CollaborateUp partnered with The Palladium Group in support of the USAID CATALYZE EduFinance activity, a program that unites private sector ingenuity with public resources to improve access to quality education in Latin America and the Caribbean.
CollaborateUp led a comprehensive market assessment of the non-state education sector to foster an understanding of the region’s educational landscape and provide recommendations on how to crowd in private capital to non-state schools and education enterprises.
We focused on six key Latin American countries, drawing from previous country-level market assessments, illuminating pathways for investors and development partners to overcome the funding gaps through blended finance mechanisms. We conducted interviews with key stakeholders including impact and private equity investors, local organizations and donors, and government officials.
Our research took into account the impacts of COVID-19 and allowed us to develop specific investment criteria and identified opportunities for investors and USAID to prioritize when engaging in the non-state education sector. The final report was presented to USAID and later to a broader audience of interested participants. It attracted more than 120 attendees to a virtual presentation of the market assessment findings. CollaborateUp also provided feedback on USAID’s five-point framework (shown below) and diagnostic tool which helps to evaluate the investability of a market based on various risk factors and opportunities. By utilizing this tool through our research, we were able to provide USAID with valuable feedback for how it can be personalized for use in other sectors and in different parts of the world.
Our work provided a clear picture of the current education finance landscape and laid the groundwork for sustainable investment strategies which can adapt to the evolving needs of the Latin American and Caribbean education sector. Our work in support of the CATALYZE EduFinance activity demonstrates our commitment to fostering innovative, stakeholder-informed solutions to enhance impact for global development initiatives.
Read the full report here.