Children studying in rural classroom_OBF

Making outcomes-based financing work for every learner

Outcomes-based financing can boost learning outcomes, but without intentional design, it risks excluding marginalised learners. Here's how to build inclusion in OBF models.
by Dayoung Lee | 5 min read

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Latest

The image features a group of young children smiling and posing for a photo._children and climate

Climate, children, and the crisis at hand
Children’s safety and well-being must be at the heart of the climate conversation. Here’s why.
Akshay Kumar with pigeons on his head and shoulders_nonprofit humour

What my middle class family thinks of my social sector job
Only my ego and self-respect are harmed on a daily basis.
Children engaged in creative drawing_social sector

Invest in the arts for social change
The role of the arts in India’s development sector remains limited to sporadic efforts. Here’s why that needs to change and how funders can lead the way.
by Raghu Gullapalli | 5 min read
a doctor checking a woman's pulse_anaemia in India

Why is anaemia on the rise in India?
India's anaemia crisis is being exacerbated by a lack of awareness, poor nutrition, and high levels of air pollution.
by Charu Bahri, IndiaSpend | 9 min read
a young woman sitting on a hospital bed with a baby-midwives

Midwives: The missing link to improved maternal healthcare  
A government programme aims to build the cadre of professional midwives to reduce India’s maternal mortality rate and mitigate pregnancy complications. Here’s what it needs to succeed.  

Bite-sized stories from the people closest to the action.




A day in the life of


Frontline workers and first responders share their insights from working at the grassroots.


Women in a village standing in a group and talking_mental health stigma
From self to society: Navigating silence and stigma around mental health
A day in the life of a community health worker in Dehradun, Uttrakhand, who tackles mental health stigma through trust and support—in her own life and for the people she serves.
a teacher coach observing a class in session--government school teachers

Observing classrooms, building capacities
A day in the life of an educator, who uses a technology-enabled approach to coach government school teachers in Palghar, Maharashtra.
Women microentreprenuers sitting in an office working
Sales and sisterhood: What drives a small-scale business in Pune
A day in the lives of two women microentrepreneurs, who combine their marketing and product design skills to craft a winning formula for their social enterprise.


Social change leaders chronicle their failures and lessons learnt.

Aerial shot of women protestors sitting_well-being
Preparing for a marathon, not a sprint 
Dalit civil rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan on why failure is an opportunity to build power, how systems of oppression affect well-being, and what healing looks like for individuals and communities.
Barbed wire_nonprofits
Why don’t nonprofits talk about their failures?
A number of risks, both real and perceived, stop nonprofits from talking about failure. Here's how various stakeholders can work together to overcome them.
rural women take part in a boat race in west bengal-leadership
The road to recovery
In Part II of a conversation with Dream a Dream CEO Suchetha Bhat and co-founder Vishal Talreja learn about what it took to rebuild an organisation in crisis, and why it needed a new kind of leadership.


Conversations with visionaries on their life's work, and their efforts to challenge the status quo in our country.

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Insights and analysis of specific sectors in the development arena—what works, what doesn't, and what needs to change.

See all coverage by topic:
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Livelihoods
  • Rights
  • Water & Sanitation

  • Making outcomes-based financing work for every learner
    Outcomes-based financing can boost learning outcomes, but without intentional design, it risks excluding marginalised learners. Here's how to build inclusion in OBF models.

    Climate, children, and the crisis at hand
    Children’s safety and well-being must be at the heart of the climate conversation. Here’s why.

    Why is anaemia on the rise in India?
    India's anaemia crisis is being exacerbated by a lack of awareness, poor nutrition, and high levels of air pollution.


    Making outcomes-based financing work for every learner
    Outcomes-based financing can boost learning outcomes, but without intentional design, it risks excluding marginalised learners. Here's how to build inclusion in OBF models.

    Climate, children, and the crisis at hand
    Children’s safety and well-being must be at the heart of the climate conversation. Here’s why.

    Invest in the arts for social change
    The role of the arts in India’s development sector remains limited to sporadic efforts. Here’s why that needs to change and how funders can lead the way.

    Skills and functions that are core to growing programmes and organisations.

    See all coverage by topic:
  • Board & Governance
  • Fundraising & Communications
  • Leadership & Talent
  • Monitoring & Evaluation
  • Programme
  • Technology

  • Invest in the arts for social change
    The role of the arts in India’s development sector remains limited to sporadic efforts. Here’s why that needs to change and how funders can lead the way.

    Using technology to support early childhood education
    Vipla Foundation’s experience shows how tech can strengthen early childhood education by addressing absenteeism, facilitating evaluations, and identifying classroom needs.

    Measure twice, pay once
    Outcomes-based financing demands more than just tracking data—it requires a shift in how nonprofits use monitoring and evaluation to drive real impact.