Communities around the world continue to battle the terrible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic beyond its immediate health effects; many are suffering from financial insecurity, losses in educational outcomes and enrollment, and decline in mental and preventative health. And while COVID-19 may have pushed climate change out of the headlines for the past few years, almost everyone across the globe is directly experiencing its effects. These, and more, are issues of renewed importance that demand the attention of philanthropists and policymakers.

Prior to the pandemic, the global community had made significant progress toward ending poverty. Now, we’re moving in the opposite direction. Urgent action is needed to reverse this trend and ensure that the progress of recent decades continues to be sustained at scale. At the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a research center founded at MIT, our network of researchers, country staff, and local partners have continued this fight by collecting data and evaluating programs to understand what works and what doesn’t in the recovery from COVID-19. We additionally work to apply evidence in pandemic response programs and policies.

What has stayed the same: The importance of unrestricted support for agile response

In 2019, we published a blog post describing three key lessons for philanthropists seeking to support the practice of evidence-driven decision making: 1) Provide core support for evidence-to-policy catalysts, 2) ensure funds are easily accessible and predictable to attract interest in your priority areas, and 3) invest in cross-cutting initiatives with governments that go beyond sector boundaries, given that they are still the largest player in development and social policy. Throughout the pandemic, these lessons have been underlined time and time again.

What has changed: Tackling emerging issues of concern 

The ravages of COVID-19 over the last two years have uncovered new and deepened sectoral challenges that must be prioritized by the philanthropic community.

  1. Providing a lifeline to families in need
  2. Keeping children in school
  3. Preserving physical and mental health
  4. Preventing the spread of misinformation

Read the full article about learning to live with the pandemic by Iqbal Dhaliwal and Ingrid Lustig at The Center for Effective Philanthropy.