Country-led system transformation
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GPE supports countries in planning and prioritizing reforms that have the potential to achieve transformation across an education system. After assessing their education system and identifying a priority reform, partner countries can access GPE grants to make focused, evidence-based investments in programs that unlock system bottlenecks.
Grant financing is available for capacity building and program development that might be needed to identify a key education reform and align partner support.
Partner countries can leverage additional external financing through the GPE Multiplier. The system transformation grant delivers funding at scale in support of a country’s reform efforts and both it and the Multiplier can combine with the Girls’ Education Accelerator to spur progress in gender equality.
Beyond support to governments, GPE also allocates grants to promote civil society’s voice and to generate new knowledge on key issues and solutions for the education sector.
Grant eligibility
See the full list of GPE partner countries and their grant ceilings under the GPE 2025 funding model.
Enabling factors
The country assesses four enabling factors critical to system transformation:
- data and evidence
- sector coordination
- gender-responsive planning
- volume, equity and efficiency of domestic public spending on education.
The Partnership Compact Guidelines include information about the enabling factors and how to complete the questionnaire and analysis.
Documents:
Independent Technical Advisory Panel
The Independent Technical Advisory Panel (ITAP) assesses country status against the four enabling factors to inform the partnership compact and GPE financing of system reform.
Documents:
Partnership compact
The partnership compact aligns partners and resources behind a prioritized education reform area. GPE recommends using the compact as a framework for all types of GPE grants, as well as to facilitate alignment between all sources of funding that contribute to education system transformation.
Document:
Grant agents and coordinating agencies
Partner countries receive GPE funding through grant agents who are accountable for the use of the resources throughout the grant’s duration. Governments, in consultation with the local education group, are encouraged to select a grant agent who can best assist them in a particular area supported by each GPE grant.
The coordinating agency is designated by the country’s local education group to act as a liaison between it, the government, GPE and other development partners.
Documents:
System capacity grant
Countries can receive up to US$5 million through a system capacity grant to strengthen gender-responsive planning and policy development, mobilize coordinated action and improve government capacity to adapt and learn to drive results at scale. The grant can also be used to develop the country’s partnership compact.
Countries can refer to the system capacity grant guidelines in completing and submitting an application and budget template.
Documents:
Program development grant
Countries can receive US$200,000 (or double that, in exceptional cases) for the design of an education program that will help the country implement its priority education reform.
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System transformation grant
Countries can receive up to US$162.5 million to finance priority programs to remove reform obstacles and drive change across the education system. Countries need to have completed the enabling factors analysis, developed a partnership compact and selected a suitable grant agent. They can also apply for a GPE Multiplier grant and (if eligible) a Girls’ Education Accelerator grant to maximize their GPE support.
Countries can refer to the system transformation grant guidelines in completing and submitting an application and budget template.
Documents:
- System transformation grant guidelines
- Application
- Budget template
- Quality standards for assessing system transformation and Multiplier grants
- Annual progress report template: Project modality / Sector pooled modality
- Completion report template: Project modality / Sector pooled modality
GPE Multiplier
Multiplier grants of up to US$50 million are available to countries that can mobilize investment in education from other partners, using a ratio of least $3 in new and additional external financing for every $1 from the GPE Multiplier. The Debt2Ed feature within the Multiplier also offers the opportunity to transform sovereign borrowing into new investments in education, helping to unlock the Multiplier in the same way as cofinancing.
A country first submits an expression of interest detailing the new and additional cofinancing from third parties, establishing the grant amount to be used in its Multiplier application. Countries are expected to have completed or be close to finalizing their partnership compact at the time they apply. Countries can refer to the GPE Multiplier guidelines in completing and submitting the expression of interest and application.
Documents:
Girls’ Education Accelerator
Some countries applying for a system transformation grant or GPE Multiplier – either singly or in combination – are also eligible for grants under the Girls’ Education Accelerator. This $250-million window ensures countries can maximize every opportunity to help all girls attend school for a full 12 years.
Documents:
- Application
- Please select between the Multiplier or system transformation grant guidelines
Accelerated funding
GPE can accelerate financing at times of crisis, such as disasters driven by natural hazards, armed conflict, forced displacement, and health emergencies, which threaten the education system.
Countries confronting a crisis can ask for advanced disbursement of up to 20% of a system transformation grant or Multiplier allocation (in countries only eligible for the Multiplier), or US$10 million (whichever is lowest of the three).
Documents:
Advocacy and social accountability grants
Through Education Out Loud, GPE supports civil society’s activities and influence in shaping education policy to better meet the needs of communities, especially of vulnerable and marginalized populations.
Implemented by Oxfam Denmark and financed by GPE, Education Out Loud is allocating up to US$133 million through three funding components.
Grants are available for national and international civil society organizations and networks in eligible countries worldwide to support their advocacy and social accountability work between 2019 and 2027.
Knowledge and innovation (KIX) grants
With a budget of US$164.5 million, the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is the largest fund solely dedicated to meet global public good gaps in education.
KIX activities cover six thematic areas: early childhood care and education, learning assessment systems, gender equality, strengthening data systems, equity and inclusion, and teaching and learning. Knowledge and innovation grants.
Grants under GPE 2020 funding model
Some grant information and documents under the previous funding model are available for a limited period.