Rockefeller Foundation’s support to IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab will scale solutions for communities left behind by existing systems
WASHINGTON, April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Rockefeller Foundation and International Rescue Committee (IRC) today announced a new $US 10 million, multi-year effort supporting IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab, while also catalyzing innovation across the IRC. Supported by The Rockefeller Foundation as part of the Foundation’s Build the Shared Future Initiative, the IRC will develop and scale new cost-effective and AI-powered solutions designed for tens of millions of people and communities gripped by conflict and crisis and for which existing systems have consistently failed to serve. By mobilizing new forms of public and private financing for systems change solutions, this work also aims to advance new humanitarian assistance and development models that are tailored to a world where poverty is increasingly concentrated in less than two dozen fragile and conflict affected states.
“Too many people living through conflict and crisis are excluded from the systems and innovations that have driven progress elsewhere,” said David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. “This support from The Rockefeller Foundation will help us change that, bringing together cutting-edge technology, rigorous evidence, and practical delivery to reach those most often left behind. With Rockefeller’s support, Airbel Impact Lab can accelerate solutions that save lives and build more resilient systems in the world’s toughest contexts.”
Globally, nearly 90 percent of people in humanitarian need — 213 million people — live in just 20 countries, where weak or fragmented systems limit access to essential services. This challenge is being compounded by a sharp decline in global funding. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently reported a 23% drop in official development assistance between 2024 and 2025 — the largest single-year decline in decades. With the support of The Rockefeller Foundation, IRC aims to close that gap by aligning breakthrough innovation, systems change, and new financing models to deliver impact at scale.
“At a time of both profound human suffering and incredible technological possibility to alleviate that suffering, the International Rescue Committee has been a critical source of moral clarity and innovative thinking to help those most in need,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “As we work to rebuild the world’s commitment to humanitarian and development cooperation, this new collaboration will prove that by harnessing new technology, we can deliver clear, measurable results, bring hope, and lift up the world’s most vulnerable people.”
Through this funding, the IRC will expand a portfolio of innovations designed for scale in fragile and conflict-affected settings, which could include:
- AI-powered tools to expand immunization coverage, helping identify and reach millions of under-immunized children in conflict zones
- Next-generation diagnostics, enabling frontline health workers to detect diseases using low-cost, AI-enabled tools adapted for low-resource environments
- Maternal health innovations, improving access to life-saving interventions to prevent postpartum hemorrhage — the leading cause of maternal death in crisis settings
- Anticipatory action models, using weather and household-level economic data to predict weather crises and deliver assistance before climate and related shocks devastate vulnerable communities
This work will also enable the IRC to better develop and test solutions that can outperform the humanitarian status quo in both impact and cost-effectiveness. This “best use of resources” testing is a hallmark of the IRC’s innovation portfolio.
A core focus of the project is ensuring that promising innovations do not stall at pilot stage. Instead, the initiative will connect innovation with systems change efforts and mobilize new forms of public and private financing — creating pathways for solutions to be adopted on a national and global scale.
The collaboration will also leverage The Rockefeller Foundation’s convening power and the IRC’s operational expertise to bring together public and private sector partners. By aligning these actors around proven solutions, the initiative aims to unlock systemic change in how aid is delivered — moving from fragmented pilots to sustainable, large-scale impact.
This effort will demonstrate a new model for humanitarian and development action — one that connects innovation, evidence, and financing to build more effective systems for the world’s most vulnerable people.
The support for IRC is part of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Build the Shared Future Initiative, through which the 113-year-old philanthropic organization aims to inspire and inform global cooperation and international development work that matches the challenges of the 21st century. This initiative includes efforts to collaborate with governments around the world — with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa — to identify country-led solutions to maximize every dollar of remaining aid and to stimulate new investments.
About the International Rescue Committee (IRC)
The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives.
About The Rockefeller Foundation
Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. We leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance, including with our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, YouTube @RockefellerFdn, and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.
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SOURCE Rockefeller Foundation
