Regions:

What is the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees?

The Mayors Migration Council (MMC) created the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees (GCF) to transform this broken system and deliver resources where they are needed most. The GCF channels financial and technical resources directly to city governments—too often overlooked by traditional donors—so mayors can address urgent needs while building the case for sustained investment and lasting change.

By directly funding cities to implement inclusive programs of their own design, the GCF:

1. Offers international donors a pipeline of vetted city-led proposals backed by strong mayoral leadership.
   
2. Directly channels international resources to city governments, building precedents of fiscal feasibility.
   
3. Respects the agency, authority, and capacity of city governments and their local partners to implement projects of their own design.
   
4. Accelerates local efforts by providing city grantees with customized technical, advocacy, and networking services.
   
5. Elevates city leadership and actions to a global audience, ensuring that global responses reflect and respond to local needs.
   
6. Serves as a flexible, simple, and predictable funding mechanism with low overhead and high efficiency.
   
7. Encourages collaboration and accountability between city governments and their migrant and displaced communities.
   
8. Advances the local implementation of the Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees, while creating a marketplace of city-led solutions ready to be scaled and replicated.

How does the Global Cities Fund work? 

The GCF supports city-led interventions with grants up to $500,000 to each grantee over a period of two years across a wide range of themes – from health to economic inclusion, climate migration, early childhood development, and more. Proposals are invitation- only and evaluated by a Selection Committee of subject-matter experts. The MMC and its Strategic Partners provide city grantees with customized technical, advocacy, fundraising, communications, and networking support to accelerate, institutionalize, and/or scale local impact beyond the duration of the grant.

What are the results of the Global Cities Fund?

Beginning in 2021 with a US$1 million seed investment to support five cities in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the GCF has mobilized $28 million and helped 26 cities across 22 countries improve the lives of more than 100,000 people.

In successfully delivering their projects, GCF cities are building their own case for more direct funding to continue their actions and drive progress towards global goals. To date, 90 percent of cities who benefited from the GCF have already used our seed funding as proof of concept to independently unlock an additional investments to continue or expand their projects.

To drive momentum and transformative change, the MMC set a vision for the GCF to reach $50 million – starting with $25 million by 2025 – so it can support more cities and deepen its impact through multi-year grants and more predictable funding rounds.