What Lives and Livelihoods Fund does

Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) is a US$2.5 billion development financing initiative established in 2016 and administered by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) from its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. LLF pools grants from a six-member donor coalition — Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, IsDB, Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, and Qatar Fund for Development — and layers them with IsDB lending capital to provide concessional financing to sovereign governments across 33 IsDB member countries. Its mandate is poverty alleviation through three focus areas: primary healthcare and infectious disease control (US$681 million allocated), smallholder farming and rural agriculture (US$557 million allocated), and basic infrastructure such as water, sanitation, and rural connectivity (US$204 million allocated), with 95% of projects directed to least developed or lower-middle-income countries.

LLF does not operate a commercial revenue model; rather, it is a fund-management vehicle. Origination flows through IsDB regional hub offices where member-country governments submit financing applications with feasibility studies, and once approved, projects are implemented through in-country Project Management Units and execution partners such as UNICEF and IFAD. The portfolio spans 37 active projects across 22 countries with cumulative approved grant distribution of US$1.44 billion from 2016 to 2023, weighted 47% to healthcare, 39% to agriculture, and 14% to basic infrastructure, and 68% to Sub-Saharan Africa, 21% to MENA, and 11% to Asia.

The fund launched a second phase, LLF 2.0, in May 2023 to support 32 member countries, with new commitments of US$219 million from IsDB, ADFD, and the Gates Foundation and partners in April 2024, plus US$100 million from KSRelief and US$50 million from the UAE. LLF is governed by an Impact Committee chaired since May 2023 by a KSRelief representative, with each donor contributing more than 10% of annual grant money entitled to a seat. Operations are run by a small management unit (1-10 employees) led by a Head of the LLF Management Unit, covering operations, finance, IT, communications, and results-based management functions.

Name

Lives and Livelihoods Fund

Legal name

Lives and Livelihoods Fund

Website

https://livesandlivelihoodsfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lives and Livelihoods Fund is a US$2.5 billion concessional financing facility administered by the Islamic Development Bank, pooling donor grants and IsDB capital to fund healthcare, agriculture, and basic infrastructure projects across 33 member-country sovereigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multilateral Development Finance

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

Development Finance & Blended Finance Facilities (BPADAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trust Funds & Multi-Donor Pooled Funds (BPADAOAE), Development Finance, Guarantees & Blended Finance Programs (BPADABAM), National/Regional Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (FSABAKAB)

Keywords

• Development financing
• Concessional loans
• Poverty alleviation
• Multilateral development
• Donor coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

Jeddah

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Concessional Financing for Development Projects: LLF provides concessional financing (loans on terms more affordable than market rates) to IsDB member countries for development projects in healthcare, agriculture, and basic infrastructure. The model combines grants from regional and international donors with lending capital from IsDB to maximize impact. Donors providing more than 10% of the Fund's grant money in any one year join the Fund's Impact Committee to ensure projects meet objectives and monitor progress.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LLF provides concessional financing for development projects targeting poverty reduction across 33 Islamic Development Bank member countries. The fund combines grants from a global donor coalition with IsDB lending capital to finance sovereign government projects in three sectors: primary healthcare and infectious disease control (US$681 million), small-holder farming and rural agriculture (US$557 million), and basic infrastructure such as water, sanitation, and off-grid power (US$204 million).

Product overview

Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) is a US$ 2.5 billion development financing initiative launched in 2016 and administered by the Islamic Development Bank. Rather than a technology product company, LLF is a collaborative development fund that provides concessional financing for poverty reduction projects across 33 IsDB member countries. The fund operates across three focus areas: primary healthcare and infectious disease control (US$ 681 million allocated), small-holder farming and rural agriculture (US$ 557 million allocated), and basic infrastructure such as water, sanitation, and off-grid power solutions (US$ 204 million allocated). The fund does not offer technology products or services in the traditional sense; rather, it finances development projects implemented by member country governments in partnership with LLF. These include specific initiatives such as the Malaria Control and Elimination Project in Senegal, the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project in Nigeria, the Integrated Rural Growth Project in Morocco, the Conakry Guinea Sanitation Project, and various rice value chain development projects across West Africa. As of 2023, LLF has 37 active projects across 22 countries with a total portfolio distribution of approximately 47% healthcare, 39% agriculture, and 14% basic infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthcare Financing Programme Concessional financing programme providing US$681 million (47% of fund allocation) to sovereign governments in IsDB member countries for primary healthcare infrastructure, infectious disease control (malaria, polio), maternal and child health services, and health system strengthening projects.
• Agriculture Financing Programme Concessional financing programme providing US$557 million (39% of fund allocation) to sovereign governments for small-holder farming productivity, rural agriculture, agricultural value chain development, mechanization, and food security projects in IsDB member countries.
• Basic Infrastructure Financing Programme Concessional financing programme providing US$204 million (14% of fund allocation) to sovereign governments for water and sanitation, rural connectivity, off-grid power, and other basic infrastructure projects serving marginalized communities in IsDB member countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• N39.2 billion in aggregated produce sales generated through Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• UnicefmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Unicef partnered on the US$ 48 million maternal and child health project in Chad, launched in December 2023. This multi-partner initiative includes IsDB, LLF, Government of Chad, and Unicef working together on maternal and child health interventions.
• United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018IFAD co-finances the UPLAND Project in Indonesia alongside IsDB/LLF and Government of Indonesia. The UPLAND Project is an integrated agricultural development program benefiting 120,000 households in 14 districts across 7 provinces since 2018. IFAD provided a loan of USD 50 million.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: A pooled multi-donor financing facility that channels donor contributions into immunization programs in low-income countries, governed by a coalition of sovereign donors and foundations. Like LLF, Gavi combines grant capital with programmatic disbursement tied to measurable health outcomes, and is administered through an institutional secretariat model.
• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: A multi-donor pooled fund that finances sovereign-driven health programs in low- and middle-income countries through concessional and grant instruments. The Global Fund is the most direct structural analogue to LLF: pooled donor capital, sovereign recipients, results-based disbursement, and a secretariat hosted within a multilateral institution.
• Green Climate Fund: A multilateral pooled fund established under the UNFCCC that channels donor contributions into concessional climate finance projects in developing countries. Structurally near-identical to LLF — multi-donor pooled facility, sovereign and sub-sovereign recipients, concessional terms — and a natural model/export partner for LLF's blended-finance mechanics.
• African Development Fund (AfDB): The concessional arm of the African Development Bank, financed by donor replenishments and providing concessional loans and grants to low-income African countries. Highly comparable to LLF in offering concessional financing across health, agriculture, and infrastructure to African member states through a regional DFI, and overlapping substantially in target countries.
• OPEC Fund for International Development: A multilateral development finance institution funded by OPEC member countries that provides concessional loans and grants for development projects in low- and middle-income countries. Highly comparable in mission, donor base composition (sovereign Middle East/Gulf sponsors), and concessional-financing delivery model, and overlapping in project geography with LLF.
• Asian Development Fund (AsDB): The concessional window of the Asian Development Bank providing grants and concessional loans to its poorest developing member countries. Operates with the same pooled-donor model as LLF and targets overlapping low-income geographies (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Central Asia) where LLF also deploys capital.
• Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development: A pan-Arab multilateral development finance institution providing concessional loans and grants to Arab member countries for infrastructure and development projects. Direct comparable as a Gulf-headquartered DFI offering concessional financing for development with member-state governance — though narrower regional scope than LLF's 33-country mandate.

Emerging players

• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): A UN specialized agency and international financial institution that finances agricultural development projects in rural poor communities through concessional loans and grants. Overlaps directly with LLF's agriculture allocation (US$557M), shares the smallholder-farmer target segment, and is an active co-financier of LLF projects (UPLAND Indonesia).
• Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF): A multi-donor pooled trust fund housed at the World Bank that mobilizes concessional financing for reproductive, maternal, and child health in low-income countries. Highly comparable pooled-donor concessional vehicle targeting maternal and child health outcomes that overlap with LLF's largest sector (healthcare US$681M), with UNICEF as a co-financier like LLF.

Broad incumbents

• International Development Association (IDA, World Bank): The World Bank's concessional lending window providing highly concessional financing to the poorest countries across health, agriculture, and infrastructure. IDA is a broader incumbent analogue operating at much larger scale and across all sectors, but the financing model (donor replenishments blended with concessional lending) is the template that LLF's blended-finance structure adapts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LLF_fund
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lives-and-livelihoods-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Lives and Livelihoods Fund