Frequently asked questions

The Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) is a UNICEF-led initiative to transform how we address child undernutrition. This innovative funding mechanism mobilizes resources to scale up sustainable evidence-based policies, programmes, and supplies. It specifically targets key nutrition challenges such as stunting, wasting, and anaemia in children and women.

But the CNF is not just about funding – it’s about supporting countries to lead the charge in improving child nutrition and achieving their national goals while contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

By combining international donor funding with domestic investments, the CNF helps to ensure that every child and woman has access to the nutrition they need to survive and thrive. Its structured approach through three unique financing windows makes it a game-changer in the fight against undernutrition, ensuring maximum impact and sustainability.

The world faces alarmingly high levels of child undernutrition, driven by inequities, conflict, and climate crises. Despite decades of progress, global responses remain inadequate, with millions of children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition. Traditional funding approaches are fragmented, reactive, and insufficient to address the scale of the problem.

The CNF responds to this urgent need with a bold, innovative approach. It provides a unified platform for coordinated action, ensuring that funding goes where it is needed most. By addressing both prevention and treatment, the CNF bridges critical gaps in nutrition services, ultimately saving lives and building resilience in vulnerable communities. In an era of constrained global resources, the CNF is a smart, impactful way to make a difference.

The CNF is unique in its structure and vision. It operates through three financing windows designed to address different aspects of the nutrition challenge:

• Programme Window: Funds high-impact global actions to prevent, detect, and treat child undernutrition, ensuring evidence-based interventions are scaled up effectively. This includes leveraging parallel financing, where CNF investments complement government contributions, scaling up services and accountability for nutrition outcomes.

   

• Match Window: Incentivizes governments to invest in their own nutrition supplies by doubling domestic contributions, creating a multiplier effect.

   

• Supplier Window: Supports local manufacturers to produce essential nutrition supplies, strengthening supply chains and ensuring timely delivery of life-saving products.

This approach not only addresses immediate needs but also builds long-term capacity and resilience, ensuring sustainable solutions to undernutrition challenges.

The CNF focuses on countries with the highest burden of high and very high levels of undernutrition as identified by the 2024 Joint Malnutrition Estimates, published by UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank. This includes 63 countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, that have developed roadmaps to address child undernutrition.

By targeting the most vulnerable populations, the CNF ensures that resources are directed to where they can have the greatest impact. Millions of children and women stand to benefit from improved nutrition services, giving them the chance to lead healthier lives.

The CNF has set ambitious targets for 2030, aiming to support global efforts to reach:

• 70 million pregnant women annually with services such as micronutrient supplements and nutrition counselling.

   

• 230 million children with preventive care such as vitamin A supplementation and deworming.

   

• 20 million children with life-saving treatment for severe wasting.

These efforts will save lives, reduce poverty, and unlock the potential of millions of children and women, contributing to healthier, more resilient communities.

As of 31 July 2025, the CNF has received US$291 million from legally binding agreements, many of which have more committed funding. The CNF has also supported major progress across multiple countries in the prevention, detection, and treatment of child undernutrition. Examples include:

• In Pakistan, UNICEF, backed by the CNF, launched a comprehensive programme that empowers the country’s Lady Health Workers to deliver essential nutrition and health services. Through the CNF Match Window, this programme provided multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) to more than 59,700 women. Simultaneously, domestic investments in life-saving RUTF grew steadily, scaling up treatment from 46,700 children in 2022 to reach over 370,000 severely wasted children in 2024.

   

• In Ethiopia, a CNF-Gavi partnership leverages health platforms to deliver integrated immunization and nutrition services. Since the programme began, more than 560,000 children have received vitamin A supplementation, 410,000 have been dewormed, and 570,000 have been screened for malnutrition.

   

• In Cambodia, CNF initiatives reached over 324,000 children and women, training 17,000 caregivers in the Family MUAC approach across more than 1,000 villages.

   

• In Malawi, 746,000 children under five were screened for wasting in five targeted districts, with an 18 per cent increase in admissions in 2024 compared to 2023 and a 93% recovery rate. 

The CNF stands out for its innovative approach. It is the first mechanism to:

• Provide a coordinated platform for donor investments, ensuring resources are allocated strategically to close funding gaps.

   

• Incentivize a transition from global to domestic funding.

   

• Strengthen local supply chains for therapeutic foods and other essential supplies.

The CNF’s transparent governance and reporting structures build donor confidence. Guided by a Strategic Results Framework, the CNF tracks progress annually, publishing detailed reports on outcomes, resource utilization, and lessons learned. This accountability ensures that every dollar contributes to measurable, life-saving results, reinforcing trust and encouraging continued investment.

Read more about it here.

Donors, civil society, and private sector partners can contribute through different funding mechanisms, amplifying the reach and impact of the CNF’s programmes.

For more information, email [email protected]