A 501(c)(3) global philanthropic fund
Resourcing local leadership — shaping what's next.
In a time of overlapping crises, a different system of care is taking shape — more local, more distributed, and more effective when resourced. We direct funding to the frontline organizations closest to the communities they serve.
Photo: Silvana Trevale
Why we exist
Local organizations deliver rapid, effective, and sustained support to millions of people displaced by conflict and climate shocks. Many are led by those directly affected, and all are rooted in the communities they serve — closest to the realities they address.
Yet they receive only a fraction of global funding. Resourcing them is why the Global Whole Being Fund exists. In 2025, our funding reached 2.7 million people across 50 countries — in partnership with 318 frontline organizations, working directly with 67 and through 4 vetted intermediaries, from the Americas to East Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Our purpose in action
When crises hit, people rely on those already there. We direct funding to vetted, effective frontline organizations — supporting immediate response and strengthening the systems they build over time, before, during, and after a crisis.
93 cents of every dollar goes directly to programs.
Rapid funding when timing determines survival.
Flexible support for health, education, protection, and livelihoods.
Targeted investment in leadership, governance, and financial systems.
Direct exchange between frontline leaders to strengthen practice and coordination.
How we work
We find new partners through trusted networks — regional advisors, peer funders, and partners who understand the terrain. Each partnership is co-designed to meet both immediate realities and long-term ambition, grounded in four factors:
What we're working toward
Our Horizon — Vision
A world where people affected by war, persecution, natural disasters, and climate change have the support they need to survive and thrive.
Our Hands — Mission
We fund and strengthen local organizations holding people displaced by crisis — and the communities that host them — and we stay long enough to matter.
2025 at a glance
In 2025, our funding reached 2,753,924 people — channeled to the organizations closest to crisis, in every region we serve.
Work that supports more than one country or region.
Resourcing frontline organizations across the continent.
Latin, Central & North America.
From the Thai–Myanmar border to South Asia.
Middle East & Northern Africa.
Of every dollar in 2025 went directly to programs.
Lives in motion
From the Americas to East Africa and Asia-Pacific, our partners deliver care, protection, and possibility — rooted in the communities they call home.
Photography: Silvana Trevale & Liliana Merizalde · from the GWBF 2025 Impact Report
"The ability to survive — and still imagine a future — is not built alone. It's built with those who show up."
Who we are
Born into war and displaced at a young age, her work is shaped by lived experience and a two decades of work on how communities navigate crisis and recovery. Negar leads GWBF’s strategy and global network, mobilizing millions of dollars to support community-led organizations across more than 65 countries—reaching over 10 million people. Negar serves as Chair of Choose Love U.S. and sits on the board of Atmos. With over two decades of experience, she works across philanthropy to resource frontline leadership and strengthen locally led systems—with a sweet spot for women-led organizations. Negar is also a life coach supporting women in positions of power.
Growing up at the Southwest border, her work focuses on building the systems that enable community-led organizations to operate effectively in complex, fast-changing environments. With a background in public health and experience across government and philanthropy, she brings a systems-oriented and creative approach to grantmaking, operations, and organizational design. She leads GWBF’s grantmaking systems and operations. Previously, she managed large-scale public sector programs. Her work centers on translating strategy into systems and ensuring funding moves efficiently and effectively while ensuring compliance.
Leading the development of systems that track impact, generate insight, and inform strategic decision-making across a global network of partners—ensuring GWBF’s grantmaking and programs are grounded in real-time evidence and continuous learning. With over a decade of experience across public service and international development, Alison brings deep expertise in qualitative research, evaluation design, and knowledge systems. She has supported high-stakes initiatives through USAID, the U.S. Department of State, nonprofits, and academic institutions—translating complex data into clear, actionable insights that strengthen funding strategies, program design, and long-term effectiveness.
Our network
A lean core team anchors a distributed network of specialized consultants and Regional Advisors who combine lived experience, deep regional knowledge, and global perspective. Embedded within local organizations, they shape strategy, guide grantmaking, and strengthen the ecosystems our partners operate in. For the safety of our advisors, we share the regions and countries where they work — not individual names.
Colombia · Ecuador · Mexico · United States
Uganda · Kenya
Thailand–Myanmar · Malaysia · Bangladesh
Looking ahead
Pressure on frontline organizations is increasing as crises accelerate. Our focus is to resource those closest to the challenges — enabling the conditions for survival and sustained progress.
Scale our Peer-to-Peer Organizational Development model across East Africa and Asia — strengthening exchange between leaders navigating similar realities.
Document and share practical insights from our organizational development and multi-year funding approach.
Contribute to philanthropic and sector conversations — grounded in field experience and evidence.
Deploy capital along key migration corridors that are sustained and underfunded — including Bangladesh, Egypt, and cross-border routes in East and West Africa.
Go deeper
Report
Our reach, our model, and what we learned — across 50 countries in 2025, with full partner insights coming soon.
Open the report →Stories
The people and partners behind the numbers — told in their own words, from the communities closest to crisis.
Read the stories →Brief
How our partner-led Organizational Development model evolved — and why investing in leadership and systems makes impact last.
Read the brief →To support their communities during and after crisis — at scale. That's the world we're resourcing. We'd love to tell you more.
Get in touchpartnerships@gwbf.org · fund@gwbf.org