New to health financing? Start here.
Health financing is about how money is raised, allocated and used to pay for health services. For women's, children's and adolescents' health, financing decisions determine whether essential services are available, whether they are affordable, and whether they reach the people who need them most.
Health financing
How money is raised, pooled, allocated and spent to deliver health services.
Domestic resource mobilization
How countries raise and use their own public resources for health — through taxation, budget allocation, public financial management and efficient spending.
Budget advocacy
Using evidence, coalition-building and public accountability to influence how budgets are planned, approved, spent and monitored.
How a national budget cycle works
Most national budgets follow four repeating phases. At each phase, advocates have specific opportunities to shape financing for women's, children's and adolescents' health.
Planning and formulation
- What happens
- Ministries of Health, Finance and other sectors define priorities and prepare budget submissions.
- Who is involved
- Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, planning units, technical departments, local governments and development partners.
- What advocates can do
- Use evidence, investment cases and service delivery data to show why WCAH should be prioritized.
- Example WCAH advocacy action
- Submit a policy brief showing the cost of underinvestment in maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health.
How to do budget advocacy for WCAH
A four-step approach inspired by leading health financing advocacy practice — combining political will, locally led campaigning, technical assistance and accountability.
Plan the campaign
Understand the political and legal landscape, identify decision-makers, define the WCAH financing ask and build the evidence case.
- What budget line or financing decision are we trying to influence?
- Who has the power to change it?
- What is the timeline?
- What evidence do we need?
- Which partners should be involved?
Build support and influence decisions
Mobilize coalitions, brief policymakers, engage parliamentarians and use media to increase pressure and visibility.
- Prepare clear talking points
- Identify champions in parliament, government and civil society
- Coordinate partner messages
- Engage journalists and opinion leaders
- Use lived experience ethically and safely
Track budget execution
Monitor whether approved funds are released and spent, and identify bottlenecks.
- Compare commitments, allocations, releases and actual spending
- Track whether funds reach sub-national levels
- Identify delays in disbursement or procurement
- Ask whether spending is improving service access and equity
- Share findings with accountability actors
Sustain the investment
Prepare for the next budget cycle, evaluate progress, document lessons and build long-term political support.
- Document what worked
- Update the evidence
- Maintain relationships with decision-makers
- Prepare asks for the next budget cycle
- Keep communities and advocates informed
Budget advocacy tools
Find editable templates, planning worksheets, stakeholder maps, briefing notes and scorecards to plan, run and track WCAH financing campaigns.
Explore the full resource hub
Browse advocacy briefs, talking points, social media assets, country examples, declarations and partner tools.
Ready to move from learning to action?
Use the campaign tools, connect with country coalitions and join PMNCH partners advocating for stronger financing for women, children and adolescents.