Official Development Assistance
Official Development Assistance (ODA) is government funding that supports economic development and welfare of low- to middle-income countries. It is also commonly known as overseas aid.
British Council government funding
The British Council receives grant-in-aid funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). This is an annual grant of around £160m agreed through Government Spending Reviews. Approximately 80 per cent is allocated for use as official development assistance. We use this funding to deliver programmes which contribute to the UK's international development goals.
British Council programmes
The British Council supports peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. All its ODA funded work, via its Global Programmes, supports this mission, in low-and middle-income countries, combining its deep expertise in arts and culture, education and the English language. Examples of delivery include:
- Developing international partnerships in schools and higher education
- Supporting education system reform through improvements to the quality of basic education in schools for English and core skills
- Professional development and training of teachers of English
- Enhancing and supporting the growth of the arts and cultural sectors within countries
- Empowerment of women and girls
- Enriching the quality of primary and secondary education
Transparency reporting of ODA
We are signed up to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI). This is a global initiative to report development activity to an agreed standard. Published activities include financial and non-financial data as well as programme documentation.
You can find our published data on the public development portal website.