Education Cannot Wait

What Education Cannot Wait does

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is a United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, established in 2016 at the World Humanitarian Summit and hosted by UNICEF under independent governance. The fund mobilizes voluntary contributions from public and private donors and deploys them through three financing windows: the First Emergency Response (FER) for sudden-onset crises with a 12-month project horizon, the Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) for protracted crises with 3-4 year joint programming, and the Acceleration Facility (AF) for global public goods and innovations. ECW does not operate a proprietary technology platform; rather, its "product" is a coordination and financing mechanism that channels grants to a network of 75 implementing partners (UN agencies, international NGOs, civil society organizations, and local actors) coordinated at the country level through Education Clusters, EiE Working Groups, and Local Education Groups. Since inception, ECW has mobilized approximately $1.7 billion in donor contributions, deployed 377 grants across 44 countries, and reached 14 million crisis-affected children and adolescents (50% girls, 29% refugees, over 200,000 with disabilities).

ECW's revenue model is entirely grant-based: it does not sell products or services and does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Donor contributions flow from sovereign governments (Germany is the top donor with cumulative contributions exceeding €318.8 million, followed by France, the European Union, and Japan), development banks, and philanthropic partners including the LEGO Foundation. Country-level grant selection is decentralized to ensure local relevance, while ECW's secretariat operates with a lean structure of 11-50 staff across New York headquarters and a Geneva office, supplemented by senior management including a Director, Chief of Evidence/Results/Reporting, Chief of Programmes Delivery and Quality, Chief of Finance/Risk/Operations, and Chief of Partnerships/Advocacy/Resource Mobilization.

The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan targets reaching 20 million crisis-affected children, while the forthcoming 2027-2030 Strategic Plan requires a US$600 million replenishment and targets an additional 10 million children. ECW has begun repositioning around climate-education linkages (evidenced by COP30 participation and a Greening Learning Spaces grant) and disability-inclusive education (via the DiDa Schools project and partnership with Humanity & Inclusion), suggesting a thematic broadening of its programmatic mandate alongside its core humanitarian response work.

Name

Education Cannot Wait

Legal name

Education Cannot Wait

Website

https://educationcannotwait.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Education Cannot Wait is the UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, hosted by UNICEF with independent governance. It mobilizes donor contributions and channels grants through 75 implementing partners across 44 countries, reaching 14 million crisis-affected children since 2016.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Education Funding

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Education / Education in Emergencies (EiE) (BPADADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG), Education in Emergencies (EiE) & Safe Schools (BPADAKAJ), Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Pre-Primary Education (BPADAKAB), In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

Keywords

• Emergency education funding
• Humanitarian grant financing
• Education in emergencies
• Crisis response education
• Resilience program financing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Grants: ECW generates revenue through contributions from public and private donors including government donors, private and philanthropic sectors, and development banks. ECW's investments are made possible through generous contributions from supporters who enable the fund to reach millions of crisis-affected children worldwide.
2. Total Mobilized Funds: ECW has mobilized approximately $1.7 billion in total agreed contributions since inception through 2026, with $73 million pledged. The fund operates as a billion-dollar global fund for education in emergencies within the United Nations system.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the global UN fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, hosted by UNICEF. ECW mobilizes donor contributions and channels them through three core funding windows — First Emergency Response (FER) for rapid crisis response, Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) for protracted crises, and Acceleration Facility (AF) for systemic innovations — to support crisis-affected children's education delivered by implementing partners across 44 countries.

Product overview

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) operates as the global billion-dollar fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations, administered under UNICEF's financial and administrative rules. Rather than a traditional product company, ECW functions as a multi-donor financing mechanism with three core funding windows: First Emergency Response (FER) for rapid crisis response, Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) for protracted crises, and Acceleration Facility (AF) for global public goods and innovations. ECW also provides transparency through its Results Dashboard, an interactive tool showing impact metrics. The organization works through the multilateral system to increase response speed in crises and connect immediate relief with longer-term interventions through multi-year programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Emergency Response (FER) Rapid response funding mechanism for sudden-onset emergencies and escalating crises, providing swift funding for immediate and urgent education needs. Projects are a maximum of 12 months and prepared at the country level through Education Cluster, EiE Working Group, or Local Education Group coordination.
• Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) Multi-year programming approach for countries affected by conflict and protracted crises, facilitating joint humanitarian and development financing. MYRPs integrate immediate and medium-term responses, providing long-term predictable financing to bridge relief to development interventions over 3-4 years.
• Acceleration Facility (AF) Funding stream supporting strategic initiatives that tackle systemic barriers to quality education and catalyze advancements in the education in emergencies ecosystem. Supports global public goods, innovations, and sector capacity strengthening, with the majority of funds awarded through Open Calls for Proposals.
• Results Dashboard Interactive dashboard displaying ECW's impact metrics including total children reached, countries supported, resources mobilized, and strategic plan progress data for transparency and accountability.
• Main Results Dashboard Web-based visualization tool showing global impact data since inception (2017-present), including children reached by demographics, crisis contexts assisted, and funds mobilized by funding window.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 million crisis-affected children reached since inception, with 50% girls
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016ECW is administered under UNICEF's financial, human resources, and administrative rules and regulations. The ECW Secretariat is hosted by UNICEF, with operations run by the fund's own independent governance structure. UNICEF serves as the primary implementing partner for many ECW-funded programs worldwide.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) is a key multilateral partner working with ECW on education for refugees and displaced populations. UNHCR co-implements programs with ECW funding, particularly in refugee-hosting countries like Uganda.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCO collaborates with ECW on education policy, standards, and data systems strengthening in emergency contexts. ECW supports UNESCO's work on education management information systems in crisis settings.
• WFP (World Food Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFP partners with ECW on school feeding programs integrated into education in emergencies responses, addressing both nutrition and educational access.
• Save the ChildrencoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMajor implementing partner delivering ECW-funded programs in multiple countries including Uganda, Syria, and others. Save the Children serves as co-grantee alongside UNHCR for refugee education programs.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNRC implements ECW-funded education programs, including teacher training and school rebuilding initiatives in Sudan and other crisis contexts.
• World VisioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorld Vision implements ECW-funded programs in multiple countries including Ethiopia, Burundi, delivering education, school feeding, and support programs for crisis-affected children.
• Plan InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlan International partners with ECW on gender equality initiatives, including the Gender Acceleration Facility and programs advancing gender transformative education in emergencies.
• Education Cluster / Global Education ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECW works through Education Clusters coordinated by Save the Children and UNICEF at country level to ensure coherent emergency education responses and grant coordination.
• Street ChildcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStreet Child partners with ECW's Acceleration Facility to increase investments in local actors and local-level capacities for education in emergencies response.
• Humanity & InclusioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartners with ECW on disability-inclusive education initiatives, including the DiDa Schools project testing the Child Functioning Module in emergency contexts.
• Global Partnership for Education (GPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECW collaborates with GPE and World Bank to improve collaboration, coordination, and financing of global efforts for education for refugee children and host communities.
• UNGEI (UN Girls' Education Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNGEI collaborates with ECW on gender equality in education, including the EiE-GenKit resource package and Gender Reference Group activities.
• INEE (Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINEE collaborates with ECW on standards, resources, and coordination for education in emergencies, including the EiE-GenKit and inclusive education resources.
• UN Secretary-General António GuterresmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued statements supporting ECW's mission, including the #222MillionDreams campaign statement calling for education access for every child.
• The Rt. Hon. Gordon BrownmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Special Envoy for Global Education and former UK Chancellor, Gordon Brown first called for ECW's establishment in 2015 and serves as Chair of ECW's High-Level Steering Group.
• Finn Church AidcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFinn Church Aid leads the international consortium for ECW's Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Ukraine, working with DOCCU, MriyDiy, and GoGlobal.
• Teach For UkrainecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTeach For Ukraine implements ECW-funded teacher training programs in Ukraine, helping educators address learning gaps caused by the ongoing conflict.
• RET InternationalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRET International leads ECW-funded programs supporting refugee and migrant children in Ecuador, reaching nearly 43,000 children and adolescents.
• Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECW supports GCPEA's Education Under Attack reports and is committed to the Safe Schools Declaration for protecting education from military attack.
• Special OlympicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial Olympics partners with ECW on disability-inclusive education initiatives, co-hosting forums and developing resources for inclusive education in emergencies.
• Global Campaign for EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal advocacy coalition working with ECW to advance education in emergencies, including co-hosting disability-inclusive education forums.
• ArupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArup received a $650,000 ECW Acceleration Facility grant alongside Save the Children and WWF to develop standards for environmentally responsible temporary learning spaces.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWWF partners with ECW on climate action integration in education in emergencies, including developing green standards for temporary learning spaces.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE): INEE is the open inter-agency network setting standards and resources for EiE, with ECW as a core partner. INEE is not a fund but rather an enabling/coordination body, making it an ecosystem peer rather than a direct financing competitor.

Emerging players

• International Rescue Committee (Education): IRC operates significant EiE programs in conflict-affected countries and is a peer implementing organization. While not a pooled fund like ECW, IRC is among the operational peers competing for implementation grants and country-level education cluster leadership.
• Theirworld: Theirworld is a global education advocacy and grant-making organization focused on refugee education and early childhood development. It works in adjacent funding pools to ECW, including co-authoring ECW Director Maysa Jalbout's earlier reports on refugee education.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (Education): NRC is a major ECW implementation partner delivering EiE programs in conflict-affected contexts such as Sudan. NRC operates its own substantial education portfolio and is a direct operational peer in crisis education delivery.
• Malala Fund: Malala Fund is a leading girls' education funder that explicitly targets crisis-affected contexts (e.g., Afghan Girls Education Programme). It is a thematic peer in girls' EiE and a potential complement or competitor for gender-focused education financing.
• Save the Children (Education in Emergencies): Save the Children is both ECW's largest NGO implementing partner and co-leads the Global Education Cluster. It runs its own significant EiE portfolio and historically scaled humanitarian education before ECW's creation, making it a peer in service delivery if not in pooled financing.

Direct peers

• Global Partnership for Education: GPE is the largest global multi-donor fund for education in developing countries, also hosted at the World Bank. Like ECW it pools donor contributions to support country-level education programs, but it focuses on longer-term development financing rather than emergency response — making it the closest functional peer and a key coordination partner (noted explicitly in ECW's partnerships).
• UNESCO Education in Emergencies: UNESCO's EiE programme sets global norms, standards, and data systems (including the EiE-GenKit with ECW) for crisis-affected education. UNESCO operates as both a peer and partner to ECW, focusing on policy, data, and capacity building rather than direct grant financing.
• UNHCR Education: UNHCR leads refugee education globally and is a core implementing partner for ECW's refugee-focused grants (e.g., Uganda, Ecuador). It directly co-implements ECW-funded programs and shares overlapping mandates around forced displacement and EiE, but with a narrower thematic focus on refugee populations.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Education: UNICEF is ECW's host institution, primary systems administrator, and largest implementation partner. UNICEF's education programmes cover both development and emergencies globally with a far larger budget and field footprint; ECW effectively operates as a specialized financing window within UNICEF's broader education portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/educannotwait
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCA-BC1CYj6f9C7FeJAQWoKQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/EduCannotWait
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/educationcannotwait
• Instagraminstagram.com/educannotwait
• TikToktiktok.com/@educannotwait

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors5 records

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M&A

Investments7 records

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Frequently asked questions about Education Cannot Wait