Private Sector and Foundations

Private sector, think tanks and foundations partners provide strategic, technical and fundraising advice to help the partnership expand its activities and explore innovative opportunities to achieve education results.

Divine, a school girl writes on the blackboard
Kigali, Rwanda

Private sector corporations and private foundations are the newest members represented on the Global Partnership Board of Directors. Their commitment to advance our objectives include working with communities to advocate for education rights, monitoring education sector reform, and increasing awareness of gender equality issues or child labor. They participate with other GPE partners in the elaboration of education strategies in developing country partners and help develop policies to overcome the worst barriers to quality education.

Additionally private sector and foundations partners collectively pledged to commit $687 million through their own education initiatives to improve gender equality, learning outcomes, and access to education for children in fragile states.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation will invest $36 million between 2012 and 2014 to improve civil society learning assessments, training for teachers, and will promote global and national learning outcomes indicators.

Microsoft and Pearson will provide a combined $30 million between 2012 and 2015 to increase school access, improve teacher development, school innovation and effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Global Partnership developing country partners.

One of the 19 seats on the Board of Directors are reserved for a representative from the private sector (or private foundations). Current Board members from the private sector include representatives from Microsoft Corporation and Intel Corporation. The Alternate seat is held by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.