Funding our Programmes

Marketing and fundraising are vital elements of War Child’s mission to create a lasting impact in the lives of conflict-affected children and young people. Our funding base is comprised of three types of income – grant funding (restricted), adopted funding (restricted) and unrestricted funds.

Grant funding comes from a wide range of organisations, such as governments, multi-lateral organisations, corporate bodies, charitable foundations and international organisations. These funds are issued for specific programmes and objectives and come with robust accountability mechanisms which are part of the contractual requirements agreed upon by War Child and the donor.

Adopted funding is typically allocated to existing projects, themes or country programmes, with no specific contractual requirements set by the donor with regard to reporting. Common examples of this type of funding include funds granted by our business partners, major donors and foundations or funds raised through campaigning.

In 2017, some 53 per cent of the funding was grant funding, 46 per cent unrestricted funding and 1 per cent adopted funding.    

Relationships with institutional donors are not only vital to help safeguard the financial sustainability of our programmes but also serve to bolster our profile and reputation. Our work in support of broader global goals such as the SDGs and Humanitarian Response Plans is key in supporting our efforts to become an expert organisation.

Unrestricted funds primarily come from three sources - our large constituency of regular donors; the various fundraising activities undertaken by individuals and businesses; and donations we receive from our primary sponsors. This type of fundraising encompasses major events such as our annual Kili Challenge and our TV special Jij&Ik.

Unrestricted funding is indispensable for War Child - this source of funding allows us to respond rapidly to the urgent needs of conflict-affected children and to develop and test innovative programming. Moreover, unrestricted funding is often a requirement for obtaining restricted funding and, as such, provides leverage to pursue new funding opportunities.