"It always seems impossible until it is done." These words from Nelson Mandela resonate deeply today as countries strive to reach an additional 236 million children with school meal programs—a goal that feels ambitious, yet increasingly within reach.

Governments are already showing a commitment to scale programs through platforms like the School Meals Coalition and the 2030 Sprints led by the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. But meeting these ambitious commitments will require something more: sustainable and innovative financing.

A growing gap—and an opportunity

School meals are a proven, high-impact intervention. Evidence from low- and middle-income countries highlights their multiple benefits:

• In Bangladesh, fortified biscuits increased enrollment by 14% and reduced school dropout by 7%.
• Girls in Burkina Faso who received take-home rations attended school at least 90% of the time.
• Evaluations of India’s national school meal program showed that it led to an 18% increase in test scores for literacy.
• In Brazil, children receiving school meals were more likely to eat healthy foods and consume fewer unhealthy foods, benefitting their overall health.
• In Nepal, the implementation of a homegrown school feeding program improved the quality of meals in terms of nutrient content and dietary diversity.

Together, these examples demonstrate how school meals keep children in school, improve learning, support nutrition and health, boost gender equity and strengthen local food systems.

According to the Sustainable Financing Initiative for School Health and Nutrition (SFI)—an initiative of the School Meals Coalition led by the Learning Generation Initiative, reaching an additional 236 million children with school meals will require an average incremental investment of US$3.6 billion per year.

This is a modest cost when weighed against the far-reaching benefits, but it highlights a significant financing gap that cannot be bridged by traditional aid alone.

That’s why the Sustainable Financing Initiative—supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and working in partnership with governments and education stakeholders—is focused on unlocking new sources of funding through innovative financing.

At the 2025 World Bank–International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings, the Sustainable Financing Initiative launched a new paper titled Innovative Financing for School Feeding.

The report highlights bold yet practical financing approaches that could help governments expand and strengthen school meal programs, particularly in lower-income settings.

These ideas are designed to complement domestic resource mobilization and make better use of existing international financial tools.

Many countries are already acting on shifting their financing for school meals. São Tomé e Príncipe, for example, has earmarked a 2.5% surcharge on alcohol and tobacco to partly fund its national school meals program.

These early efforts show that progress is possible even in constrained fiscal environments.

Making school meals a core education investment

School meals should no longer be seen as a “nice to have.” They are an essential investment in education and human capital. Yet too often they remain excluded from national budget priorities or broader education finance discussions.

GPE has long championed increased and more effective education financing, especially in lower-income countries.

Through its support for sector planning and domestic resource mobilization, GPE continues to play a vital role in supporting partner countries that prioritize school meals to identify and secure innovative financing.

For instance, in Haiti, GPE’s innovative cofinancing mechanism the GPE Multiplier leveraged $19 million in grant financing to unlock $57 million in new and additional financing from development partners such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Food Programme and Education Above All.

The Multiplier was able to mobilize three additional dollars from development partners for every dollar invested, providing a replicable example for other countries seeking to tap innovative financing for school meals.

With the right tools and partnerships, the path to scaling and improving school meals is within reach. But ambition must be matched by action, especially financing, from governments and development partners alike to ensure every child can benefit from this foundational support.

Because what once seemed impossible is not only possible. It’s necessary.