Impact Trust • Working glossary

Anticipatory action / anticipatory financing

Taking action and releasing funds before a disaster fully materialises, based on forecasts and early warning signals.

Details

Our Take
Increasingly established in humanitarian vocabulary. The logic is compelling but the practice is hard: releasing money on the basis of a forecast means someone takes the reputational risk of being wrong. Connects strongly to IFRC's Forecast-based Financing system. Still needs explaining for generalist audiences.
Examples of Use
IFRC, OCHA, Start Network, humanitarian sector
Synonyms/Variants
Early action
Forecast-based financing
Typical everyday wording
Acting before crisis hits.