Skip to main content

Programmes That Change Lives

Five integrated programme pillars designed to address every stage of the educational journey.

Scholars Programme

First-generation university scholarship support

The Scholars Programme provides comprehensive four-year scholarship packages to first-generation university students in 24 partner countries. Beyond tuition, scholars receive housing stipends, laptop grants, mentorship, and career placement support for the first two years post-graduation.

Programme Goals

  • Fund 10,000 active scholars annually by 2026
  • Achieve 92% four-year graduation rate
  • Place 80% of graduates in degree-aligned careers within 12 months

Geographic Reach

24 countries across Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America

Beneficiaries

8,400 active scholars; 32,000 alumni to date

University students at a Luminary scholarship ceremony

School Builder Initiative

Climate-resilient school construction

We design and build schools that serve as community anchors — engineered to resist flooding, earthquakes, and extreme heat, powered by rooftop solar, and equipped with digital libraries accessible to the entire community.

Programme Goals

  • Complete 200 new schools by 2025
  • Achieve net-zero energy in all new builds
  • Establish digital libraries in 100% of built schools

Geographic Reach

18 countries; focus on South and Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Pacific Island nations

Beneficiaries

1,200+ schools built; 420,000 daily students enrolled

New school building from the School Builder Initiative

Teacher Excellence Fund

Professional development and teacher stipends

No school succeeds without exceptional teachers. The Teacher Excellence Fund provides professional development grants, trauma-informed pedagogy training, and supplemental stipends to teachers in high-need communities.

Programme Goals

  • Train 5,000 new teachers annually
  • Reduce attrition in partner schools to under 12%
  • Establish 30 regional teacher training hubs by 2026

Geographic Reach

31 countries; partnership with 48 local teacher training colleges

Beneficiaries

22,000 teachers trained; 680,000 students in trained teachers' classrooms

Teachers in a Luminary professional development workshop

Early Minds Initiative

Pre-primary literacy and numeracy

The Early Minds Initiative funds pre-primary classrooms, trains early childhood educators, and distributes culturally-relevant mother-tongue learning materials to families in rural communities.

Programme Goals

  • Reach 500,000 children under age six by 2027
  • Achieve 85% school readiness in programme cohorts
  • Partner with 200 community health workers per region

Geographic Reach

16 countries; current focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Beneficiaries

210,000 children enrolled; 14,000 trained early childhood educators

Young children in an Early Minds pre-primary classroom

Horizons STEM Programme

Secondary STEM access for underserved students

Horizons STEM equips secondary schools in under-resourced communities with laboratory infrastructure, teacher training, and a digital learning platform co-developed with three leading universities. We specifically target gender equity.

Programme Goals

  • Equip 800 secondary schools with STEM labs by 2026
  • Achieve gender parity (50% female) in all STEM programmes
  • Increase tertiary STEM enrolment by 40% in partner communities

Geographic Reach

19 countries; emphasis on West Africa, Central America, and South Asia

Beneficiaries

380 equipped schools; 95,000 students with STEM lab access

Students in a Horizons STEM laboratory

Support a Programme

Donors can designate gifts to a specific programme or contribute to our General Education Fund.