Funding from the global community for noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention and control in developing countries is miniscule—dwarfed by donor support for communicable diseases, maternal and child health, and other traditional health concerns in low-income countries. Yet, NCD now constitute the bulk of illness and deaths in low-income countries with, to date, only a small uptick in donor funding evident as a response. This paper describes recent magnitude and trends in the development of assistance for NCD; identifies the main sources among the 3 groupings of multilateral, bilateral, and private philanthropic funders; and discusses issues in tracking NCD donor funding, and challenges to mobilizing donor funding for NCD. Finally, it concludes with a more (slightly) optimistic outlook.
