The purpose of the evaluation was to learn lessons from the design and implementation of 10 Global Challenge Funds supported by Sida. The underlying principle was to learn from the experience of implementing a portfolio of Global Challenge Funds and to test Sida’s rationale and fundamental assumptions for the use of Challenge Funds in development cooperation.
During the evaluation, individual funds were assessed against several design and performance criteria to extract learning and identify examples of good practices from within the portfolio. The evaluation broadened the evidence base, informing decisions on when, and in which contexts Challenge Funds are appropriate and how they should be managed. This ensured that the evaluation not only served practical information needs of Sida, its donor partners, and Fund Managers but also, the broader development of community with an interest in Challenge Funds.
Key Objectives
- Test the rationale and assumptions underpinning the decision to use a CF to address a specific development problem
- Gather evidence across the portfolio on when CFs are an appropriate mechanism for tackling specific challenges, and when other mechanisms and funding instruments might be more effective
- Assess to what extent CFs have achieved the outcomes and impact projected when each fund is established, and whether they have been a relevant, effective and efficient mechanism for solving specific development problems
- Identify good practice examples of fund design and implementation at different stages of the CF lifecycle as guidance for Sida programme officers and third-party Fund Managers
- Use this evidence to create an institutional, Sida-wide approach to the use of CFs
