Quietly transparent
Every quarter, every donor sees real names, real budgets, real outcomes. No vanity metrics.
About Foundation
We started with one classroom. Now we serve 71 countries.
Foundation began in 2008 in a single rented room in northern Pakistan. Twelve donors. Fourteen children. The same conviction we still hold today: no child should be left out of an education because of where they were born.
Our mission
To ensure that every child — particularly every girl — has the opportunity, materials, mentorship, and money to complete their education from primary school through university.
Mission
Build a community of one million monthly donors giving $2-$5, together funding K-12 and Bachelor's education for the children the world is most ready to forget.
Vision
A generation in which the answer to "did you finish school?" is never determined by where you were born or whether you are a girl.
Four ideas that run everything
Steward, not owner
Donors trust us with their money. We treat that trust as the most valuable thing we have.
Children first, always
Every decision is run through one filter: does this serve a child's education?
Locally led
We work with local educators, local NGOs, local families. We follow more than we lead.
Eighteen years, milestone by milestone
- 2008
A small classroom in Hunza
Foundation begins as a single-classroom literacy programme in northern Pakistan, funded by a circle of 12 monthly donors.
- 2012
First international donors
Donors from 8 countries join the programme. Annual budget crosses $200,000 for the first time.
- 2016
10,000 monthly donors
We hit 10,000 monthly donors, each giving $2-$5. We launch our girls' education focus.
- 2019
Higher education scholarships
We expand from K-12 to fully-funded Bachelor's scholarships in 9 countries.
- 2022
Foundation goes online
Our first remote learning programmes launch during the pandemic. 8,000 students stay in school.
- 2026
184,000 strong
Today our community of monthly donors funds 27,890 students across 42 countries — and we're just getting started.
The numbers we hold ourselves to
- Active donor accounts
- 23+
- Students sponsored
- 24
- Countries reached
- 71
- Girls in our programmes
- 83%
- Average monthly commitment
- —
- Est. cost to keep a child in school
- $24 / year
- Of every dollar reaches programmes
- 92¢
Standing on the shoulders of giants
We did not invent any of this. We are deeply influenced by these organisations, and we recommend you support them too.
Aga Khan Foundation
Pluralism and lasting change
Malala Fund
Girls' education advocacy
Khan Academy
Free, world-class learning for all
GiveDirectly
Radical transparency and trust
Want to read the unvarnished version?
Our 2025 Annual Report — wins, misses, and the budget for next year.