Research and Evaluation
A core operating function, not a reporting requirement. Our Research, Evaluation and Data team gives us real-time insight into what works, what does not, and where to course-correct.
Research, Evaluation and Data (RED) fieldwork.
Evidence as an operating function.
We built our own research and evaluation capability because, when you own outcomes directly, you need to know what is actually working. The RED team works alongside ventures, programmes and schools to unearth the information needed to operate and strategise.
This rigour applies everywhere, including fully subsidised programmes. We ask whether we are achieving outcomes, deploying capital intelligently, and running a tight, accountable operation.
The team spans ventures research and business analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and academic research, working with external collaborators including UMass Amherst, UC Berkeley, USC, CIDE and UChicago.
Good intentions do not survive a budget meeting.
Across Africa, well-intentioned programmes have started and collapsed as priorities shifted or funding ended. Unevaluated pilots cannot persuade a finance ministry, an investment committee or a board to fund anything at scale.
Weak evidence does lasting damage of its own: it lets ineffective programmes run on, crowds out better ones, and slowly erodes the trust that any of this work depends on.
Selected research and evaluation
A sample of the work the RED team led across the missions.
ECE randomised trial
Somaliland’s first ECE RCT: certified teachers produced learning outcomes 29% higher than non-certified peers.
Schools brand & quality survey
A multi-country study of 141 parents on how families define quality and choose schools.
Teacher Capacity Building evaluation
Baseline and endline evaluations with classroom observation and standardised assessments.
Urban water survey
The first large-scale (~2,200 household) urban water survey in Hargeisa, reframing the water strategy.
Sesame outgrower endline
An endline evaluation of 486 farmers assessing adoption, yields and profitability of the outgrower model.
GMF Central
A unified performance platform integrating project data, financials and quarter-on-quarter tracking.
Our reach
The RED team in 2025/26.
What we learnt
Evaluate to inform decisions, not to report.
The most useful result of an evaluation is often permission to stop the parts that are not working.
Parents value transformation over exam scores.
Our brand survey found families prioritise visible change, discipline, character and English fluency, with choice driven by word of mouth.
A central platform changes everything.
GMF Central gives real-time visibility across the Foundation, supporting leadership decisions and automated reporting with full audit trails.
Collaborate on research.
We work with academic and applied partners across our missions.