About

The Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE) is a World Bank Group (WBG) multi-donor trust fund that supports knowledge, evidence, and data to help governments and companies invest effectively in policies and solutions that unlock economic opportunities for women and girls. Anchored in the WBG Gender Strategy (2024–2030), UFGE catalyzes evidence into policy dialogue, operational design, and impact at scale.

By systematically capturing frontier evidence and translating it into actionable insights that teams can easily find, adapt, and apply, UFGE directly supports the WBG’s Knowledge Bank by shortening the distance from insight to implementation across operations and policy reform. UFGE’s One WBG approach convenes WBG’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).

UFGE is a driving force behind the development and implementation of the WBG Gender Strategy 2024–2030 and the Gender Strategy Implementation Plan. Concrete targets include (i) connecting 300 million more women to use broadband, unlocking essential services, financial services, education, and job opportunities; (ii) supporting 250 million women through social protection programs, focusing especially on the poorest and most vulnerable; and (iii) expanding  access to capital for 80 million more women and women-led businesses with capital, addressing a critical constraint to entrepreneurship growth. The recently approved IDA21 package for the poorest countries includes an ambitious policy commitment to implement the WBG Gender Strategy in all IDA countries, with a focus on violence against women and girls (VAWG), women’s economic participation, and sexual and reproductive health. In FY25, 58 percent of countries covered under UFGE grants were eligible for IDA and/or those affected by fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV).

How UFGE Delivers

1. Generating evidence for impact

UFGE invests in innovative evidence and data paired with targeted technical assistance to ensure uptake in policy reform and operational design.

2. Convening for scale

3. Catalyzing investment

UFGE Grants Around the World

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