The 2023 Global Philanthropy Tracker (2023 GPT), written and published by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, tracks cross-border philanthropic outflows from 47 countries around the world and places them into the larger context of three externally tracked cross-border flows: remittances, official development assistance (ODA), and private capital investment. The 2023 GPT found that in 2020 (the year for which data was available for most countries) these countries sent $70 billion in cross-border philanthropy.

The SDGs & Philanthropy

The SDG Foundation Giving Estimates Paper opined that a total of $651 billion from philanthropic foundations alone could be unlocked between 2016–2030 for the SDGs. Research from Candid of primarily US-based foundations shows that between 2016–2020 funding focused on the SDGs totaled $217 billion. This may appear to be a drop in the bucket of the estimated $3.9 trillion annual funding gap in developing countries, but experts have highlighted that focusing only on the dollar amount misses the philanthropic sector’s role. The philanthropic sector can react more quickly to changing needs and technology and help catalyze innovation.

Some philanthropic organizations already utilize the valuable common vocabulary and framework that the SDGs provide. From the European Community Foundation Initiative to the Arab Foundations and the East Africa Philanthropy Network, the 2023 GPT highlights how regional member organizations around the world integrate the language and framework of the SDGs into their everyday work.

Data to Inform Best Practices

The 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Report Special Edition echoed a common refrain in the 2023 GPT, which is both the importance and the lack of data relating to the SDGs. Without specific data on how much philanthropy flows across international borders, where this philanthropy goes, and what causes it supports, one cannot begin to map the most effective use of global philanthropy.

Yet, of the 47 countries with data on cross-border philanthropy in the 2023 GPT, only 14 had available data on which causes the cross-border donations supported. Fewer still utilized the same categorization framework when detailing the various causes, making cross-country comparisons difficult. Still, the 2023 GPT found that nine countries each listed support for both health and education – corresponding with SDGs 3 and 4 respectively – making these the most popular causes.

Read the full article about philanthropy and the SDGs by Hannah Vos at Alliance Magazine.