Africa continues to receive only a fraction of global philanthropic funding for clean air, even as air pollution levels remain among the highest in the world and urban growth accelerates across the continent.
A new report by the Clean Air Fund, Philanthropic Foundation Funding for Clean Air: Unlocking Co-Benefits for People and the Planet (2026 Edition), shows that Africa received less than 1 percent of global philanthropic funding for outdoor air quality between 2019 and 2023.
In monetary terms, this amounted to about $4.3 million, compared with $165.6 million directed to North America over the same period.
The figures point to a wider imbalance in how clean air philanthropy is distributed globally.
While air pollution remains one of the world’s most serious environmental health risks, contributing to nearly 8 million premature deaths annually, funding has not followed the scale or geography of the problem.
The report estimates that about 99 percent of the global population is exposed to air that exceeds safe limits.
Across regions, the same pattern repeats. Africa and Central and South Asia record the highest population-weighted annual average concentrations of PM2.5, a key pollutant linked to severe health impacts.
In Central and South Asia, countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan face some of the worst exposure levels globally, driven largely by transport, industry, and household energy use.
In Africa, pollution sources are more varied, including vehicle emissions, industrial activity, waste burning, and natural dust.
Despite these shared burdens, philanthropic flows remain concentrated elsewhere.
North America alone received around 35 percent of all philanthropic support for outdoor air quality between 2019 and 2023.
Just ten funders accounted for more than half of global contributions, highlighting a narrow donor base shaping a global issue.
The report notes that overall philanthropic investment in air pollution remains extremely limited, representing less than 0.1 percent of total global philanthropic giving.
Between 2019 and 2023, total funding reached $478 million, but growth slowed sharply in 2023, rising by just 2 percent.
International development funding for air quality also dropped significantly in 2023, falling by around $1 billion.
Where funding does go is also uneven in focus. The largest share is directed toward transport-related interventions, followed by energy and agriculture.
Communications and awareness campaigns account for about 24 percent of total funding.
In contrast, investment in data systems and implementation remains comparatively low at under 20 percent combined, despite their importance in shaping effective air quality responses.
This gap is especially significant for regions like Africa, where monitoring systems remain weak and inconsistent.
The report highlights that many African countries still lack reliable, continuous air quality data, while more than a third of countries globally do not monitor air pollution at all.
Without this information, it becomes difficult to identify pollution sources accurately, design targeted interventions, or evaluate progress over time.
The Clean Air Fund warns that this data gap has direct consequences for both policy and financing.
Limited monitoring can lead to misdirected interventions, reducing effectiveness and weakening confidence in air quality action.
Jane Burston, CEO of the Clean Air Fund, said philanthropic actors have played an important role but warned that progress cannot be sustained without broader support.
“Philanthropic foundations have played an essential role in tackling air pollution, but we can’t afford to lose momentum on this huge public health challenge,” she said.
“Without action from a broader range of funders, we can’t eliminate toxic air. Clean air is fundamental to better health, a cooler climate, and economic development.”
She added that Africa, despite having more than twice the population of North America and significantly higher pollution levels, continues to receive only a small fraction of global clean air funding.
Regionally, Africa and Latin America remain the least funded areas, receiving about 0.9 percent and 1.5 percent of total philanthropic air quality funding, respectively, between 2019 and 2023.
However, the report notes early signs of change. Funding to Africa rose from about $1.5 million in 2022 to more than $2.3 million in 2023, while other parts of Asia also recorded increases.
Even so, these gains remain far below what is needed to match rising pollution levels and rapid urbanisation.
Within this uneven landscape, examples of locally driven responses are emerging.
One highlighted case is the Green African Youth Organisation, a youth-led network operating in Ghana, Uganda, and Botswana.
The organisation works at the intersection of waste management and climate action, promoting zero-waste systems that reduce emissions from open waste burning, a major source of air pollution in many urban areas.
With philanthropic support, including from the Clean Air Fund, the organisation has deployed air quality monitors, supported municipal waste systems, and worked to integrate informal waste workers into formal structures.
These efforts have also contributed to emissions reduction, job creation, and stronger community awareness of air quality issues.
The report concludes that while philanthropy has helped elevate clean air as a global concern, its impact remains constrained by unequal distribution, limited scale, and an overconcentration of funding in specific regions and sectors.
Without a broader and more geographically balanced funding base, it warns, the regions most affected by toxic air will continue to receive the least support in addressing it.
Source: Clean Air Fund, Philanthropic Foundation Funding for Clean Air: Unlocking Co-Benefits for People and the Planet (2026 Edition).
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