2026: The Year We Connect Capital to Impact

Dear Unlock Aid community,

Since September 2021, we’ve focused on one problem: connecting public funding with proven, cost-effective solutions that are endorsed by and accountable to the communities they serve.

Over the last two decades, a new generation of social innovators has emerged. These organizations have earned the trust of local governments, built sustainable business models, and proven they can deliver results without depending on any single funder.

Yet legacy aid systems have too often locked them out. Too much funding has historically flowed through top-down, projectized models built for a different era that centered around donors’ needs. This approach has limited competition and slowed progress towards delivering long-lasting, durable results.

But change may be underway. Countries are demanding new approaches via initiatives like the Accra Reset. Many donors are following suit. Last week, Gavi announced a $300M Scale-Up Facility to bring proven innovations in vaccine delivery to greater scale.

Countries across every continent are making major investments in supply chains, digital infrastructure, and job creation. Countries like the United States are set to invest billions of dollars in global health through dozens of bilateral country-to-country health agreements.

How that capital is directed will shape which systems endure and who delivers results in the years ahead.

Decision makers want partners who can help them build systems that last. Our goal this year: connect public resources with the innovators best positioned to deliver.

As we begin 2026, we’re holding ourselves accountable to three goals:

1. Unlocking capital for proven innovators.
   As donors and countries deploy capital in new ways, we’ll work to direct significant public funding toward organizations with demonstrated performance and scalable models.

2. Making innovation the default.
   As countries take greater control of their own funding priorities, traditional donors must evolve their roles. They can do this by investing in innovations that generate breakthroughs and bring down costs for everyone, creating collective gains no single country could achieve alone.

3. Shaping the future.
   In an era of tightening budgets, countries and donors need to know who to fund. Building on our Solutions Index: Health Edition, we will launch new indices for food security, nutrition, education, and water. We are building a pre-vetted menu of scalable solutions so funders can invest with confidence.

The world in 2026 looks very different than any year before. Countries and donors are increasingly looking for partners who can deliver faster, cheaper, and better while building systems that last.

This is a critical year for social innovators – and for the institutions that fund them.

Thank you to the partners, funders, and advocates who continue this work with us Together, 2026 is the year we translate years of advocacy into concrete results.

To Progress,
Unlock Aid