropy can be catalytic; for donors, collaborative giving can provide access to a wide network of experienced peers, decrease risk of individual investments and provide an established structure around decision-making with a strategy that aligns with personal values.

One area where collaborative philanthropy is making a significant and measurable impact is in the control and, ultimately, elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTD), a group of 20 diseases prevalent primarily in tropical areas[1]. These diseases have devastating health, social, and economic consequences for people in endemic regions;1 yet, other diseases considered to be more urgent public health issues, like HIV/AIDS and Ebola, have drawn greater attention, funding, and political will. While NTDs are not usually fatal, they cause lifelong pain and disability, including blindness and inability to walk, in addition to more dire social implications such as isolation, stigmatization and loss of workforce capabilities and school attendance. Affecting 1.7 billion people around the world, the scale and nature of NTDs require collaborative solutions[2]. The good news is that NTDs are easily and inexpensively treatable; what we require are financial resources and political will to reach the finish line.

The END Fund is the only independent philanthropic financing vehicle that pools and mobilizes resources from a broad range of investors and directs it into efforts to address NTDs, focusing on the five most prominent: intestinal worms, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, river blindness and schistosomiasis.

Read the full article about collaborative giving for neglected tropical diseases by Allison Morris at Alliance Magazine.