Less than 0.1% of all philanthropic funding has gone to the fight for clean air. Yet globally, nearly eight million deaths are attributed to the particles and gases that pollute the air – making air pollution the second biggest risk factor for premature death after high blood pressure.

“Air pollution is one of the world’s largest public health threats,” said Dr Christa Hasenkopf, senior fellow at the Clean Air Fund (CAF). “And not only do we underfund it, we’re not directing the funds available to where they’re needed most. Africa has twice the population of North America and more than twice the air pollution, yet it receives 35 times less philanthropic air quality funding.”

CAF’s report on philanthropic funding in air pollution reveals steep disparities in funding, where regions suffering from the worst polluted air receive the least amount of funding.

Worldwide, 99% of people live in environments that exceed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines.

CAF found that between 2019 and 2023, philanthropic funding was heavily skewed towards North America, which received 35% of total outdoor air quality funding – yet thanks to over 50 years of clean air regulation, it broadly enjoys clean air. 

Meanwhile, Africa and Latin America received only 1% and 2% of funding, respectively. 

The lack of funding also has implications for air quality monitoring, crucial for protecting public health and guiding policies.

Hasenkopf noted that “over a third of countries still don’t monitor their air quality at all. But this is a story about opportunity, not just neglect: even modest philanthropic investments in local capacity can unlock pollution reduction for nearly a billion people.”

Philanthropies continue to play a critical role in environmental health, especially as unprecedented aid cuts rock the global aid economy. 

Africa, parts of Asia neglected

While North America has historically enjoyed the largest portion of philanthropic clean air investments at $165.6 million between 2019 and 2023, India and China have also received a significant share of funding- $77.9 million and $43.4 million respectively.

CAF analyzed China and India separately from the rest of the Asia region because, in doing so, their report reveals a broader imbalance within Asia.

Several Asian countries, notably Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, have faced some of the most dangerous air quality levels in the past decade. Pakistan and Bangladesh have ranked first and second for the highest levels of fine particulate matter in the world, according to the Swiss-based air quality organization, IQAir.

Yet despite this burden, Asian countries -excluding India and China – received only 7% of outdoor air quality philanthropic funding. 

In Africa and Latin America, which are also high-need regions, funding remained “particularly low.” Four of the top 10 most air-polluted countries are in African: Chad, the DRC, Uganda, and Egypt.

While Latin America has historically enjoyed cleaner air than its regional counterparts and innovative urban design in its cities, many areas still suffer from a lack of air pollution monitoring.

The two regions received only 0.9% and 1.5% of total philanthropic outdoor air quality funding between 2019 and 2023, respectively.

However, the report notes a positive shift in funding to the Global South. The distribution of outdoor air quality funding grew from $5.1 million to $19.8 million in Asia – excluding China and India – and from $1.5 million to $2.2 million in Africa between 2022 and 2023.

These figures are still dwarfed by the funding available in North America, although it is decreasing: from $56.2 million in 2022 to $25.1 million in 2023.

“The fact that the funds are going to North America and others, is because communities have organized and demanded clean air,” said Dr Maria Neira, WHO’s former director of the environment, in a statement to Health Policy Watch. 

“We need to ensure that philanthropies are focusing the resources to create demand from the civil society in the countries most affected,” Neira said.

Philanthropies step in to shore up funding

Historic aid cuts to global health, environment, and humanitarian assistance during 2025 sent shock waves through these sectors – and have jeopardized the lives of millions.

The report acknowledges that philanthropies alone cannot fill the gaps left behind by the US and other governments, “they can ensure vital work can continue.”

In the past year, Bloomberg Philanthropies has stepped in to cover the US’s funding for the UN Climate convention, while the Skoll and MacArthur Foundations pledged to increase giving after the dismantlement of USAID.

Philanthropies are in a unique position to drive progress on clean air. These groups have the flexibility to take greater risks and fund early-stage innovations, pilots, and advocacy campaigns, the report notes – all without the debt burden typically associated with official government-given development assistance. 

Philanthropies also provide leadership in the political space through lending evidence, raising awareness of air pollution risks, and lobbying.

“While philanthropies cannot fill the entire finance gap on their own, we’ve seen the hugely impactful domino effect they create,” said CAF CEO Jane Burston. “Their investments [accelerate] public policy and catalysing public and private finance.” 

Most of these projects fall under policy and awareness efforts, though the report highlights the need for technical projects like monitoring.  

Philanthropies have catalyzed change in the air pollution space for decades. In 2002, the Sierra Club launched its Beyond Coal Campaign, one of the most “extensive, effective, and long-lasting campaigns in the history of the environmental movement.” The campaign has advocated shifting away from coal to more renewable sources.

Funding needed for other polluting sectors

Philanthropic funding has primarily focused on the transportation sector, with 61% of funding supporting projects such as bus electrification or protecting pedestrian walkways away from busy roads. Other polluting sectors received a far smaller share of funding, notably the energy sector, agriculture, and the waste management sector. 

“Diversifying investments across sectors can help address several sources of emissions that significantly affect both health and climate outcomes,” the report argues.

The waste management sector in particular could greatly benefit from addressing open air burning of solid waste and reducing methane and black carbon emissions. Burning waste generates toxic plumes of dioxins, furans, and heavy metals. More recent research has also pointed to the practice for releasing microplastics into the air.

Several grassroots organizations, like the Green African Youth Organization (GAYO) in Ghana, Botswana, and Uganda, have projects that aim to reduce open-air burning and deploy air quality sensors to track open-burning hotspots.

GAYO’s anti-incineration and no-burn campaign has trained more than 100 municipal officers and environmental health workers in community-level enforcement and education across Ghana. Their Zero Waste Cities initiative in Accra has recovered 50 to 75 tonnes of waste per month, diverting materials from both landfills and open burning. 

Engaging in these sectors beyond transportation – like in clean cooking and agricultural practices such as moving away from crop residue burning  –“will be critical for improving public health, reducing inequality, and accelerating progress towards cleaner air and a more sustainable future,” the report argues.

A call to increase philanthropic giving

In the past several years, the rate of growth in philanthropic funding in clean air has slowed. While the raw numbers of funds invested have more than doubled between 2019 and 2023, reaching a total of $478 million, philanthropic funding for outdoor air quality is showing “signs of stagnation,” the report warns.

Between 2022 and 2023, funding grew by only 2%, from $123.1 million to $125.8 million, the report says. 

Image Credits: Igor Karimov/ Unsplash, University of Chicago , IQAir, Clean Air Fund , Sierra Club, Clean Air Fund.