The Rockefeller Foundation’s 2025 Impact: Global Philanthropy in Action
Strategic Investments Bring $32 Billion in Solutions to Millions Worldwide
NEW YORK | May 18, 2026 — The Rockefeller Foundation has unveiled its 2025 impact report, Big Bets, Real Results. This report highlights a year of targeted investments aimed at addressing pressing global challenges and supporting vulnerable communities. The Foundation’s key initiatives focused on expanding access to energy, promoting nutrition through school meals, and leveraging frontier technology across various regions, amid a challenging global aid environment. In 2025, the organization awarded over $350 million, directly mobilized $3 billion, and facilitated an additional $29 billion in indirect capital, impacting 731 million individuals globally.
“Disruption changes how we work, but not who we work for. Last year the world’s commitment to helping those in need contracted sharply — and people who depended on this paid the price. But it also revealed the uncommon courage of leaders across the United States, Africa, Asia, and Latin America who chose to raise their ambitions and go big. We are proud to stand with them and share this report, which proves it is still possible to deliver results at scale for vulnerable people, despite the disruption that makes their lives worse and our work harder,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. Read his full statement here.
Key Impact Metrics for 2025
Throughout the year, The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts included $350 million in grants and investments distributed to 204 partners. Here are some metrics reflecting the impact of their 2025 initiatives:
- Results for People: Over 731 million individuals accessed services or products funded by the Foundation. Among them, 3 million benefited from measurable direct interventions.
- Unlocking Investment: The Foundation mobilized $3 billion directly and facilitated an additional $29 billion in capital, contributing to a total of $32 billion for global charitable initiatives.
- Protecting the Planet: Initiatives led to the prevention, reduction, or sequestration of 84 million tons of CO₂e and the protection or restoration of 23 million hectares of land.
- Global Funding Reach: Investments reached every major region with over $133 million in Africa, $93 million in Asia and Oceania, $59 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and $49 million in the United States and North America. For a comprehensive regional breakdown, refer to the Full 2025 Financial Overview.
“When the world pulls back, philanthropy has to lean in,” said Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “From AI-powered disease alerts in Latin America to school meals in Kenya and clean energy in Haiti, 2025 showed that the right investments — made with the right partners — deliver results at scale, strengthen markets, and create curable impact for communities.”
Stories from the Field: Global Initiatives and Human Impact
The 2025 report emphasizes the individuals and efforts at the heart of the Foundation’s mission through three main pillars:
- Frontier Tech: Bridging the gap between public and private sectors to ensure the timely distribution of technological advancements.
- Community-Driven Models: Reinforcing local systems for sustainable development.
- Decisive Data: Utilizing unconventional data to facilitate quick, impactful decision-making.
Explore the full range of stories here, with examples of impactful projects:
- Universal Energy Abundance (India, Zambia, Haiti): The Global Energy Alliance has facilitated India’s first utility-scale battery energy storage, benefiting over 100,000 people. In Zambia, solar power enables families to produce and sell cooking oils affordably. In Haiti, 21,000 individuals now have access to reliable electricity through solar-powered grids.
- Regenerative School Meals (Global): In Kenya, school menus now include omena fish, enhancing nutrition and stabilizing food supply chains. The Foundation collaborates with the World Food Programme to improve children’s nutrition in countries like Benin and India.
- Food is Medicine (United States): Community Servings delivers over a million tailored meals to individuals with chronic illnesses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The American Heart Association supports studies to identify effective Food is Medicine programs across the U.S.
- Climate-Smart Tech (Brazil, India, Kenya, United States): The FarmerChat app provides tailored agricultural advice to farmers, enhancing their confidence and productivity. The Foundation supports clean energy initiatives across the U.S. through Invest in Our Future.
- Reforestation Efforts (Brazil): In northeastern Brazil, women-led coalitions foster reforestation and biodiversity protection, offering sustainable economic opportunities and preserving vast rainforest areas.
- Early Health Alerts (Brazil & Colombia): The Dengue.AI platform in Colombia predicts and prevents outbreaks with remarkable accuracy. Brazil’s ÆSOP system helps avert potential health crises.
- AI for Civic Good (South Africa): The Foundation’s investment in Turn.io enhances civic participation through an AI-powered platform in Cape Town.
“As The Rockefeller Foundation marks 60 years of its Africa Regional Office, it reflects a broader shift in the future of development. Amid aid cuts, geopolitical tensions and conflict, climate impacts, and political change, progress is becoming harder to sustain. Against this backdrop, the focus is increasingly on strengthening African capacity across health, education, and energy, and on African-led solutions and leadership, alongside the role of philanthropic capital. The Foundation’s latest Impact Report highlights how we are reimagining progress through mission-driven action and partnerships.” ― William Asiko, Senior Vice President and head of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa Regional Office
“In 2025, our work in Asia proved that frontier technology like battery storage and AI-powered farming tools are not just innovations — they are essential lifelines. By reaching nearly 94 million people across the region, we are demonstrating how decentralized energy and climate-smart data can secure livelihoods even as the global climate becomes more unpredictable.” ― Deepali Khanna, Senior Vice President and head of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Asia Regional Office
“During the first year of activity of the LAC Regional Office, we prioritized local partnerships and community-driven models to protect both the planet and the people across Latin America and the Caribbean. From using Artificial Intelligence to predict dengue outbreaks in Cali (Colombia) to reforestation efforts in Maranhão (Brazil), our US$59 million investment in the region is focused on building local resilience that can withstand global volatility.” ― Lyana Latorre, Vice President and head of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office
The full 2025 Impact Report is available for digital exploration and download at impactreport.rockefellerfoundation.org.
About The Rockefeller Foundation
Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. We leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, YouTube @RockefellerFdn, and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.
Original Story at www.rockefellerfoundation.org