The Bank Information Center (BIC) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C that claims to advocate for “transparency, accountability, sustainability, and inclusion in development finance.” 1 The group also alleges to be “independent of governments and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs)” while partnering with “Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)” to perform “research and advocacy aimed at improving and reforming MDB policy and practices and preventing any backsliding.” 12 BIC also works to “monitor and influence the policies and operations of the World Bank Group.” 1
Elana Berger is the executive director of the Bank Information Center (BIC). She initially joined BIC in 2012 and served in several positions prior to executive director including the founder of its “child rights program” before becoming the group’s Director of Social Inclusion and Accountability. She is also a human rights lawyer, previously working for a year at Burma Partnership in Thailand. Prior to this, she worked for the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect as well as the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (a part of the International Labor Organization). 3
Judy Gearhart is the chair of the board of directors at BIC. She is a senior researcher at the Accountability Research Center at American University’s School of International Service. 4
Finances
In 2024, the Bank Information Center reported $1,883,755 in total revenues, $2,756,815 in total expenses, and $1,066,710 in net assets. 5
The BIC has received grants from several left-of-center organizations. From 2023 to 2025, the BIC received four grants from the Ford Foundation totaling $1.3 million. 6 From 2016 to 2024, the BIC received nine grants from the Climateworks Foundation totaling $2,766,500. 789101112131415
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
Total Grant Value:$34,965,132
Number of Grants:201
Number of Funders:33
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
Amount
Year
Funder
Subject
$1,901,272
2020
Oak Foundation
To encourage the World Bank to put in place the systems needed to prevent and respond to the sexual exploitation and abuse of children arising from the large-scale infrastructure projects it funds. BIC partners with civil society to influence the World Bank and other international financial institutions to promote social and economic justice and ecological sustainability.
$1,876,421
2023
Oak Foundation
To provide support for the Bank Information Center's Sexual Abuse and Exploitation project, so that the World Bank implements measures to prevent and respond to child abuse in its investments.
To support an organization that provides services to nongovernmental organizations in developing countries working to strengthen environmental and social governance of international financial institutions.
Core support for the China-Latin America Sustainable Investment Initiative to build capacity to communities to hold Chinese investment accountable for environmental and social impacts in Latin America
The Bank Information Center is a nongovernmental organization that specializes in analyzing and strengthening social and environmental governance of international financial institutions, primarily the World Bank Group. Over the last grant period, the grantee and its partners in developing countries monitored development bank climate finance, commitments to exclude fossil fuel finance and development and implementation of Amazon funds by the Inter-American Development Bank. Over the next grant period, the Bank Information Center will work to strengthen social and environmental safeguards across development finance institutions and develop a framework for ensuring communities impacted by development finance are compensated.
The Bank Information Center is a nongovernmental organization specialized in analyzing and strengthening social and environmental governance of development finance institutions. Over the last grant period, the grantee and its partners in developing countries made significant contributions to improving sustainable energy finance and safeguards at the Inter-American Development Bank and monitoring the implementation of the new Environmental Social Framework of the World Bank Group. Over the next grant period, the grantee will monitor new safeguards frameworks and work to ensure sustainable energy and infrastructure finance in the current and post COVID-19 contexts
The China-Latin America Sustainable Investment Initiative, a project of the Bank Information Center, works with partners in South America to monitor Chinese investment and strengthen voluntary Chinese guidelines for social and environmental standards, using best international practices. Over the previous grant period, the grantee published the first Spanish-language report on the China Development Bank and worked with nongovernmental organizations worldwide to urge China to adopt mandatory social and environmental standards for overseas investments, particularly in energy finance. This renewal grant will support the grantee to update its manual on Chinese social and environmental guidelines and support Latin American partners engaging on the impacts of Chinese development finance in the region.
The China-latin America Sustainable Investment Initiative, a project of the Bank Information Center, works with partners in South America to monitor Chinese investment and strengthen voluntary Chinese guidelines for social and environmental standards, using best international practice. Over the previous project period, the grantee updated its manual on social and environmental standards, trained Latin American agencies and nongovernmental organizations in its use, and networked with Chinese partners. This renewal grant will support the grantee to continue monitoring and disseminating Chinese standards and finance of energy and infrastructure in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.
