The World Bank Group has opened a formal front door for foundations. On October 12, 2026, during the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Bangkok, it launched a Philanthropy Hub, which it describes as a new platform to deepen collaboration with philanthropic organizations and other partners.
For foundation leaders, family offices and corporate giving teams that follow the summit calendar, the hub matters because it offers a single route into the Bank Group’s large programs in energy, health, water and agriculture, rather than one-off grants negotiated project by project.
What was launched
The hub was announced at the first World Bank Group Philanthropy Forum. According to the Bank Group, the forum brought together more than 200 leaders from foundations, philanthropic networks, family offices, development institutions and other partners. It was co-convened with the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), the Institute of Philanthropy, the OECD’s Network of Foundations Working for Development (netFWD), and the Philanthropy Asia Alliance by Temasek Trust.
The Bank Group calls the hub a single entry point that identifies opportunities for philanthropic capital, solutions and knowledge. Its program page says the hub is organized around shared missions, meaning goals with clear outcomes that partners work toward together. Partners help shape priorities from the start, and the hub matches them with opportunities, country needs, evidence, specialists and financing options. The page also says philanthropy can support early innovation and help prepare ideas for larger public or private investment.
Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of the World Bank Group, spoke for the institution in the announcement.
Early partners and programs
Two memoranda of understanding were signed on the sidelines. Under the first, AVPN’s regional network will allow foundations, social investors and private companies to support Bank Group initiatives, and AVPN announced a dedicated fund to support Health Works through technical assistance financing. No amount was given. Under the second, Temasek Trust will help develop partnership models anchored in three Bank Group programs: AgriConnect, Health Works and Water Forward.
Health Works is the Bank Group’s effort to help provide 1.5 billion people with access to quality, affordable health services. The release also names Mission 300, the electricity access program, among the initiatives philanthropies can support.
The hub lists knowledge partners including the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Latimpacto, Philanthropy Asia Alliance, the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, Boston Consulting Group, Bridgespan, Dalberg, Coefficient Giving, the London School of Economics and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Its page also lists other multilateral lenders in its network: the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank.
What to watch
The launch announced structure rather than money. No total funding target or pooled fund size was published. The test will be whether the shared missions attract commitments large enough to change the scale of programs like Health Works and Water Forward. The hub’s program page invites organizations to get in touch to learn about its missions and how to take part.
