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Turning evidence into better outcomes.
EOF’s programmes are living laboratories for learning. Across countries and sectors, we capture what works — and what doesn’t — in outcomes-based financing for education. Through research, data, and collaboration, we translate these lessons into practical tools and guidance for governments, donors, and implementers.
Our goal is not only to share insights, but to build capacity and confidence across education systems: helping partners design, commission, and scale outcomes-based programmes that deliver measurable, lasting impact.
Explore our latest evidence, case studies, and technical resources below — and see how learning from practice is shaping smarter education spending worldwide.
Dec 18, 20252 min read
Nov 24, 20254 min read
Aug 22, 20246 min read
When ‘Business-as-Usual’ Isn’t
The Use of Randomised Controlled Trials in Outcome-Based Financing Education Programmes Georges Poquillon Evaluation Manager, the Education Outcomes Fund At first glance, outcome-based financing (OBF) and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) appear to be a natural pair. OBF is anchored in the promise that payments are made for actual results. Meanwhile RCTs, still viewed as the 'gold standard' of evaluation, provide a credible estimate of the impact that can be attributed to a
5 days ago
Talking Outcomes with NYAF
In the latest of Talking Outcomes , EOF’s Chief Programmes Officer Milena Castellnou speaks with George Foday, Programme Manager at the National Youth Awareness Forum Sierra Leone, about NYAF’s experience delivering the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge. “Collaboration, not competition, is where real impact happens,” shares George. The discussion highlights how peer learning, partnership, and shared problem-solving supported adaptive management and helped partners
Jan 26
Talking Outcomes with EducAid
“Even though the project has ended, the learning continues. In many ways, it is just starting.” In this edition of Talking Outcomes , EOF’s Chief Programmes Officer Milena Castelnou speaks with Erin Northey about the lasting lessons of the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge. Over three years, SLEIC delivered measurable results, but its influence goes further. It fostered closer collaboration between partners, encouraged more purposeful use of data, and nurtured a c
Jan 26
Talking Outcomes with the British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone
In a context of tightening development budgets and mounting pressures on education systems, proving impact matters more than ever. Outcomes-based financing offers one way to show that investment is translating into real change. In this episode of Talking Outcomes, EOF’s Chief Programmes Officer Milena Castellnou speaks with the British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Josephine Gauld, about the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge. Together, they reflect on why outc
Jan 20
Talking Outcomes with Sierra Leone Ministry of Education
Last week in Freetown, EOF’s Chief Programmes Officer Milena Castellnou sat down with Deputy Minister Emily Gogra and Dr. Albert Dupiny, Senior Education Advisor from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education for the latest episode of Talking Outcomes. Together, they explored how lessons from the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge are helping the government and its partners focus on outcomes, strengthen accountability, and collaborate more effectively to
Jan 20
Learning What Works: Closing SLEIC
The British High Commissioner Josephine Gauld hosts closing event for the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge. Freetown, Sierra Leone – 15 January 2026 – Senior government leaders, donors, implementing partners, private sector representatives and civil society organisations gathered at the British High Commissioner’s Residence last night for the close-out of the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC), marking a pivotal moment in the country’s education r
Jan 16
Talking Outcomes with Rising Academies
EOF’s Chief Programmes Officer Miléna Castellnou speaks with Job Matseshe, Managing Director for Sierra Leone at Rising Academies. They explore how a relentless focus on student outcomes, data-driven decision-making, and strong partnerships helped Rising adapt its approach, tailor support to different schools, and deliver meaningful results in SLEIC. Another perspective. Another set of lessons. One goal: improving learning outcomes for every child. Watch the video here:
Jan 14
Between The Years
For EOF, 2025 was a year of proof and 2026 will be a year of disciplined scale, writes our CEO Amel Karboul Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu and EOF’s CEO Dr. Amel Karboul, in December 2025 I’ve always loved a German expression: zwischen den Jahren, “between the years.” It refers to the days between Christmas and the New Year, a short pause that is neither fully past nor fully future, but suspended in reflection and transition. I’ve been thinking about the Educat
Jan 14
British High Commissioner Josephine Gauld Hosts Closing Event for Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge
Celebrating the results of Africa's largest outcomes-based education programme. Freetown, Sierra Leone | 15 January 2026 The British High Commission in Freetown, led by High Commissioner Josephine Gauld, will host the closing event for the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) on Thursday, 15 January 2026, marking the conclusion of one of Africa’s largest outcomes-based education programmes. Over three years, the $18 million initiative reached more than 100,000
Jan 14
Talking Outcomes with Bridges Outcomes Partnerships
Last year, EOF launched Talking Outcomes, a video series exploring the results of the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC). In the first episode, EOF's Chief Programmes Officer, Miléna Castellnou , sat down with Ali Inam , Director at Bridges Outcomes Partnerships , the impact investor who supported three of SLEIC’s five implementing partners. Together, they reflect on what the results reveal: the power of outcomes partnerships, the role of adaptive man
Jan 14
Inside SLEIC: Challenge, Village, Eyes Open
The Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) was one of the largest outcomes-based education programmes in Sierra Leone, and among the most ambitious in sub-Saharan Africa. Led by the Government of Sierra Leone and supported by a wide range of partners, SLEIC marked a deliberate shift toward financing education based on measurable results. To mark the close of SLEIC, the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), together with Rising Academies, has released three new videos
Dec 18, 2025
Leading with Courage in Sierra Leone
A note from Dr. Amel Karboul, CEO When the Government of Sierra Leone launched the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) three years ago, it showed the world what courageous, forward-looking leadership in education really looks like. This was not just a new programme. It was a decision to lead with evidence, embrace transparency, and align public spending with what matters most, children’s learning. President Julius Maada Bio and David Moinina Sengeh, then Minis
Dec 11, 2025
A New Way of Doing Things in South Africa
The South Africa ECCE Outcomes Fund will give 115,000 children a strong start in life Midrand, South Africa - 2 December 2025 - More than 100 government officials, donors, implementing partners and early childhood development (ECD) experts gathered in Midrand yesterday as Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, officially launched the R496 million (USD 29 million) Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Outcomes Fund, the world’s largest outcomes fund dedicated to earl
Dec 2, 2025
South Africa to Launch $29 Million Outcomes Fund for Early Childhood Education
South Africa to Launch $29 Million Outcomes Fund for Early Childhood Education
Nov 24, 2025
Breaking Cycles: How Kenya is Supporting Teen Mothers With Outcomes-Based Financing
In Kenya, every year, more than 13,000 girls leave school because of pregnancy. Stigma, poverty, and a lack of childcare services leave these young mothers exposed to violence, early marriage, and poor health, locking families into generational cycles of exclusion and poverty. To help break that cycle, EOF, in partnership with Healthy Brains Global Initiative (HBGI) , United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) , and the SDG Partnership Platform, is co-designing Outcome of Ambi
Nov 17, 2025
Rewriting the Future of Work
With FBR@WORK, EOF is supporting the Tunisian Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training to Align Skills with Opportunity The world of work is being rewritten in real time. In Tunisia, millions of young people are training for jobs that may not exist, while employers struggle to fill the ones that do. Meanwhile, the rapid development of artificial intelligence is transforming industries faster than education systems can adapt, further exacerbating this quiet crisis of sk
Nov 7, 2025
“Help Me Grow”: Rwanda Kicks off a New Vision for Early Childhood Education
What happens in the first few years of life sets the course for everything that follows – for children, families, and the societies they help build. Yet, those years remain the most overlooked and least funded stage of education. Rwanda wants to change that. It began, as many transformations do, with a question: How can we ensure that every child gets the best possible start in life? That question now anchors one of Rwanda’s most ambitious education initiatives, the Nkuza Nez
Oct 30, 2025
Rwanda Launches $13 Million Outcomes-Based Early Childhood Education Programme
Kigali, Rwanda. 29 October 2025 – The Government of Rwanda, in partnership with the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) and with the support of the LEGO Foundation, has launched the country's first national outcomes-based financing programme for early childhood care and education (ECCE). The initiative will reach more than 25,000 children aged 3 to 5 years in 390 community-based early child development (ECD) facilities across the country. Building on its early childhood reforms, t
Oct 28, 2025
From Programmes to a Movement
From October 2025 to January 2026, the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) and partners will launch four new outcomes funds in Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Together, these new outcomes funds will mobilise over $82 million to support education initiatives led by governments and backed by public, philanthropic, and impact investors. These funds mark a shift in the use of outcomes-based financing in education—moving from individual pilot projects to broader polic
Oct 17, 2025
FBR@Work, Unlocking Opportunities: Tunisia Tackles Youth Unemployment with Outcomes-Based Financing
Tunisia stands out in Africa for having one of the most diversified economies, from manufacturing and agriculture to tourism. Yet beneath...
Jul 15, 2025
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