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Support our 25th anniversary initiatives

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UBS Optimus Foundation network is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and we would like you to join us in making these celebrations truly memorable.

We are proud of the work done by the network of UBS Optimus Foundations and the difference they make to millions of lives every year. Over the past 25 years, the UBS Optimus Foundation has raised over USD 1.5 billion in donations together with our clients and employees, and in the last year alone our current programs that Optimus has funded reached 6.7 million people. Since 1999, we have grown from a small grant-making organization to a network of foundations that drive transformative, scalable impact for marginalized communities globally and locally and have learned many lessons along the way on how to maximize your impact.

This year, to celebrate the anniversary, we use these lessons to make your donation work smarter.

Learn more about our 25 years of impact
 

Why this donation opportunity is different

A special matching opportunity and creative solutions for more impact

As we approach our 25th anniversary, we’re launching a dedicated initiative that can multiply your donation.

Thanks to our matching fund generously offered by UBS, we will be matching all donations by 100% up to USD 10,000 (doubling your donation) and 25% thereafter, up to USD 15 million. What’s more, we’ve chosen four initiatives that aim to generate returns, which we then reinvest into kickstarting more partners – ensuring that your donation keeps driving change long after you’ve given.

We’re partnering with trusted, well-known organizations that share our commitment to maximizing impact. Together we aim to make sure your donation works harder, multiplies, and creates a ripple effect of lasting benefits for communities and ecosystems around the world.

What is blended finance?

Blended finance is a structuring approach to increase investments in sustainable development. It uses capital from philanthropic or public sources to catalyze commercial investment, thereby increasing the pool of available impact funding.

Read more: Four trends in blended finance that will drive impact in 2024 and beyond
 

The initiatives you will support

Climate and environment

An ecosystem approach to scaling will help protect coastal communities and marine ecosystems

The challenge we face

Mangroves are crucial for shielding coastal communities from devastating storms and tsunamis, providing habitats for thousands of species, and playing a key role in combating climate change by capturing carbon dioxide. By 2050, more than half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems could collapse due to deforestation, pollution, and dam construction. Right now, 20% are already at critical risk1 and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Our collective solution

What if together we could create a global blueprint for mangrove conservation and restoration by supporting mangrove-positive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? A powerful coalition of donors, governments, and businesses could have a meaningful and lasting impact. More information on our climate and environment philanthropy.

Location: Global, with a focus on Southeast Asia.

Initial partners:

logo of Global Fund for Coral Reefs

UBS Climate Collective

1 IUCN 2024

Mangrove trees in shallow sandy areas are focus of our climate and environmental philanthropy

Education

Building public-private partnerships will help to deliver quality education for all

The challenge we face

The Covid-19 pandemic has deepened global learning gaps, particularly for marginalized children. Latin America is experiencing a silent tragedy. In recent years, the region’s countries have managed to reach nearly 96%1 enrollment rate for children in classrooms; however on average, only 56%2 of children are literate at the appropriate age. This means that every year more than 6 million children are not literate when they should be, resulting in great learning poverty. We need to accelerate progress significantly by investing into solutions that can close the gap. Your donation can make a profound difference.

Our collective solution

Imagine if we could scale the delivery of quality education, focusing on foundational skills in literacy and numeracy, and enhancing socio-emotional development for children through strategic partnerships with governments, industries, and the private sector. We could build effective education systems that empower children with the skills they need to thrive. More information on our education philanthropy.

Location: South America

Initial partners:

logo of Fundacao Lemann
logo of Evidencia Potencial
logo of Bem Comum

1 SEDLAC (CEDLAS and The World Bank
2 ERCE 2019 - LLECE/UNESCO

A smiling young girl at a school desk with a tablet

Innovative financing: skills for success

Empower youth by making education accessible

The challenge we face

Many talented young people, especially in regions like sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, are unable to afford tertiary education due to financial barriers. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 9% of young people access higher education, far below the global average.1 This wasted potential hampers economic growth and limits opportunities for these youth.

Our collective solution

What if we could transform lives by making quality tertiary education accessible to young people? Through flexible and innovative financing models like income-share agreements and outcome-based funding, we can invest in education to bridge the education gap and help unlock the potential of youth, providing them with the skills they need to build successful careers and contribute to their communities. More information on our education philanthropy.

Location: Africa/Asia

Initial partners:

logo of Tri-sector
logo of Generation
logo of Chancen International

Skills for Success project

1 World Bank 2024

A young student in a library showing a paper to a teacher

Health

Transforming the last mile for high-quality health – to bring healthcare to the underserved

The challenge we face

There is a USD 4.4 billion annual funding gap for community-level primary healthcare, including Community Health Worker (CHW) programs. This underfunding, coupled with fragmented and inefficient financing, limits the reach and impact of healthcare services. With 70% of CHWs being women, their lack of support is also a significant gender equity issue. Yet, with proper funding and coordination, professional CHWs have the potential to save 2 million lives annually. 

Our collective solution

Imagine how undeserved communities would thrive if we can transform healthcare. Your support will enable us to help scale high-quality primary healthcare services through catalytic finance, political advocacy, and country-level programs.

Location: Global, with a focus on Africa.

Initial partners:

logo of Financing Alliance for health
logo of SwipeRX
logo of The End Fund
logo of Scope
A female doctor visiting a child in a healthcare facility in Africa
 

How you can help

Make a donation

Financial support is vital to the communities and issues where we aim to have impact. Whether you donate USD 10 or USD 10,000, every donation will be doubled through our matching fund. Your gift will be treated as unrestricted and directed into our overall appeal fund. Our program experts will then allocate these resources strategically across the four initiatives.

Become a matching partner

We believe in the power of collective impact. If you would like to potentially become a named matching consortium partner for the official launch of our anniversary appeal, please let us know and we will contact you to discuss the details.

Follow us

Follow us on UBS Optimus Foundation LinkedIn and keep up to date with our anniversary news and the official launch of the initiatives.

A mangrove forest seen from above is UBS Optimus Foundation Linkedin page cover

Disclaimer: The UBS Optimus Foundation is a network of foundations that offers UBS clients a platform to use their wealth to drive positive social and environmental change. The Foundation selects programs that have the potential to be transformative, scalable and sustainable in the area of health, education and child protection, as well as environment and climate conservation. These materials have been prepared by the UBS Optimus Foundation, an affiliate of UBS Group AG (referred to below as “UBS.”). They have not been prepared with regard to any specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any specific recipient, current client or prospective client. These materials are published solely for informational purposes and are not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities or related financial instruments or services of UBS or to participate in any particular trading strategy endorsed or not endorsed by UBS. Any recipient of these materials should not consider their contents to be either legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, or other specialist or technical advice or service, or investment advice, or a personal recommendation of any kind, whatsoever. No representation or warranty, either express or implied, is provided in relation to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information contained in these materials, nor is any of the information herein intended to be a complete statement or summary of the securities markets or other developments referred to in these materials. The information in these materials should not be regarded by any recipient as a substitute for the exercise of their own judgment and any opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by other business areas or groups of UBS, which may make different assumptions or rely on different criteria. UBS is under no obligation to update or keep current the information contained in these materials. Neither UBS nor any of its directors, officers, employees or agents accept any liability for any loss or damage arising out of the use of all or part of these materials or reliance upon the information contained therein. These materials are not for distribution or redistribution, except under such circumstances as may be permitted by UBS and or applicable law. UBS specifically prohibits the redistribution or reproduction of these materials in whole or in part, without the written permission of UBS and UBS accepts no liability whatsoever for the actions of third parties in this respect.

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