Type(s) of RFE Service: Evidence Review - Funder Portfolio

IPA partnered with VelezReyes+, a regional foundation in Latin America, to identify evidence-based interventions in the education and leadership development sectors to inform the foundation’s strategy. Through evidence reviews, IPA analyzed promising interventions, assessing their impact potential, feasibility, and relevance to Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

VelezReyes+ is a regional foundation working in Colombia, Brazil, and Peru to help Latin Americans “access more and better opportunities.” To achieve this, they focus their grantmaking on two key levers: education and leadership development—key pillars in breaking cycles of inequality.    

To maximize their impact, VelezReyes+ partnered with IPA to identify evidence-based interventions that could make a measurable difference in education and leadership development. To support this effort, IPA started its engagement by conducting evidence reviews on two key areas: education for tech careers and improving public leadership. IPA analyzed existing evidence, translating complex research into clear, actionable insights. then categorized interventions by effectiveness and assessed their impact potential and strength of evidence. Finally, the project team compiled findings into user-friendly presentations and facilitated review sessions with the foundation’s team. These sessions helped integrate evidence into decision-making, guiding funding choices and identifying ways to strengthen the foundation’s own programs.

Together, IPA and VelezReyes+ identified interventions with strong evidence, as well as promising but under-researched approaches. Then, IPA examined their relevance to Brazil, Colombia, and Peru by comparing local challenges and assessing feasibility. This process included reviewing public data, rigorous scientific literature, and conducting key stakeholder interviews to identify actionable insights for funding and strategic decisions. One key area explored was how to enhance Public Leadership Incubators by identifying successful strategies for selecting promising politicians, helping them run effective campaigns, and equipping them to perform in public office. Beyond informing VelezReyes+, these insights will also be shared on its Democracia+ website for public consultation.

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