Does the World Bank fund CSOs?
While the World Bank’s principal activity is to provide loans to governments, it has established numerous funding mechanisms over the past two decades to provide grants to CSOs. Grants are being provided either indirectly via government-run grant funds with Bank financing or directly by World Bank-managed funding mechanisms. An estimated 10% of the Bank’s annual funding portfolio, or $2 billion US dollars, is channeled to government-operated Community-Driven Development projects or social funds, which provide grants to CSOs to rebuild war-torn communities, provide social services, and strengthen community organizations. There are also several grant mechanisms managed by the World Bank – often in partnership with other donor agencies – which provide grants directly to CSOs in a variety of areas such as environment, micro-credit, civic engagement, and innovative approaches.
