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Welcome to the IEFG Brains in Gear Series. In this inaugural episode exploring education philanthropy and the climate crisis, we ask ourselves what we can do regarding the "climate-proofing of education philanthropy."

In this episode, we bring together four experts who are pioneering innovative approaches to climate-conscious education philanthropy across Africa and beyond:

Fia van Rensburg, Knowledge Manager at the Independent Philanthropy Association South Africa (IPASA), shares her groundbreaking work on addressing "climate anxiety" in the funding community and leading the development of Africa's first climate commitment for funders.

Kate O'Brien, Executive Director of the Costa Foundation, explains how they've integrated climate considerations into their 18-year mission of supporting education in coffee-growing communities, sharing practical examples from Guatemala to Uganda.

Simon Wanda, Programme Specialist at UNESCO, discusses how the Greening Education Partnership provides a welcoming entry point for education funders at any stage of their climate journey, with over 1,700 organizations already participating.

David Nkrumah-Boateng, Country Programme Lead for PEAS Ghana, offers insights from the ground level on co-designing climate-smart schools and the importance of locally-led, contextual solutions in climate-vulnerable communities.

Together, these four explore how philanthropic organisations can identify practical entry points for climate action without abandoning their core education mission. From addressing "climate anxiety" in the funding community to implementing solar-powered schools and climate-smart agriculture programs, this conversation offers actionable strategies for funders ready to take their first steps.

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Welcome to the IEFG Brains in Gear Series. In this inaugural episode exploring education philanthropy and the climate crisis, we examine "The things that can happen when education and climate meet."

This episode explores a pivotal question: Can education funders fulfil their missions without addressing climate change? As host Sally Vivyan notes, "You can't be an education funder in lower and middle-income countries if you aren't thinking about intersections with climate." Our four discussants challenge us to recognise that most education funders are already climate funders - they're just not realising it yet.

Sally Vivyan, Co-Director of Gower Street, leads a spend-out grant maker focused on climate crisis intersections with education in Ghana and globally. She previously worked in international development and migration, holds a PhD in charity leadership, and continues writing on philanthropy topics.

Naghma Mulla, CEO of EdelGive Foundation, has spent over a decade transforming collaborative philanthropy in India. Under her leadership, EdelGive evolved from grant-making into a philanthropic asset management platform bringing together diverse stakeholders to co-design ambitious projects for India's most marginalised communities.

Francesca Beausang, Global Director of Communication and Partnerships at the Pharo Foundation, brings unique experience spanning academia and corporate finance. After completing her PhD at Cambridge University and lecturing at LSE, she transitioned to macroeconomics, covering emerging and developed markets. She has authored two books on globalisation and multinationals.

Ross Hall, Education Portfolio Lead for Fondation Botnar, models system change architecture, ensuring holistic child development while communities learn to thrive together, focusing on sustainable educational frameworks supporting individual growth and collective resilience.

Christina Kwauk, Ph.D., social scientist and policy analyst specialising in girls' education, 21st century skills, and gender-education-climate intersections. Co-editor of "Curriculum and Learning for Climate Action" and co-author of "What Works in Girls' Education," she serves as an education consultant at Unbounded Associates and co-founder of Unbounded Alliance.

Through candid discussions, these five reveal how climate change intensifies inequalities, examine barriers preventing greater climate education investment, and offer practical solutions for moving from indirect to direct climate action through education. From insights on India's education system, where only 120,000 of 1 million schools have eco clubs, to Kenyan water bank schools boosting attendance up to 95%, this conversation provides sobering realities and inspiring innovations.

The discussion emphasises education as the strongest predictor of adaptive capacity while warning against limiting impact to indirect links. Speakers advocate for intentional climate education integration, systemic resilience approaches, and collaborative action moving beyond silos to create change at the scale and speed our climate crisis demands.

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Welcome to the “Brains in Gear” series, or as we like to call it, the BIG series, brought to you by the International Education Funders Group (IEFG).

This podcast is a space for dynamic, timely conversations on varied themes most relevant to the current global landscape in education. This year, we're focusing on a theme that should demand the attention of every education funder: Education Philanthropy and the Climate Crisis.

We will tackle the often unspoken questions that education funders are facing. Can education funders reach their goals without addressing climate? Why has it been so difficult for education philanthropy to step into climate education? How can education funders start integrating a climate lens into their existing portfolios without derailing core priorities? What are the most promising entry points for action?

Throughout the series, you’ll hear from funders, practitioners, and thought leaders who are grappling with these questions in real time. They’ll share what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.

So whether you're an education funder looking to understand where climate fits into your mission, a climate funder curious about how education can support your goals, or simply someone eager to better understand how philanthropy is evolving in the face of the climate crisis, this podcast is for you.

Get your Brains in Gear, and join us as we navigate one of the most important conversations in global education today.

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Welcome to the IEFG Brains in Gear Series. In this final conversation of this season, the IEFG's Education Technology Fellow, Anjali Nambiar discusses her takeaways from this year's BIG Series with the IEFG's Executive Director, Laura Savage and the IEFG's Senior Lead for Philanthropic Coalitions, Leonora Dowley.

Nb: This episode was taped before the USAID funding freeze was announced. As a result, we may see a different involvement of the aid sector than we expected at the time of recording.

This podcast was brought to you by the International Education Funders Group, curated and edited by Anjali Nambiar, with post-production by Sarah Miles. You can learn more about the IEFG at www.iefg.org.

Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! And don't forget to rate and recommend this podcast to your colleagues.

You can follow the IEFG on LinkedIn here. https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-education-funders-group-iefg

Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! And don't forget to rate and recommend this podcast to your colleagues.

You can follow the IEFG on LinkedIn here. https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-education-funders-group-iefg

Send us a text

Welcome to the IEFG Brains in Gear Series. Today, we'll hear three perspectives on the question, "What should philanthropy do to support edtech in low- and middle-income countries?". We have three speakers who will share their thoughts and ideas on the role of philanthropy in the future of edtech.

Elyas Felfoul is the Director of WISE, Qatar Foundation, and leads the strategic development and operational management of the WISE Summit's Platform while also leading the growth of the PRIZE and EdTech Accelerator Programs. Leveraging his diverse background in both public and private sectors, Elyas brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to WISE. Prior to his current role, he served as a political advisor to a Vice-Prime Minister in Quebec, Canada. Subsequently, Elyas worked at a Toronto-based firm specializing in M&A.

Angela Haydel DeBarger, serves as Program Officer in Education at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Her portfolio addresses open education with the aim of democratizing knowledge, creating inclusive and engaging experiences for learners, and advancing racial equity in education systems. Previously, Angela served as senior program officer for Lucas Education Research at the George Lucas Educational Foundation, where she led elementary and middle school project-based learning initiatives.

Salvador Paiz, Chairperson at Funsepa, spearheads "Guatemala Moving Forward," a strategy to boost economic growth, and is deeply involved in improving education through organizations like Empresarios por la Educación and the Inter American Dialogue. For 20 years, Funsepa has worked tirelessly to leverage technology as a development tool.

Here are some resources from the conversation:

• Learn more about Funcepa's work here.
• Learn more about PHET here
• Learn more about Learning Equality here
• Learn more about Web Aflia here
• Learn more about Learning Equality and Kolibri here

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Welcome to the IEFG Brains in Gear Series. In this conversation, our hosts and guests will demystify how we measure the impact of EdTech. They will discuss the need and methods used to ensure we're collecting the right kind of evidence to ascertain that a particular EdTech has its intended effect on students' learning.

The hosts for this episode are:

• John Soleanicov, the Co-Lead of the Learning Schools Portfolio at the Jacobs Foundation. He is a Romanian-born, U.S.-raised professional with more than 15 years of global experience in financial services, management consulting, and education.
• Suraj Shah is the Lead for Strategic Partnerships for the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning. He is responsible for collaborations between the Mastercard Foundation and the various Governments/Ministries of Education in Africa and Strategic Partnerships with education stakeholders. His primary focus is aligning with governments across Africa to bridge education challenges with innovative EdTech solutions.

Joining them will be

• Ciku Mbugua, Innovation Manager at Brink, works on one of Brink’s programmes, Edtech Hub, across two teams: In the innovation team to support teams to iteratively test and grow promising EdTech interventions using the sandbox tool, and in the engagement team as the country lead in Kenya. As country lead, Ciku specifically supports government, development partners and EdTech entrepreneurs with evidence and technical assistance to accelerate technology integration in education.
• Loïc Watine, Chief Research & Policy Officer at Innovation for Poverty Action, is responsible for leading our overall strategy to ensure that our research is relevant to and used by decision-makers and to equip them to use data and evidence to improve the lives of people living in poverty. He provides strategic guidance and leadership to a team of senior leaders overseeing IPA’s Sector programs, Policy team, and Right-Fit-Evidence unit, who together form the Research & Policy global team and work closely with our Country Office teams.

Here are some resources if you would like to learn more about evidence measurement in edtech:

• Here's a link to the EdTech Hub website and evidence library.
• Learn more about LEVANTE here.
• Learn more about m-Lugha here.

Here is a resource bank of events, resources, and collaboratives to learn more about EdTech. You can add more resources and comment on the current list to enrich it further.

This podcast was brought to you by the International Education Funders Group, curated and edited by Anjali Nambiar, with post-production by Sarah Miles. You can learn more about the IEFG at www.iefg.org.

Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! And don't forget to rate and recommend this podcast to your colleagues.

You can follow the IEFG on LinkedIn here. https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-education-funders-group-iefg

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Welcome to the IEFG Brains in Gear series. Can EdTech be the force for bridging learning inequities, or will it exacerbate them even further? Hear the perspectives of our hosts and their guests as they discuss this and consider possible roadmaps to navigate this divide.

Our hosts are

Raman Sidhu is the CEO of the Octava Foundation, where she stewards the foundation’s investment in Education, Technology in Education, and Social Innovation. She has spent more than a decade in venture philanthropy, specializing in supporting and scaling education and employability solutions.

Guilherme Cintra is from Lemann Foundation, where he manages innovative processes and shares knowledge, achieving ambitious and transformative goals. His work focuses on promoting the development of educational solutions in Literacy, Fundamental Education, and Leadership, contributing to the advancement of education at the national level.

With them, we have guests

Seiji Isotani is a Visiting Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Full Professor of Computer Science and Learning Technology at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. He has dedicated his research career to advancing the science concerning how people learn with interactive/intelligent educational technologies and ensuring that every student receives a fulfilling and meaningful educational experience.

Cate Noble is the co-founder of Better Purpose. She brings experience as an education leader, having previously been CEO of the Varkey Foundation and a Director at PwC, as well as senior education-focused roles with not-for-profit, commercial, and government organizations.

Here are some resources for your reference:
Batazia- translation AI
DIKSHA - India's EdTech platform
MIT Solve- Learning challenges

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You can follow the IEFG on LinkedIn here. https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-education-funders-group-iefg

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Setting the bar for good edtech

Welcome to the IEFG Brains in Gear series. Explore the maze of standards for Edtech in this episode. Procurement decisions and quality of the edtech hinges on the standards, but who sets them, and how can they help all the stakeholders who use them. Join us as we unpack this.

Our hosts will be:

• Libby Hills from the Jacobs Foundation is the Co-Lead of the Learning Schools portfolio. The focus of the portfolio is on promoting evidence use in schools and EdTech globally through impact investing and grant-making
• Gouri Gupta from the Central Square Foundation: She leads CSF’s work in the area of Education Technology. She works with a portfolio of EdTech products that take high-quality, contextual solutions to young children from low-income backgrounds to support learning.

They will be joined by:

• Karl Rectanus: The founder and former CEO of Learn Platform, bringing deep insights into the development and evaluation of educational technology platforms.
• Jairaj Bhattacharya: Co-Founder of ConveGenius, sharing his expertise on innovative edtech solutions and their impact on learning outcomes.

Here are some resources if you would like to learn more about standards setting in edtech in Education:

• Know more about EdTech Tulna here
• Learn more about learn platform here
• ISTE-Standards in EdTech
• EdtechHub- EdTech Standards

This podcast was brought to you by the International Education Funders Group, curated and edited by Anjali Nambiar, with post-production by Sarah Miles. You can learn more about the IEFG at www.iefg.org.

Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! And don't forget to rate and recommend this podcast to your colleagues.

You can follow the IEFG on LinkedIn here. https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-education-funders-group-iefg