Girls' Education Challenge

The Girls' Education Challenge will help up to a million of the world’s poorest girls to have an opportunity to improve their lives through education. The initiative calls on NGOs, charities and the private sector to find better ways of getting girls in school and ensuring they receive a quality of education to transform their future.

The Girls’ Education Challenge will support projects that are able to demonstrate new and effective ways to expand education opportunities to marginalised girls that can be robustly evaluated to widen their impact.

Girls' Education Challenge – Funding Windows

There are three Funding Windows

1. Step Change Window 

In January 2013, 15 new programmes were awarded funding of up to £30 million to create education opportunities for some of the world’s most marginalised girls.

These Step Change projects will be led by non-state organisations and will quickly and effectively expand education opportunities for 670,000 girls at primary and secondary level in nine focus countries. They will complement existing support to education and demonstrate sustainability beyond the life of the Girls’ Education Challenge.

The projects will provide these girls with access to education, materials, safe spaces to learn and a ‘voice’. They will help to mobilise and build capacity within governments, communities and schools, training and mentoring teachers, governors and community leaders.  There will also be an emphasis on innovation - encouraging new ways of delivering learning.

The 15 programmes awarded funding in the Step-Change phase of the Girls Education Challenge are: BRAC Afghanistan (Afghanistan), Stichting BRAC  International (Sierra Leone), Plan International UK (Sierra Leone), International Rescue Committee - UK (DRC), The Save the Children Fund (Save the Children UK) (Ethiopia), Save the Children Fund (Mozambique), Camfed International (Tanzania & Zimbabwe), World University Service of Canada (Kenya), Aga Khan Foundation United Kingdom (Afghanistan), Child Hope UK (Ethiopia), Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (Afghanistan), World Vision UK (Zimbabwe), CfBT Education Trust (Kenya), Relief International (Somalia), CARE International UK (Somalia).

2. Innovation Window

Funding of between £250,000 and £2 million will be available for the most innovative, effective and well evaluated pilot projects that support marginalised girls to succeed in their education.

The GEC is looking for non-state organisations, including the private sector, with fresh ideas and projects to affect long-lasting and transformative change across 22 target countries, so that a new generation of girls is given the chance to improve their future.

Funding will be available to projects in 22 DFID priority countries that have existing education support. These are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This Innovation Window is now closed. Innovation Window projects will be announced in the spring.

3.Strategic partnerships: Investing in business innovation and partnership for girls' education

The Girls’ Education Challenge is inviting companies across different sectors to show leadership, innovation and a commitment to collaborate with others to transform learning opportunities for girls in Africa and Asia.
Up to £15m of match-funding will be provided to support strategic partnerships between DFID and private sector Lead Partners working with other organisations who want to engage in this important area.
Businesses that are interested in Strategic Partnerships will receive assistance to consider how the Girls’ Education Challenge may be relevant to their company and business objectives. They will have the opportunity to meet potential partners, explore new ideas, and develop proposals.

Which are the target countries?

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This Strategic Partnership Window is now closed. Strategic Partnerships will be announced later this year.