Dalberg Catalyst, formerly Dalberg Charitable, is a left-of-center consultancy and nonprofit program incubator that is affiliated with Dalberg Global Development Advisors (DGDA), also known as Dalberg Advisors, a policy advisory firm that consults with governments and nonprofit advocacy organizations. Dalberg Catalyst was formed in 2020 and advocates left-of-center policy towards healthcare, the environment, and international development.  ^{1 2}

Dalberg Catalyst has received funded from several left-of-center organizations including Open Society Foundations (OSF), the  Gates Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. ^{1 2}

Background

Dalberg Catalyst, formerly Dalberg Charitable, was formed in 2019, but first began operations at the beginning of 2020 through a $200,000 seed grant. Between 2019 and 2023, the group claimed to oversee the development of roughly 20 initiatives across 25 countries. ¹

Dalberg Catalyst is affiliated with Dalberg Global Development Advisors (DGDA), also known as Dalberg Advisors, a policy advisory firm that consults with governments and nonprofit advocacy organizations on logistical, resource, and governance issues. DGDA and Dalberg Catalyst, along with five other for-profit Dalberg consulting firms, are collectively known as the Dalberg Group. ³

Activities

One of Dalberg Catalyst’s first launched projects was Preventing Pandemics at the Source (PPATS), a group that claims to “utilize science, policy, and advocacy to prevent deforestation, curb wildlife trade global organizations as well as local communities.” ² PPATS has been funded by several left-of-center environmental groups including the World Wildlife Fund, the Jane Goodall Institute, and the Nature Conservancy. ²

Other programs launched by Dalberg Catalyst include the Climate Action Platform for Africa (CAP-A), which pushes for left-of-center climate policies in African countries; and the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP), which claims to “build radically new economies that balance ecosystem needs and pressing human needs.” ²

Funding

Dalberg Catalyst has received funding from several left of center organizations including the Gates Foundation, Caterpillar Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Climateworks Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Flora L. Thornton Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Hempel Foundation, Mastercard Foundations, Open Society Foundations (OSF), Skoll Foundation, the UN Environment Programme, the Rockefeller Foundation, the UN Development Program, UNOPS, Cisco Foundation Climate Breakthrough, Pilot House Philanthropy, and Dalberg Trust. ²

1. “Who We Are.”  Dalberg Catalyst. Accessed October 7, 2024.  https://www.dalbergcatalyst.org/who-we-are
2. “Our Progress 2020-2023.” Dalberg Catalyst. Accessed October 7, 2024.  https://www.dalbergcatalyst.org/_files/ugd/056cf4_7b5d068c1fee44f8b2afbd99ce731f65.pdf
3. “Protecting the Mission.” Dalberg. Accessed April 26, 2021. https://dalberg.com/who-we-are/the-dalberg-trust/