Two recent reviews of the international response to the COVID-19 crisis recommend scaling up financing to multilateral organisations in support of pandemic preparedness. Implementation depends on members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), who provide the bulk of their resources and largely shape their mandates and programmes of work. This paper looks at the recommendations through the lens of current trends in DAC members’ funding of the multilateral development system, and explores budgetary implications to inform their reflections and negotiations.