At CIES 2026, one message came through clearly: advancing education outcomes at scale is not simply a question of expanding what works, but of fundamentally rethinking how systems are designed, financed, and sustained. Across panels, speakers pointed to a shared set of priorities that must be addressed in tandem: the need for more intentional system design, financing approaches that align incentives and drive long-term change, and a sustained, explicit focus on equity. 

These are not separate challenges, but deeply interconnected ones. Without alignment across systems, even the most promising innovations struggle to scale. Without financing that reinforces the right behaviors and incentives, impact remains short-lived. And without centering equity, efforts to expand access and improve outcomes risk leaving the most marginalized learners behind. 

The sections below unpack these cross-cutting tensions and explore what they mean for the Education Finance Network (EFN) and the broader edufinance community working to translate ideas into lasting, system-level impact.

We are still designing projects, not systems

The systems that are financing and delivering interventions in education remain fragmented. Funding streams across philanthropic, private, and public capital are often disconnected, and projects are implemented as standalone efforts. This limits scale, reduces efficiency, and ultimately constrains the ability to reach those most in need.  

For example, discussions across EFN’s panels highlighted how investments in AI and EdTech tools often inadequately outpace or exclude investments in the right conditions for lasting impact, such as teacher training and EdTech infrastructure. 

Similarly, climate-focused conversations at CIES underscored how financing for education and climate adaptation frequently operate in silos, despite the growing need for integrated approaches that address climate resilience within education systems. Climate financing often supports infrastructure or disaster response without integrating education continuity, even as changes to attendance and enrollment are some of the earliest indicators of climate disruption. Meanwhile, education budgets often fail to account for climate disruption, displacement, and the need for resilient school systems. 

Successful solutions are those that integrate across systems and effectively coordinate actors early on across financing, policy, and delivery. For EFN, this has meant prioritizing coordinating actors in edufinance. Without coordination, efforts remain fragmented, resources are inefficiently deployed, and impact does not scale. 

We find that by bringing together diverse edufinance actors, aligning priorities, and catalyzing collaboration, EFN supports translating investments into coherent, system-level change rather than isolated projects. Strengthening this coordination function is key to unlocking sustainable, large-scale impact.

More funding will not fix misaligned incentives 

The discussions at CIES further highlighted that achieving scale is not simply about attracting more capital, but about designing financing models that are cost-conscious, inclusive, and capable of supporting durable system change over time. 

While evidence shows that innovative and blended finance approaches, including outcomes-based financing (OBF), can mobilize additional capital and strengthen accountability, their impact depends on how they are designed and implemented. These approaches are most effective when they align with government priorities, are embedded within existing policies and systems, and support long-term institutional ownership, rather than operating as standalone or time-bound initiatives.  As discussed in our blended finance panel, outcomes-based models are most effective when tied to government incentives, ensuring that results are not only achieved but also sustained beyond the life of a specific fund. 

At the same time, interventions must be market-ready. This means financing structures must be realistic about what systems and partners are ready to absorb and implement. Similarly, financing models must have transaction efficiency, or have reduced the time, cost, and complexity required to design and execute. For EFN, this means shaping how financing is designed by translating between funders and implementers, helping to align perspectives on cost-effective interventions, ensure incentives work across actors, and support integration within local systems. Sustainable approaches, therefore, are those that balance ambition with practical considerations, ensuring that financing mechanisms are not only innovative, but also feasible, inclusive, and suited to the capabilities of the actors involved. 

Equity is talked about, but not designed for 

While many interventions aim to improve access and learning outcomes, equity is not always embedded in their design, risking overlooking or underserving the most marginalized learners, including girls and those in fragile or climate-affected contexts. Panelists emphasized that without a deliberate focus on these learners, even well-funded initiatives risk reinforcing existing disparities rather than reducing them.  

Strong, locally grounded data systems were repeatedly highlighted as essential to advancing this agenda. Without reliable, disaggregated, and context-specific data, it remains difficult to identify underserved populations, allocate resources effectively, or measure whether interventions are truly reaching those most in need.  

For example, discussions from our AI and EdTech panel emphasized that many tools are being developed and deployed without sufficient attention to the data they rely on, including where that data comes from and language representation. Panelists noted that without strong data governance and locally relevant datasets, AI solutions risk being misaligned with classroom realities, particularly in low-resource or marginalized contexts, limiting their effectiveness and potentially reinforcing existing inequities. 

Finally, designing for equity requires local ownership and decision-making. Across panels, speakers stressed that interventions and financing must ensure local actors are not only consulted but empowered to lead. Additionally, interventions must align with national priorities. This could include local actors playing a central role in defining target populations, selecting or adapting solutions to fit context, determining how funds are deployed, and setting the metrics by which success is measured among others. 

For EFN, this means championing practical ways to operationalize equity in financing. Solutions are more likely to be relevant, adopted, and sustained when they are shaped by local actors directly facing the challenges being addressed. 

Together, CIES 2026 underscored that achieving lasting impact in education will depend on how actors effectively unify systems, align incentives for financing, and design for equity. EFN not only connects education finance actors to foster coordination, but it also works to demystify and catalyze collaboration in equity-driven education financing, so that we can make real progress towards improving learning outcomes for the most marginalized globally.

Panel Contributions 

The 70th annual CIES conference took place from 28 March – 1 April 2026 in San Francisco, US. The Education Finance Network (EFN) convened five panels with its members, spanning effective, sustainable financing in the current context across a range of themes. This blog draws on the thoughtful insights shared during CIES, with sincere thanks to our panelists: 

• Climate, Education, and Peace: Financing Resilience in a Warming World, with Polycarp O. Otieno and Haogen Yao (UNICEF); Emma Gremley (International Rescue Committee); Charlie Habershon (Dalberg Advisors); moderated by Sarah Deonarain (Education Finance Network, Dalberg) 

• Financing Education for Social Cohesion: Blended Finance Approaches in Emerging Economies, with Özsel Beleli (Education Outcomes Fund); Dayoung Lee (Dalberg); Arushi Terway and Archana Mehendale (NORRAG); Natalie Davirro (Opportunity International EduFinance); moderated by Charlie Habershon (Education Finance Network, Dalberg) 

• AI and EdTech for Peace and Inclusion: Accessing the Hardest to Reach Through Smarter Solutions, with Aidan Friedberg (EIDU); Hannah Graham and Harry H. (Corus International CGA Technologies); Ruth Wairimu (Acumen); Janhvi Maheshwari-Kanoria (Education Above All Foundation); Henre Benson (VVOB in South Africa); moderated by Saskia Sickinger (Education Finance Network, Dalberg) 

• Decolonizing Finance: Shifting Power for Educational Equity, with Haogen Yao (UNICEF); Alejandra Montes Saenz (Fundación Carulla); Jetu Lalvani (Kaizenvest); moderated by Saskia Sickinger (Education Finance Network, Dalberg) 

• Non-State Actors Promoting Girls’ Success Inside and Outside of Government Schools: From Global Evidence to On-the-Ground Impact in Kenya, with Jen Kennedy (IREX); Andrew McCusker (Opportunity International EduFinance); Sarah Deonarain (Education Finance Network, Dalberg); moderated by Marcel Ricou (IREX)