Our focus areas

Our work is focused around four main areas that drive systematic and catalytic impact for marginalised communities

UBS Optimus Foundation initiatives

In continuous development with our clients and partners, our strategies are guided by our theory of change and core competencies. These foundation initiatives define our approach and programmatic work. We apply these competences strategically across all our areas of work to enhance the impact of our donations, investments and efforts.

 

Health philanthropy

Your donations help scale quality primary healthcare to improve the health of the world’s most vulnerable children.

Access to quality primary healthcare

Scaling up quality, affordable primary healthcare holds the greatest potential to improve children’s and mother’s health, leading to reduced rates of under-five, neonatal, and maternal mortality.
We are focusing on patient-centered care and prioritize integrated and data-driven primary healthcare models that address a wide range of health needs across the continuum of care.

Mental health

The UBS Optimus foundation is developing a comprehensive social impact strategy for mental health, with plans to launch the foundation initiative by the end of 2024. In alignment with UBS Optimus Foundation’s thematic priorities – health, education and climate – your philanthropy funds can help address key challenges in global mental health so that young people and their families can thrive in communities where mental health challenges are understood and managed effectively.

Special initiative: Paediatric cancer

In collaboration with UBS Global Wealth Management UBS Optimus Foundation is a beneficiary of the Oncology Impact Fund I and II (OIF).  We are supporting a strategic social impact portfolio of programs to sustainably address the biggest barriers to access to diagnosis and treatment in lower-income countries, i.e. lack of paediatric oncology specialists and cost of treatment.

Education philanthropy

Through the education portfolio, your philanthropy funds support the development of strong learning foundations, from a child’s early years all the way through helping young people to gain the foundational skills for a formal employment.

Early childhood education philanthropy

Investing into children’s earliest years is proven to be the most significant, long-lasting and valuable investment into their future. Yet, it is hugely underfunded. Furthermore, affordable quality childcare is a critically important element in supporting gender equity, as mothers are better able to gain training and employment if provided with it.

 

 

Foundational skills through quality education

Foundational skills refer to basic numeracy and literacy. Children gain these skills in primary education – they are the foundations of a child's education, indispensable to function in society. Your charitable giving will help children at risk of falling behind, such as refugee children and children in poverty whose education is often at risk of disruption and discontinuation.

 

 

Transition to employment

The UBS Optimus Foundation is developing a comprehensive social impact strategy for young people to transition to employment with plans to launch impactful philanthropic funded programs by 2025. By providing young people with the skills and opportunities needed for meaningful employment, your social impact funds support creating pathways for successful careers and productive lives.

 

Climate and environment philanthropy

With our environment portfolio, our mission is to contribute to the mitigation efforts of climate change whilst supporting vulnerable communities and sustaining biodiversity.

Sustainable land use

Investing into Ecosystem protection, conservation (forests, peatlands, rangelands, wildlife) and restoration of degraded lands. ​

Shifting agricultural practices to climate smart and sustainable practices to reduce agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions and reduce vulnerabilities to climate shocks.​

Expected outcomes include reduced deforestation, habitat destruction,  climate resilient agro-ecological landscapes, embedding nature-positive outcomes and improved farm incomes.

Marine and coastal ecosystems social impact strategy

We work with you to support development and implementation of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in vulnerable coastal communities through climate philanthropy and sustainable investing.

We focus on two initiatives; Blue carbon, coastal wetland conservation and restoration (mangroves, seagrass, tidal saltmarsh); and Marine Protected Areas. Across these two themes, your giving will be deployed to focus on mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity.

Humanitarian aid and disaster philanthropy

The social impact funds for our emergency response to humanitarian and disaster aid align with our routine portfolio of focus areas: health, education and climate philanthropy. This enables us to quickly and diligently grant funding to our existing, trusted partners. It also helps ensure that the UBS Optimus Foundation can both respond to the immediate crisis as well as the longer-term recovery and transition (back to) development. We particularly focus your investment on systems that affect children and families like health, education and social protection that can help in recovery and resilience.