In 2024, the MMC mobilized over $6.4 million in direct and follow-on funding for city governments through the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees (GCF), its flagship mechanism for channeling financial and technical support directly to cities. This year, the GCF backed 12 city grantees, providing direct support to nearly 12,000 migrants, displaced, and marginalized people, with countless more benefiting indirectly. In parallel, the MMC secured new investments to expand the GCF in 2025, initially focusing on economic inclusion, reinforcing its multi-year Commitment to Action announced at the Clinton Global Initiative’s 2024 Annual Meeting. Since launching, the GCF has mobilized $28 million—exceeding its $25 million target ahead of schedule—and helped 26 cities across 22 countries improve the lives of more than 100,000 people. Notably, 90 percent of city grantees have leveraged this initial funding to secure more resources and continue, expand, or replicate their projects, tripling the MMC’s initial investment. Building on this momentum, the MMC is working with partners to further scale the GCF to $50 million, ensuring more cities have the funding needed to deliver solutions now, while pushing the global community to reimagine humanitarian and development aid for the future.   

Project Highlights

Beirut, Lebanon: Delivering accessible healthcare to marginalized local communities 

Beirut, Lebanon, launched its first-ever Municipal Mobile Health Clinic, providing accessible healthcare to over 3,500 Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian, and Iraqi residents—regardless of migration status. Building on the pilot’s success, the city invested its own resources to make the clinic a permanent part of Beirut’s healthcare system. Originally focused on providing vaccines and testing for migrants and refugees in remote areas, the clinic’s role expanded in 2024 as millions of people were displaced  from southern Lebanon. The municipality swiftly deployed it to areas with the highest concentrations of displaced Lebanese, delivering medicine and lifesaving care. Within days, it treated over 520 displaced families, with plans to remain in place for as long as needed. The clinic has become a vital lifeline for both newcomers and local communities, ensuring uninterrupted healthcare access in times of crisis and beyond. 

Guayaquil, Ecuador: Supporting returnees and migrants through a city-led inclusion center 

Home to Ecuador’s second-largest population of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, Guayaquil used the GCF to launch Centro Municipal Ciudadanos Integrados, the city’s first municipal inclusion center. Strategically located at one of Guayaquil’s busiest transit hubs, the center provides legal assistance, psychological support, and pathways to inclusion for migrants, refugees, and Ecuadorian returnees. It supported nearly 4,000 individuals, successfully delivering more than 8,000 direct services and 600 referrals. The center quickly proved essential beyond the grant term. For example, when 300 Ecuadorian returnees arrived in Guayaquil from the US, the city swiftly mobilized the center to provide medical care, legal assistance, shelter, and support in reuniting with their families across the country. Recognizing its impact, Guayaquil committed to sustaining the center through funding from municipal revenues alongside additional support from philanthropic donors and IOM. 

Medellín, Colombia: Expanding housing solutions for migrant and displaced families  
Medellín provided emergency shelter to 1,250 migrant and refugee families at risk of homelessness, indirectly benefiting many more by stabilizing vulnerable communities. Recognizing that housing stability requires more than shelter, the city paired this intervention with essential services, including registration support, school enrollment for children, and job placement for parents. As a result, more than 75 percent of participating families secured permanent housing in Medellín, improving their long-term prospects. Building on this success, the city independently mobilized nearly $2 million from municipal revenues and philanthropic contributions to sustain and expand the program. Its impact has also gained international recognition, with the UN Refugee and Migration Agencies highlighting Medellín’s approach to temporary housing for Venezuelan migrants as a promising model for cities worldwide, reinforcing its role in shaping urban migration and displacement solutions. 

Milan, Italy: Unlocking the potential of migrant and refugee children through early education  

The Municipality of Milan launched First Steps in Milan, providing early childhood education and daycare to over 320 migrant and refugee children up to age six, ensuring they develop linguistic, cognitive, and social skills for a smooth transition to primary school. Meanwhile, 250 newly arrived caregivers received language training, psychosocial support, and cultural orientation to navigate life in Milan. By intervening early, the program breaks the cycle of exclusion, as children in tailored preschools are more likely to enroll in school, succeed academically, and achieve better long-term socio-economic outcomes. Milan also set a new standard for cross-sector collaboration, working with 13 civil society organizations to deliver the initiative, strengthening the city’s foundation for long-term inclusion efforts. Building on this momentum, the city secured over $400,000 in national funds to expand and sustain the program in 2025, ensuring more migrant families receive the support needed to thrive. 

Nyamagabe, Rwanda: Creating green jobs through waste-to-energy and smart agriculture 

Rwanda’s Nyamagabe District launched Building Community Resilience to Climate Variability, a first-of-its-kind green job initiative with UNHCR Rwanda. The project employed 280 refugees and locals to convert organic waste from Kigeme refugee camp into renewable energy, powering public schools. Workers also transformed 50 hectares of landslide-prone hillsides into farmland, boosting the economy while preventing erosion. The initiative expanded housing for refugees and host communities, servicing 120 plots with electricity, water, and roads for families to build homes. By creating opportunities for both refugees and local residents, the project generated jobs, strengthened climate resilience, and built social cohesion. Recognizing its impact on Rwanda’s greenhouse gas reduction goals under the Paris Agreement, the Rwanda Green Fund, backed by the German government, awarded $3.2 million to scale and sustain the initiative.