Comic Relief
A key partner of the Global Fund for grassroots awareness, financing and advocacy
Total contribution
GBP 18.22 million and US$14.86 million
Current pledge (2020-2022)
US$17 million
Partner since
2014
Comic Relief is a major charity based in the United Kingdom, with a vision of a just world, free from poverty.
Comic Relief was founded in 1985 in response to the famine in the Horn of Africa. The charity aims to bring together the worlds of comedy, sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in the United Kingdom and in the world's poorest countries. They do this through two major fundraising campaigns, Red Nose Day and Sport Relief, which alternate each year.
Comic Relief’s strategic partnership with the Global Fund began in 2014 and covers multiple countries in Africa. The work supported through this partnership spans across malaria, HIV and tuberculosis programs, with emphasis on building resilient health systems. The two organizations are bound together by a shared commitment to transform the lives of people by responsibly and efficiently investing money in health programs that save lives.
Valentin, Anna and their son Clemence have not fallen ill with malaria since receiving an insecticide-treated net that protects them from mosquitoes that transmit the disease. Photo: The Global Fund / Andrew Esiebo
Red Nose Day USA was launched in 2015 by Comic Relief’s independent sister charity, Comic Relief Inc. Red Nose Day USA’s mission is to end child poverty both in the United States and in some of the poorest communities in the world. Red Nose Day USA has supported programs with the Global Fund in Latin America, Africa and Asia to address malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.
At the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment Conference in October 2019, Comic Relief announced a three-year partnership including an initial commitment of US$17 million through donations raised during its annual events: Red Nose Day and Sport Relief in the United Kingdom and Red Nose Day in the United States. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also matched this donation, unlocking further significant funding. This pledge makes Comic Relief one of the biggest nongovernmental contributors to the Global Fund and demonstrates its continued commitment to this life-saving work.
“I am extremely proud that Comic Relief has once again been able to support the Global Fund Replenishment process. Comic Relief has been at the forefront of the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This commitment from Comic Relief is thanks to the enormous generosity of the people who support our campaigns in the UK and US."
Kevin Cahill, former CEO and Honorary Life President of Comic Relief
Kevin Cahill, former CEO and Honorary Life President of Comic Relief
Pledge and contribution data updated on: 17 November 2021