OBF and ECCE Resource Hub
This resource hub was developed through the Collective Learning Initiative (CLI), a collaboration between the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF), the GO Lab, and NORRAG. During the initiative, members highlighted that while many valuable resources already exist, they are often dispersed across organisations, shared informally, or difficult to locate, particularly for those new to outcomes-based financing (OBF) in early childhood care and education (ECCE).
The aim of this resource hub is to bring together practical guidance, technical tools, research, and policy resources that practitioners have found useful when designing, implementing, evaluating, or learning about OBF in ECCE. It includes both OBF-specific resources and complementary materials from fields such as public finance, measurement, procurement, and education policy that can help inform practice.
Resources are grouped by theme to help users navigate different stages of the OBF journey, from understanding the fundamentals, to designing financing models, selecting measurement tools, strengthening governance, and exploring blended finance approaches.
Contribute to the resource hub
This resource hub is intended to evolve over time. If you know of a resource that would be valuable to others working at the intersection of OBF and ECCE, we'd be delighted to hear from you. Please get in touch with a link and a short description of how the resource has been used in practice.
| Resource | What it helps with | Best suited for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcomes-Based Finance and Early Childhood Care and Education Concept Paper | Introduces how OBF can be applied to ECCE and sets out core concepts for readers new to the topic. | Entry-level; OBF and ECCE overview | https://www.educationoutcomesfund.org/post/outcomes-based-finance-early-childhood-care-and-education |
| GO Lab Glossary | Defines key terms such as outcomes-based contracting, impact bonds, results-based financing, and related concepts. | Terminology; entry-level orientation | https://golab.bsg.ox.ac.uk/knowledge-bank/glossary/ |
| GO Lab Basics | New to outcomes-based contracting? These guides provide jargon-free introductions to the various types of approaches | Entry-level; OBF | https://golab.bsg.ox.ac.uk/the-basics/ |
| OECD: Outcomes-Based Financing in the New Financing for Development Architecture | Situates OBF within wider development finance debates and policy discussions. | OBF policy framing; financing architecture | https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/outcomes-based-financing-in-the-new-financing-for-development-architecture_9bee7a99/badd168e-en.pdf |
| Resource | What it helps with | Best suited for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designing a Results-Based Financing Model: Recommendations and Guidelines | Provides practical guidance on designing RBF models, including structuring incentives and implementation arrangements. | RBF design; contracting; implementation | https://www.instiglio.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Designing-a-Results-Based-Financing-Model-Recommendations-and-Guidelines.pdf |
| Setting Up for Success: Best Practices for the Procurement and Contracting of Results-Based Financing Programs | Offers practical guidance on procurement and contracting for results-based financing programmes. | Procurement; contracting; design | https://golab.bsg.ox.ac.uk/knowledge-bank/resource-library/setting-up-for-success-best-practices-procurement/ |
| GO Lab Technical Guidance: Pricing Outcomes | Provides guidance on pricing outcomes in outcomes-based contracts and related models. | Pricing; outcome valuation; contract design | https://golab.bsg.ox.ac.uk/toolkit/technical-guidance/pricing-outcomes/ |
| A Guide for Effective Results-Based Financing Strategies | Cross-sector guidance on when and how to design results-based financing approaches. | RBF readiness; design; strategy | https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/265691542095967793/pdf/A-Guide-For-Effective-Results-Based-Financing-Strategies.pdf |
| Resource | What it helps with | Best suited for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selecting Measurement Tools for OBF in ECCE | Sets out EOF’s approach to selecting measurement tools suitable for ECCE outcomes-based financing. | Measurement design; tool selection | |
| Adapting and Piloting Measurement Tools for OBF in ECCE | Provides a framework for adapting and piloting tools to measure structural quality, process quality, and child development in OBF programmes. | Measurement adaptation; piloting; verification | https://www.educationoutcomesfund.org/insight/adapting-measurement-tools |
| IDELA: Adaptation and Administration Guide | Guidance on adapting and administering IDELA for early childhood development measurement. Not OBF-specific, but relevant for child development assessment. | Child development measurement | https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/newAdaptation-Administration-Guide-and-IDELA-Tool_2019-v2.pdf |
| Guiding Questions for Choosing the Right Tools to Measure Early Childhood Outcomes | Helps users decide why, what, who, and how to measure early childhood outcomes. | Measurement tool selection; early childhood outcomes | https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/210101645165216405/pdf/Guiding-Questions-for-Choosing-the-Right-Tools-to-Measure-Early-Childhood-Outcomes-Why-What-Who-and-How.pdf |
| Early Childhood Development Index 2030 | Provides information on ECDI2030, a tool for measuring SDG indicator 4.2.1. | SDG 4.2.1 measurement; child development data | https://data.unicef.org/resources/early-childhood-development-index-2030-ecdi2030/ |
| OECD Starting Strong IV: Monitoring Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care | Discusses monitoring quality in early childhood education and care systems. Not OBF-specific, but useful for quality monitoring. | Quality monitoring; system measurement | https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2015/10/starting-strong-iv_g1g530b3/9789264233515-en.pdf |
| Resource | What it helps with | Best suited for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Resource Guide on Public Finance for Children in Early Childhood Development | Helps users understand public finance for ECD, including where funding comes from and how it can be structured. | Public finance; ECD financing | https://www.unicef.org/documents/global-resource-guide-public-finance-children-early-childhood-development |
| Diminished Priority: Donor Funding to Pre-Primary Education During Covid-19 | Provides evidence on donor financing trends for pre-primary education. | Donor finance; financing trends | https://reliefweb.int/report/world/diminished-priority-updated-scorecard-donor-funding-pre-primary-education-during-covid-19 |
| Using Artificial Intelligence for Better Outcomes in Education and Development | Overview of EOF’s approach to AI, with content relevant to costing, pricing, and data use. | Costing; pricing; data; AI | https://www.educationoutcomesfund.org/post/outcomes-ai |
| Resource | What it helps with | Best suited for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Impact Bonds in Latin America: IDB Lab’s Pioneering Work in the Region | Introduces the DREAM framework: demand from government, regulatory framework, economic and political context, availability of data, and market capacity. | OBF readiness; feasibility; market development | https://publications.iadb.org/en/social-impact-bonds-latin-america-idb-labs-pioneering-work-region-lessons-learnt |
| UNESCO Education Policy Toolbox | Searchable policy toolbox that can support education policy design and comparison. | Policy design; government engagement | https://policytoolbox.iiep.unesco.org/ |
| World Education Reform Database | Database of education policy changes across countries, useful for locating country-level policy examples. | Country policy analysis; comparative policy | https://werd.stanford.edu/ |
| Resource | What it helps with | Best suited for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five-Point Framework for Non-State Education Finance | Helps users analyse non-state education finance options, including blended finance models relevant to low-fee education and ECCE. | Design; landscape analysis; pre-design | https://educationfinancenetwork.org/resources/the-usaid-five-point-framework-for-non-state-education-finance/ |
| Impact-linked Lending for Non-State Schools: Perspectives from Global South Implementers | Examines impact-linked lending pilots, including examples relevant to education and ECCE, and situates the mechanism within the broader OBF landscape. | Impact-linked lending; blended finance; implementation | https://www.norrageducation.org/new-case-briefs-explore-the-impact-linked-finance-funds-use-of-innovative-financing-mechanisms-in-education/ |
| Developing Blended Finance Mechanisms for ECCE: Experiences from USAID CATALYZE | Discusses experiences from USAID CATALYZE and lessons on when blended finance mechanisms may or may not be appropriate for ECCE. | Blended finance; ECCE implementation | https://www.convergence.finance/resource/blended-finance-in-the-non-state-education-sector/view |
| Resource | What it helps with | Best suited for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designing for Disability Inclusion | This brief explores how disability inclusion can be embedded into OBF programmes from the outset | Disability inclusion | https://www.educationoutcomesfund.org/insight/designing-disability-inclusion |
| Reducing Inequalities by Investing in Early Childhood Education and Care | Chapter 7 was identified as useful for thinking about inclusion in ECCE. Not OBF-specific. | Equity and inclusion | https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/reducing-inequalities-by-investing-in-early-childhood-education-and-care_b78f8b25-en.html |
Contribute to the resource hub
This resource hub is intended to evolve over time. If you know of a resource that would be valuable to others working at the intersection of OBF and ECCE, we'd be delighted to hear from you. Please get in touch with a link and a short description of how the resource has been used in practice.