How does the GPE Multiplier work?
The GPE Multiplier works alongside other sources of external funding. It can be invested as a grant or used to lower the interest rate on concessional lending, for example from multilateral development banks or bilateral donors. It can also work alongside other, non-traditional sources of development finance, including private capital.
All GPE-eligible countries are able to access a Multiplier grant under the 2021-2025 strategic plan.
Resources:
- Multiplier operating guidelines (2021-2025)
- Form for expression of interest
- Examples of expressions of interest:
- Accessing the GPE Multiplier
- Factsheet: the GPE Multiplier
Securing a Multiplier allocation
Countries secure allocations through a light-touch expression of interest (EOI) confirming the type and level of cofinancing. Based on a review of the EOI, a country may be awarded an allocation to use in a subsequent grant application.
Securing an allocation from the GPE Multiplier depends on meeting several criteria, including sourcing new and additional external support. Each US$1 from the Multiplier, up to a country’s allocation ceiling, is expected to unlock new, external funding at a minimum ratio that depends on cofinancing partner(s) involved.
This funding should align to the needs of the education sector and the activities under implementation or planned to be implemented by national authorities and international partners.
To make it easier to secure an allocation and to crowd in new and different sources of funding, two new initiatives are launched for the period 2021-2025:
- Lower matching fund requirement: Private sector partners and foundations can help unlock a Multiplier grant with a ratio of 1:1, i.e. $1 in additional contribution for each $1 from GPE. Other donors – including bilateral and multilateral donors – still need to meet the ratio of $3 in additional resources per $1 from the Multiplier.
- Updated requirements: The sector-level requirements to access Multiplier financing have been expanded from three to four areas that are assessed in a more nuanced, context-specific manner:
- equity, efficiency, and volume of domestic finance
- sector planning, policy, and monitoring
- data and evidence
- sector coordination.
The GPE Secretariat works closely with partner countries to assess their state of play and ambition in these areas. A country can decide when it accesses a Multiplier allocation whether it will also assess bottlenecks to system transformation and priority actions to address them with partner and GPE Fund support, or base its program choice and design on another national-level planning document, such as an active education sector plan.
Allocations for 2021-2025
| Allocation ceiling | Eligible countries |
|---|---|
| Up to US$ 50 million | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Congo, Dem. Rep., Egypt, Arab Rep., Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Vietnam [18] |
| Up to US$ 40 million | Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Rep., Zambia [18] |
| Up to US$ 30 million | Benin, Burundi, Cambodia, Guinea, Haiti, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Zimbabwe [10] |
| Up to US$ 15 million | Bolivia, Central African Republic, Congo, Rep., El Salvador, Honduras, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Liberia, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza [16] |
| Up to US$ 5 million | Belize, Bhutan, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, The, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kiribati, Lesotho, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Mongolia, Moldova, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu [29] |
Arab Coordination Group’s Smart Education Financing (SmartEd)
The Arab Coordination Group’s Smart Education Financing (SmartEd) is an innovative approach designed to dramatically scale up education financing in the 37 member countries of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) - representing more than one-third of GPE partner countries - to get millions more children into school and learning.
Launched in December 2021, ACG SmartEd, leverages US$4 from the ACG and IsDB for every dollar from the GPE Multiplier.
SmartEd aims to deploy US$500 million in blended funds, integrating US$400 million in IsDB and ACG funding with US$100 million from GPE. This innovative financing instrument was jointly designed by the ACG, with leadership from IsDB and GPE, to leverage the GPE Multiplier.
Transition from the GPE Multiplier 2018-2020
Countries with approved Multiplier allocations in the 2018 – 2020 period can finalize their applications to use these allocations. Applications submitted by countries by December 2020 and awaiting confirmation are under review, and decisions will be notified as soon as possible. These countries, as well as those that have already secured a Multiplier allocation, should develop and submit grant applications to use any funds secured through a successful expression of interest by the end of December 2021.
Countries can decide whether their application will comply with the previous funding model (adopted in 2014 for the period 2015-2020) or use the new operating model, which will be in place for the 2021-2025 period.
Secretariat country leads will collaborate with partner countries to help them decide on the right approach.