Smiling woman
Photo Credit: Root Capital

Our
Approach

HOW WE WORK

From the outset, we’ve worked with organisations that are likely to benefit substantially from our grant funding

Our work now stretches across five main themes around the globe: education, enterprise and livelihoods, health, humanitarian relief/emergencies, and water, sanitation and hygiene. In each sector, we aim to improve performance, provide wider access and inclusion, foster innovation and catalyse access to finance.

We promote innovation or replicate successful solutions from similar settings – to bring about lasting and sustainable change.

The Vitol Foundation provides financing in different forms (grants and other appropriate funding) to non-profit and for-profit organisations. Our funding is typically either unrestricted within an overall project budget or fully unrestricted.

As a flexible funder, we can fill the funding gap if an organisation has reached a transitional phase and needs to proceed to scale. We support the capacity building of local stakeholders and encourage learning and deep collaboration with our grantees.

Click to read our strategy
Woman in grass field carrying water
Image credit: Labutta – Ayeyerwaddy Delta, Myanmar

Our partners

We believe in long-term partnership and collaboration to tackle major world problems

We value partnerships across civil society, the private and public sectors, and the wider international development community and build strong networks with like-minded funders to share knowledge and leverage co-funding.

By working together with the private sector, national governments, public institutions and international partners, we channel private capital to invest in reinforcing and improving existing in-country systems, creating lasting and sustainable change.

Man in blue vest carrying blue bucket on his head
Image credit: Safe Water Network
3 women carrying water
Image credit; Water for Good

A flexible approach

We believe our flexible approach allows us to support work that may otherwise be difficult to fund, bridging gaps that unlock other sources of finance and broaden our impact.

MyAgro Zambia

How we measure our work

We measure the impact of our work and funding through:

  • improved performance
  • increased inclusion
  • fostering innovation
  • catalysing access to finance

Our work now covers five main themes across the globe

We aim to make positive and lasting change to people’s lives and have already directly supported millions of people around the world.
Woman in red dress in a field
Image credit: Nuru Nigeria

Growth
Enterprise and Livelihoods

By creating and maintaining sustainable employment and addressing systemic inequality, we can improve economic opportunities for people living in poverty. We invest in innovative market-driven solutions that increase income generation, promote enterprise growth and job creation, build capacity and resilience, and have the potential to scale. Our Enterprise and Livelihoods strategy is principally aligned with UN SDGs 2 and 8 – Zero Hunger and Decent Work and Economic Growth.
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Group of school children
Image credit: Food for Education

Education
Education

We want to improve access to quality education for children and young people so that they are equipped with the skills needed for adulthood in line with UN SDG 4 – Quality Education. We support early stage initiatives or organisations with innovative approaches that address early childhood development programmes and encourage transformation in education systems.
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Group of women
Image credit: British Asian Trust- IRD - Awareness Raising

Group Support
Health

We support local organisations and communities to provide improved, sustainable access to affordable, quality health services. Working with governments and the public sector, we want to improve service delivery and access to care. Our work is aligned with UN SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing.
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Man cutting metal
Image credit: Water for Good

Water
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)

We invest in organisations that improve access to safely managed water and sanitation services and maintain safe hygiene practices. This contributes directly to UN SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, but also positively impacts comfort and dignity, health, education, productivity, gender equality and security.
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Rohingya Refugees arriving over the border in Bangladesh
Image credit: Federico Motka (IDP, Kabul)

Environmental
Humanitarian relief & emergencies

Our humanitarian relief provides rapid funding to combat man-made crises and natural disasters, supporting the achievement of all 17 SDGs in service of “leaving no one behind”. Humanitarian crises disrupt people’s lives, economies and societies, and can reverse many development achievements. Humanitarian and development agendas both contribute to UN SDGs.
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Funding FAQs

Find out more about what and how we fund.

Do you accept unsolicited applications?

Unfortunately we are not able to accept unsolicited applications.