United Nations Girls' Education Initiative

What United Nations Girls' Education Initiative does

The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) is a UN-hosted global partnership founded in 2000 to advance gender equality in and through education. Headquartered in New York and operating globally with a small secretariat staff, UNGEI works through evidence building, coordinated advocacy, and collective action to close the gender gap in education. The organization convenes governments, UN agencies, civil society, research institutions, corporate and philanthropic partners, and youth activists under a unified advocacy framework addressing systemic gender inequalities, school-related gender-based violence, harmful gender norms, and barriers to girls' education including child marriage, early pregnancy, and conflict.

UNGEI's programmatic portfolio includes the Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI), which works with African government ministries on gender-transformative education; the Preventing School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) E-Course co-developed with UNICEF and UNESCO; the Knowledge Hub digital library with dedicated resource centres for SRGBV and Gender in Education in Emergencies; the Results Framework and Indicator Reference Sheet for ending gender stereotypes; the Education Shifts Power youth-led grantmaking initiative; and the Feminist School leadership development program. Distribution channels include direct government engagement, partner network dissemination, self-serve digital access via the Knowledge Hub, and youth campaign mobilization through advocacy movements such as Transform Education, Leave No Girl Behind, and Educate for Equality.

The organization is funded entirely through grants and institutional contributions, with named recent supporters including Education Cannot Wait ($1M grant in November 2024), France (renewed African commitment in July 2024), and co-development partnerships with UNICEF, UNESCO, Plan International, Save the Children, the University of Oxford/Accelerate Hub, and GAGE/ODI. UNGEI operates as a non-commercial coordination mechanism; all programming, resources, and advocacy materials are provided free of charge to partners and stakeholders, with no disclosed pricing model or revenue-generating activities.

Name

United Nations Girls' Education Initiative

Legal name

United Nations Girls' Education Initiative

Website

https://ungei.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UNGEI is a UN-hosted global partnership founded in 2000 that advances gender equality in and through education by convening governments, UN agencies, civil society, and youth activists, delivering advocacy programs, e-learning, and a Knowledge Hub funded by institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAGAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYEDADALAF

Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

SECONDARYBPADAAAA

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Multilateral & Intergovernmental Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAFAD

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

Keywords

• Girls education advocacy
• Gender equality education
• Education in emergencies
• Global education partnership
• Gender transformative education

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: UNGEI operates as a UN global partnership funded primarily through grants and institutional funding. The organization receives grants from organizations such as Education Cannot Wait ($1 million grant) to support gender equality programming in education emergencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UNGEI is a United Nations-hosted global partnership that advances gender equality in and through education through evidence building, coordinated advocacy, and collective action. It delivers a portfolio of programs including the Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI), the Preventing School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) E-Course co-developed with UNICEF and UNESCO, the Knowledge Hub digital library, the Education Shifts Power youth-led grantmaking program, the Feminist School, the Ending Gender Stereotypes program, and the FemNet4GTE feminist network.

Product overview

UNGEI (United Nations Girls' Education Initiative) is a global partnership dedicated to advancing gender equality in and through education. Rather than a single unified software product, UNGEI offers a portfolio of advocacy programs, learning resources, and campaigns. Core initiatives include the Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI) working with governments in Africa, the Preventing School-Related Gender-Based Violence E-Course developed with UNICEF and UNESCO, and the Knowledge Hub as a digital library. Additional programs include Education Shifts Power (youth-led grantmaking), Feminist School, Ending Gender Stereotypes, FemNet4GTE, and campaigns such as Transform Education, Leave No Girl Behind, and Educate for Equality. These offerings work together through evidence building, coordinated advocacy, and collective action to close the gender gap in education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI): A flagship initiative focused on advancing gender-transformative education through government leadership and policy integration across African countries including Senegal and South Africa.
• Feminist School
• Education Shifts Power
• Transform Education
• Leave No Girl Behind
• Educate for Equality
• End SRGBV
• FemNet4GTE

Products and services

• Gender at the Centre Initiative (GCI)

Quantifiable outcome

• 122 million girls still out of school globally, requiring urgent intervention
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• Education Cannot Wait (ECW)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2024Education Cannot Wait, the UN global fund for education in emergencies, announced two grants totaling $1.9 million in partnership with UNGEI ($1 million) and Plan International Canada ($900,000) to advance gender equality in education in crisis settings. The grants focus on transforming gender norms and measuring gender equality outcomes for women and girls affected by emergencies and protracted crises.
• Plan International CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-recipient of $900,000 grant from Education Cannot Wait alongside UNGEI, focused on measuring gender-transformative changes in education programs in crisis settings.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for development and deployment of the Preventing School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) E-Course. UNICEF serves as a key co-development partner for this training resource.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for development of the Preventing School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) E-Course alongside UNICEF and the Global Working Group to End SRGBV.
• Global Working Group to End SRGBVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical guidance provided through a Technical Reference Group joined by Right to Play, Save the Children, and Together for Girls for the development of the SRGBV E-Course.
• University of Oxford / Accelerate HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for the development of the Gender-Transformative Education advocacy brief, bringing academic rigor to the evidence base on gender-transformative education investments.
• Level the FieldsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization contributing to the Gender-Transformative Education advocacy brief developed in partnership with UNGEI and expert researchers.
• GAGE / ODIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGender and Adolescence Global Evidence (GAGE) program and Overseas Development Institute (ODI) as expert research partners for the Gender-Transformative Education brief.
• Feminist Network for Gender Transformative Education (FemNet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the Gender-Transformative Education advocacy brief and partner in the FemNet4GTE initiative, driving feminist approaches to gender-transformative education.
• Government ministries worldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with governments across the world to put gender equality at the heart of education systems, including new country commitments in Senegal and South Africa per the GCI Annual Report 2025.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plan International: International NGO focused on children's rights and girls' equality, with a long-standing partnership with UNGEI (co-recipient of $900K Education Cannot Wait grant in 2024). Operates overlapping programs in education, SRGBV prevention, and youth-led feminist grantmaking.
• Education Cannot Wait (ECW): UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. Active funder of UNGEI ($1M grant in 2024) and a directly comparable partnership/fund entity targeting overlapping crises-affected populations and gender equality outcomes.
• Room to Read: International nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education across Asia and Africa. Comparable in targeting gender disparities in school access and outcomes, with overlapping programmatic presence in low-income and crisis-affected countries.
• Global Partnership for Education (GPE): Multilateral partnership and fund focused on education in developing countries, with explicit gender equality objectives. Comparable to UNGEI as a partnership/fund model rather than a single implementing organization, and a potential competitor for the same donor pool.
• Together for Girls: Global partnership dedicated to ending violence against children, particularly girls, including school-related gender-based violence. Direct peer on SRGBV programming with overlapping technical reference groups and shared advocacy targets with UNGEI.

Emerging players

• Malala Fund: Nonprofit founded by Malala Yousafzai focused on 12 years of free, safe, quality education for girls. Operates advocacy, research, and grantmaking programs in multiple of the same countries as UNGEI, with overlapping campaign themes (Leave No Girl Behind).

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: UN entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Operates across education and other sectors with a broader mandate than UNGEI but directly overlaps on gender equality advocacy, policy frameworks, and convening member states.
• UNICEF: UN agency focused on children's rights and wellbeing globally, including a dedicated focus on girls' education. Co-developed UNGEI's SRGBV E-Course and operates its own gender-in-education programming at a vastly larger scale, making it the most directly overlapping multilateral peer.
• UNESCO: UN agency for education with global mandate over Education for All and SDG 4, including gender parity goals. Co-developed UNGEI's SRGBV E-Course and convenes its own partnerships on girls' education, positioning it as the principal multilateral peer for education-system advocacy.
• Save the Children: Major international NGO operating across child rights including education in emergencies and SRGBV. Partnered on UNGEI's SRGBV E-Course via the Technical Reference Group, and operates competing gender-in-education programs at global scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ungei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ungei
• Instagraminstagram.com/ungei
• Xx.com/ungei
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXwB5X3n9V3xX3xX3xX3xX3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Nations Girls' Education Initiative