The UBS Optimus Foundation is a grantmaking foundation based in Switzerland. The UBS Optimus Foundation selects programmes that improve children’s health, education, and protection, that have the potential to be transformative, scalable, and sustainable and programmes that tackle environmental and climate issues.
Development Co-operation Profiles
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UBS Optimus Foundation
Introduction
Private development finance
The UBS Optimus Foundation provided USD 111 million for development in 2022 through its grantmaking activities. Compared to 2021, this amount represents an increase of 44.2% in real terms.
Support to Ukraine
In 2022, the UBS Optimus Foundation provided USD 8.4 million of gross development finance to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of Russia’s war of aggression. Moreover, USD 9.7 million was granted in support of Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers in neighbouring countries.
Geographic and thematic focus
In 2022, the UBS Optimus Foundation’s development finance was primarily focused on Asia (excluding the Middle East) and Africa. USD 45.2 million was allocated to Asia (excluding the Middle East) and USD 25.9 million to Africa, accounting for 40.7% and 23.3% of gross development finance respectively. A sum of USD 25.9 million (23.4%) was unspecified by region in 2022, mainly including multi-regional programmes, core support and research grants. In this context, USD 6.5 million was provided in support of refugees and asylum-seekers in donor countries.
Figure. Bilateral private development finance by recipient country
In 2022, 59% of gross development finance went to the top 10 recipients, most notably China (People’s Republic of), Ukraine, India, Ethiopia and Moldova.
Least developed countries (LDCs) received USD 19.8 million (17.8%) of the UBS Optimus Foundation’s gross disbursements in 2022. UBS Optimus Foundation allocated the largest share (33.9%) of its development finance to upper middle-income countries in 2022, followed by lower middle-income countries (24.9%), noting that USD 25.9 million (23.4%) was unallocated by income group.
Notes: LDC: least developed country; LIC: low-income country; LMIC: lower middle-income country; UMIC: upper middle-income country; MADCTs: more advanced developing countries and territories.
Furthermore, the UBS Optimus Foundation allocated USD 15.5 million of its development finance to land-locked developing countries in 2022, and USD 0.2 million to small island developing states (SIDS) in 2022, notably Maldives.
Fragile contexts
Support to fragile contexts reached USD 22.2 million in 2022, representing 20% of UBS Optimus Foundation’s development finance. Of these, extremely fragile contexts received a sum of USD 694 thousand.
Notes: HDP: humanitarian-development-peace. The chart represents only gross bilateral contributions that are allocated by country.
Sectors
In 2022, 66.1% of the UBS Optimus Foundation’s contributions were allocated to social infrastructure and services and 13.6% to multi-sector and cross-cutting issues such as urban development or general environmental protection. In terms of sectors, the UBS Optimus Foundation’s largest allocations went to health and population (USD 38.1 million), education (USD 25.6 million) and general environmental protection (USD 14.3 million).
Sustainable Development Goals
In 2022, the UBS Optimus Foundation committed the largest shares of its contributions to good health and well-being (SDG 3), reduced inequalities (SDG 10) and quality education (SDG 4) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Support to gender equality and women’s empowerment amounted to USD 6.1 million. Contributions to combatting climate change totalled USD 16.8 million.
Additional resources
Official website: www.ubs.com/global/en/ubs-society/philanthropy/optimus-foundation.html
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, the Sustainable Development Goal focus of private development finance, channels of delivery, unspecified/unallocated allocations, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.