There were many factors that piled up on the plus side of the ledger, but most of the reasons grew out of tough choices that the Board made last year. A back-to-basics approach, focusing on the core business of managing grants, with common sense management, has created a situation where good things happen. Many of our friends noticed. Some got more generous. Others found they could speed up existing plans to make a donation. Still others jumped in for the first time.
Reuters reports that a portion of the new funding available comes from countries like China covering needs in their own country, releasing funds to be used elsewhere.
And, as reported by the WSJ, among donors delivering contributions earlier is the US, which has weathered the Global Fund storm with continued support. The US is advancing $226 million to the Fund and continues to be the Fund’s largest contributor.
Now the question is, how will the new funds be used? The Fund has stated that it will consult countries and partners to determine the allocation of the funding, so the decision will likely take some time. Since the shake-up earlier this year, the Fund has halted new funding until 2014, so the option to bring that date forward is now on the table.
Perhaps we’ll know more today – Jaramillo was set to report to the Global Fund’s board yesterday.