CPD's initial financial support was provided by members of the CPD Board of Trustees and a number of other well-wishers including local business.

Subsequently CPD has received generous support from a number of foundations including the Ford Foundation. Overhead charges from the various programmes implemented by CPD, which are supported by various bilateral and multilateral agencies, provide funding for the core institutional activities of CPD. CPD is currently in the process of generating an endowment fund to support its activities.