Review of Results-Based Financing (RBF) schemes in WASH: A report to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2015.
Results-Based Financing (RBF) is an alternative to conventional funding mechanisms for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) projects. As the name suggests, Results Based Financing (RBF) provides funding for an initiative after results have been delivered. This is in contrast to the conventional approach of providing the finance upfront. RBF was developed in an attempt to improve aid effectiveness by increasing accountability, efficiency, and private participation.
Given the massive need to improve WASH services globally, donors have been trying RBF in WASH since at least the mid-1990s. However, until now, there have been no comprehensive evaluations of RBF in WASH. This report summarizes findings from an investigation into whether RBF works in WASH, in what circumstances, how, and why.
The report was prepared by Castalia Advisers, on behalf of a group of WASH donors interested in better understanding RBF in WASH (including DGIS, DfID, USAID, GPOBA, SIDA and others). The study was managed and financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
