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 

Funding of up to £30 million will be awarded through a competitive process to NGOs, charities and private sector organisations (including consortia of organisations) who can demonstrate innovative ways of reaching marginalised girls. Any successful application will need to demonstrate new ideas and cost effective approaches to reaching girls in the most difficult circumstances. Proposed projects should complement existing support to education in that country (including DFID bilateral support), have agreement from state authorities and demonstrate sustainability beyond the life of the Girls’ Education Challenge

The first round of funding will be open across nine priority countries: Afghanistan, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

This Step Change window is now closed. Applicants will be told whether they have been selected in late 2012.

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.  Applicants will be told whether they have been selected in January 2013.

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 Window closed on 12 October 2012.  Applicants will be contacted in the next four weeks.