About Us

Who we are. GSF is a community convenor, knowledge accelerator, funding catalyst, and partnership builder.

The GSF community comprises over 190 schools, school networks, education support organisations, innovators, entrepreneurs and funders across 70+ countries, impacting 145m children across 1.38m schools.

Founded in 2017, Global Schools Forum has grown to become a strategic partner for the non-state education sector - strengthening a global community, accelerating innovation, and facilitating opportunities for partnerships, funding, and evidence-use between non-state education organisations, funders, partners, multilaterals and governments.

Knowledge Accelerator

Funding Catalyst

Partnership Builder

Community Convenor

What we do. GSF connects a dynamic global community, incubates and ignites education innovations, and strategically partners at a global level.

Our diverse programme of work spans four strategic areas to improve education outcomes in the Global South.

Our values. Guiding everything we do - as a team, as a global community, and in our collaboration with partners, funders, and the wider education sector.

Collaboration

We leverage each other's strengths and knowledge to drive and amplify purpose driven collective action.

Intentional inclusivity

We cultivate and celebrate diversity of backgrounds, culture, perspectives, and approaches promoting inclusivity and mutual respect.

Continuous improvement

We commit to continuously learning, improving, and innovating, while sharing best practices and failures.

Honesty and transparency

We conduct ourselves with integrity, openness, accountability and kindness.

The idea for Global Schools Forum draws inspiration from the amazing work that I saw across Africa, across Asia and Latin America that social entrepreneurs and NGO leaders were doing on the ground to ensure that every child has access to quality education. And so that was the seed that inspired me and that is the seed that really continues to reside at the heart of everything that we do at GSF.

Aashti Zaidi Hai

Founder and CEO, Global Schools Forum

Meet the team Play video

Community Voice

Join our community

It is rare to find an organisation that seamlessly blends global education vision with focused ground-hugging projects. Collaborating with the GSF Early Childhood Education and Development in Emergencies Evidence Hub has been an extraordinary experience for me this year. We built a landmark sector resource together, which gave me deep insight into GSF’s learning ethos and partnership values.

KanuPriya Jhunjhunwala

Head of Education & MEL, Children in Crossfire

Being a member of GSF’s Impact at Scale Labs – Early Years in Kenya has provided an opportunity for Lake Region Development Programme to connect, network and learn from partners working on innovative childcare programme solutions in Kenya and beyond. My participation in the Uganda study tour has increased my networks and given diversified learning experiences and perspectives. It was a lifetime experience.

Peter Shikuku

CEO, Lake Region Development Programme

The Global Schools Forum has emerged as a leading player in the global conversation about quality education for all, shedding light on the pivotal role that all non-state actors play in this endeavor. Furthermore, GSF has evolved into a complete ecosystem where organisations from all five continents can connect, collaborate, innovate, and learn from one another.

Pablo Jaramillo Quintero

GSF board member and CEO, Alianza Educativa

GSF has curated a valuable family. This network allows organisations to find action-oriented peers with whom they can collaborate and solve thorny educational challenges. At a macro level GSF’s work highlights the value of its members through webinars and focused publications, then zooms in and enables dialogue between them. GSF’s network has helped Rangeet expand its footprint outside India.

Simran Mulchandani

CEO and Co-founder, Rangeet

GSF is a collaborative community comprising some of the most thoughtful and high-impact changemakers in global education. TCF continues to learn a great deal from other GSF members, and personally, each one of us has found friends and kindred spirits for what can often feel like a solitary journey.

Zia Abbas

President & CEO, The Citizens Foundation