This section contains a listing and a brief description of a few of the many poverty relief organizations - both non-governmental organizations and foundations - around the world. For information on the role poverty relief organizations, specifically non-governmental organizations, play in alleviating poverty, see the Non-Governmental Organizations section.

• Bangladesh Relief Fund:
  The Bangladesh Relief Fund was founded in 2004, and works to decrease poverty, especially in the country of Bangladesh. The BRF raises money, mainly in the U.S., and then uses these funds to create partnerships with other NGOs in Bangladesh to pursue development projects that create jobs and lift families out of poverty. So far, the BRF has financed several projects, including a fishery, a chicken farm, and a cow-lending microcredit operation.



• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:
  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, founded by Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates, is the largest private charity organization in the world, with an endowment of $28 billion (an endowment is money that is invested by a foundation so it can continue to fund programs in the future, rather than spend all its fund at once). Though the Gates Foundation funds activities in many areas, it has taken a special interest in global health, and has become the most powerful source of funding for health programs (the Gates Foundation gives out $6 billion in grants each year. The WHO’s annual budget is only $1.65 billion), especially cutting-edge, innovative projects that work to fight diseases in new ways.
  
  The Foundation funds programs to prevent and treat many of the worst infectious diseases, including AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and diarrhea. It also helps improve child health and nutrition in developing countries.



• CARE International:
  CARE, one of the largest relief organizations in the world, was founded in the United States in 1945 to assist World War II refugees in Europe (‘CARE’ originally stood for ‘Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe’).
  
  Today, CARE’s core mission has changed significantly. While it still participates in relief efforts across the globe (CARE now stands for ‘Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere’), CARE now engages in longer-term programs to end poverty. CARE’s website states that its mission is “…to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world.”
  
  CARE works in over 70 countries, and is based in Brussels, Belgium. It is also subdivided into 11 ‘member organizations,’ such as CARE USA, CARE Japan, and CARE UK.



• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria:
  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is a major player in funding health programs in many impoverished countries. It has given out billions of dollars in grants to more than 150 programs in 93 countries.
  
  Because the Global Fund does not actually conduct prevention and treatment programs itself, it partners with many other humanitarian organizations to help in its work. These include the WHO, the Stop TB Partnership, UNICEF, and the Roll Back Malaria campaign, to name a few.



• Global Program Against Corruption:
  GPAC is the United Nation's main fighting force against corruption. GPAC has conducted anti-corruption campaigns in 12 countries since 1999. In 2003, it modified its strategies to reflect the new United Nations Convention against Corruption, the primary U.N. anti-corruption legislation. GPAC focuses on strengthening he integrity of courts and disseminating technical information to local officials who are combating corruption.



• Grameen Bank:
  Grameen Bank, a microfinance institution working in Bangladesh, was one of the pioneers of microcredit, along with the Latin American non-governmental organization ACCION International. Grameen Bank was founded by Muhammad Yunus, often called the 'inventor' of microcredit, and serves millions of poor Bengalis, especially women.



• Human Rights Watch:
  The Human Rights Watch (HRW) focuses its attention not on poverty directly, but on human rights around the world. However, this indirectly helps fight poverty.
  
  HRW was founded in 1978, originally to monitor human rights abuses in former Soviet countries. Since then, it has become the largest U.S.-based human rights organization, with over 150 dedicated staff who travel the world, sometimes setting up temporary country offices, to document human rights abuses. HRW spends more than $21 million a year, advocating for equal rights, better governance, and HIV/AIDS awareness (it also helps protect the rights of people who are unfairly treated because they have AIDS or work with those who have AIDS), to name a few of its many program areas.



• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development:
  The IBRD was created in 1945, and eventually became one of the first members of the World Bank Group. Unlike many other organizations in the World Bank, the IBRD focuses its lending on middle-income countries, rather than extremely poor ones.



• International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes:
  The ICSID was created by the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States in 1966.
  
  It is responsible for mediating arguments between foreign investors and the governments of poor countries receiving investments (such as FDI).



• International Development Association:
  The IDA, established in 1960, is the branch of the World Bank that loans money to the poorest nations on earth. Unlike loans from the IBRD, loans from the IDA are completely interest-free. Of the 2.5 billion people in the 84 countries eligible for IDA assistance (the country must have a per capita income of less that $965 per year), 1.5 billion live on less than $2 a day.



• International Finance Corporation:
  In 1956, the IFC was created to help private businesses in developing areas. It provides funding, expertise, and technical help to businesses in poor countries. This helps the country create a sustainable private sector and allows businesses to compete in international markets, create jobs, and improve the quality of life.



• International Monetary Fund:
  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was founded in 1944. While it is primarily in charge of managing the global financial system, it does have some programs geared toward poverty relief. Using its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program, the IMF evaluates countries and determines whether they are eligible for loans. To receive loans, countries submit Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) that are reviewed before loans are granted. Currently, 78 countries are eligible for IMF loans (countries must meet several conditions to be eligible for aid. The primary requirement is that the country must have a per-capita gross national income of less than $895).



• Jubilee Debt Campaign:
  The Jubilee Debt Campaign is a campaign directed toward the governments of developed nations. It aims for debt relief for developing nations, and believes that debt relief can allow funds to go toward better use, decreasing poverty. The Jubilee Debt Campaign was originally known as the 'Jubilee 2000' campaign.



• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency:
  MIGA was founded in 1988 – the latest addition to the World Bank – and focuses on promoting foreign investment in developing countries. It acts as a negotiator, finding projects that need funding and then encouraging foreign sources to invest in them. It also provides ‘insurance’ to foreign investors to protect against such events as political failures in poor countries where FDI is directed.



• One Campaign/Make Poverty History:
  The American 'ONE Campaign' and British 'Make Poverty History Campaign' are partners in a global effort to raise awareness of poverty. The campaigns are primarily aimed toward teenagers and young adults, and have the support of many celebrities, including Bono, Mos Def, Brad Pitt, and Tom Hanks. In addition to awareness, both campaigns aim to increase the amount of development aid given out by industrialized nations to developing nations.



• Oxfam:
  Oxfam, based in Oxford, England (Oxfam’s name comes from its telegraph address – OXFAM), is dedicated to fighting poverty and improving the lives of people across the globe. Like many other large NGOs, it is split into several organizations across several developed countries (in Oxfam’s case, 12). Oxfam works in 70 countries in many different poverty-related areas – gender equality, education, trade, debt relief, HIV/AIDS, etc.



• Save the Children:
  Save the Children was founded in 1919, in England, to help children suffering from the aftermath of World War I. Now, there are ‘Save the Children’ organizations in 27 countries, which together form the International Save the Children Alliance. This Alliance works in 110 countries to help children around the world live better lives, conducting activities in many sectors – from education to HIV/AIDS to emergency relief work.



• United Nations:
  The United Nations is an international body of global governments. While it is concerned with much more than just poverty, it has put a significant amount of energy into bringing the issue into the global arena. An example of this is the creation of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, which address some poverty issues. Most of the United Nation's work on poverty is done in various sub-organizations.



• UNAIDS:
  UNAIDS is a collection of various organizations (while most are UN organizations, others, such as the World Bank, are also involved) that work together to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic that is sweeping the globe.



• UNCDF:
  The UNCDF (United Nations Capital Development Fund), works in developing countries to help impoverished people to gain financial knowledge and be able to better manage and use their money. UNCDF works extensively with microfinancing operations, and has seen excellent results. UNCDF tries to create microfinance opportunities in areas where there is a lack of organizations conducting microfinance activities.



• UNDP:
  The UNDP works all over the world – 166 different countries – and is the largest UN organization. It is led by an Administrator, currently Kemal Dervis (who is actually a former World Bank official). His position as head of the UNDP makes him the 3rd-highest ranking UN official in the UN system (the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is the highest ranking, and his deputy is 2nd).
  
  The UNDP, unlike organizations such as the World Bank, does not usually give out large loans to developing nations. Instead, it provides technical assistance, helping countries learn how to best achieve their poverty reduction goals. Because of this focus, the UNDP has become the largest source of grant (the money does not have to be repaid) technical assistance in the world.



• UNESCO:
  UNESCO is a United Nations organization that promotes human rights, and especially education. It supports the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment literacy program, and hosts the World Literacy Day event.



• UNICEF:
  UNICEF works to give children around the world a healthy childhood. It conducts immunizations, works for gender equality in schools, combats HIV/AIDS, and creates protective, safe environments for children to live in.



• UNIFEM:
  UNIFEM works to create gender equality across the world, especially for women. This work is absolutely essential, because women in the developing world are often denied access to education, have an increased risk of HIV/AIDS, and are even more likely to be impoverished or economically insecure.



• USAID:
  USAID is the government agency that is in charge of managing U.S. development aid. It works around the world, and partners with 3,500+ companies and 300+ volunteer organizations to conduct its work of economic development, humanitarian assistance, and advocacy of democracy.



• World Bank Group:
  The World Bank Group is a large international organization that loans and grants money to developing nations around the world. It is one of the biggest funders of poverty relief programs in the world, and lends billions of dollars a year - more than $22 billion a year. It consists of five sub-organizations.



• World Health Organization:
  The World Health Organization (WHO) is a United Nations organization that deals with health-related issues across the globe. It concentrates on helping developing countries create the management and infrastrucutre they need to have an effective health system that reaches out to the poor. The WHO provides technical assistance and experience to these countries and continually looks for new ways to improve health.



• World Food Programme:
  The World Food Programme is a United Nation's organization that is responsible for the vast majority of food aid, whether for emergency or development purposes, in the world. It works to end hunger around the world and distributes food aid to millions of people each year.

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