SILVER2022

United Nations Foundation, Inc.

aka UN Foundation, and UNF   |   Washington, DC   |  www.unfoundation.org

Mission

The UN Foundation believes the United Nations is indispensable to tackling humanity’s greatest challenges and driving global progress. We act as a strategic partner to help the UN mobilize the ideas, people, and resources it needs to deliver, and grow a diverse and durable constituency for collective action. We focus on issues at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals, build initiatives across sectors to solve problems at scale, and engage influencers and citizens who seek action. Partnership, and the power of smart and strategic collaboration, is in our DNA. We believe everyone has a part to play, everyone’s voice should be heard, and everyone has a stake.

Ruling year info

1998

President & CEO

Elizabeth Cousens

Main address

1750 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Suite 300

Washington, DC 20006 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

58-2368165

NTEE code info

Other Philanthropy, Voluntarism, and Grantmaking Foundations N.E.C. (T99)

Philanthropy / Charity / Voluntarism Promotion (General) (T50)

Philanthropy / Charity / Voluntarism Promotion (General) (T50)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The UN Foundation invests in strategic thinking and fresh ideas for tackling the global challenges that shape our world. We prioritize issues with transformative potential for climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are the world’s shared plan to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, and protect the planet by 2030. Adopted by 193 countries in 2015, the SDGs emerged from the most inclusive and comprehensive negotiations in UN history and have inspired people from across sectors, geographies, and cultures. Achieving the goals by 2030 will require heroic and imaginative effort, determination to learn about what works, and agility to adapt to new information and changing trends. The UN Foundation focuses on ideas and initiatives that generate larger impact, advance the SDG imperative to “leave no one behind,” and are backed by evidence, practical commitments, and action.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Climate, Energy, and the Environment

The UN Foundation works with the United Nations and other partners to fulfill the promise of the Paris Agreement on climate change, galvanize climate action across sectors and communities, bring clean energy solutions to global energy access and health challenges, and ensure the health of the world’s natural environment and ecosystems.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The UN Foundation works with the UN and partners on initiatives that accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality. This includes tackling violence against women, supporting targeted research to build evidence about women’s empowerment, and working to empower the next generation of girl leaders. Additionally, the women and girls program enhances private sector support for the UN’s Every Woman Every Child movement.

Population(s) Served
Women and girls

The UN Foundation supports the World Health Organization (WHO), UN agencies, and partners that deliver vital services to improve health globally and forge new and dynamic partnerships for health. Specifically, the foundation mobilizes resources and expertise to improve health by: enabling the delivery of lifesaving vaccines and anti-malaria bed nets to children; advocating for family planning services and safe pregnancies; facilitating the adoption of clean and efficient household cooking solutions and reliable electricity for health facilities; and more.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The UN Foundation works with the UN and a diverse community of partners to increase and improve data and the impact of technology on sustainable development, and promote cooperation in the digital age. To this end, the foundation hosts several partnerships and platforms that convene UN agencies, governments, civil society, academics, and the private sector to support the collection and use of data and technology for sustainable development.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The UN Foundation builds awareness and support of the UN’s work to help some of the most vulnerable people on earth. Efforts to support a range of UN peace, humanitarian, and human rights efforts include advocating for U.S. support of UN peace operations, raising awareness and support for urgent humanitarian needs, championing human rights, including women’s reproductive and sexual health and rights, and the UN’s Free & Equal Campaign to support LGBTI human rights.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The UN Foundation believes that the United Nations is indispensable to tackling humanity’s greatest challenges and driving global progress. To support the UN, the foundation acts as a strategic partner to help mobilize the ideas, people, and resources it needs to deliver, and grow a diverse and durable constituency for collective action.

The UN Foundation supports the UN’s ability to tackle these challenges and harness opportunities for the benefit of all humanity. As we head deeper into the 21st century, this task is more urgent than ever. We work by building communities and incubating initiatives to support the UN and its priority issues, including achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Over the years, the UN Foundation has developed five core capabilities that give the organization reach and flexibility to advance its mission: convene, champion, communicate, collaborate, and channel.
Convene: providing a trusted space for dialogue among decision-makers and influencers to help advance ideas, set agendas, solve problems, and activate partnerships for action.
Champion: building smart campaigns to advocate for the UN, its priorities, and its unique value.
Communicate: harnessing cutting-edge communications tools to reach new audiences, raise awareness, and inform debate.
Collaborate: incubating initiatives that bring sectors together to advance the SDGs and solve challenges at scale.
Channel: mobilizing financial resources for the UN, leverage our resources to attract new support, and enable private individuals, corporations, and philanthropies to contribute to the UN and its causes.

In its first 20 years, the UN Foundation mobilized over $2 billion, numerous initiatives, and countless partners to support the UN and UN causes. This support helped the UN pioneer work in a number of important areas - from supporting elections to the rights of adolescent girls to a shared interest in a clean energy future for all.

To date, the foundation’s campaigns, alliances, and initiatives have helped the UN deliver 12 million bed nets to families in need, delivered more than 42 million vaccines to protect children from preventable diseases, helped more than 80 million people gain access to cleaner, more efficient stoves and fuels , trained 66,342 girls in leadership development programs, and much more.

Financials

United Nations Foundation, Inc.
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

United Nations Foundation, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 09/23/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

R. E. TURNER


Board co-chair

Gro Harlem Brundtland

HM Queen Rania Abdullah

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Hisashi Owada

Yuan Ming

Timothy E. Wirth

Muhammad Yunus

N.R. Narayana Murthy

R.E. Turner

Kathy Calvin

Fabio Barbosa

Igor Ivanov

Hans Vestberg

Valerie Amos

Julio Frenk

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 5/17/2021
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 05/11/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.