Strong infection prevention and control (IPC) programs are essential to protect health care workers, patients, caregivers and communities. Although the World Health Organization has identified budgets as a core component of national IPC programs, only 50% of member states currently have dedicated domestic funding. Our team worked with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health to develop its first-ever domestic budget allocation for IPC, allowing its national program to be more sustainable and effective in the long term—while ultimately protecting health care workers, patients, and communities across the country.