Impact Evaluation Catalyst Fund

The Impact Evaluation Catalyst Fund (ICF) is a strategic initiative of the UNICEF Evaluation Office that aims to support high-quality impact evaluations (IEs) in priority thematic areas of the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022–2025. By emphasizing the critical role of evaluation in guiding future   programmatic investments, the ICF helps UNICEF programmes to make evidence-based decisions on how to allocate limited public resources to the greatest needs and at the lowest cost. 

The ICF aims to achieve the following overarching objectives: 

• Fill knowledge gaps by expanding a rigorous evaluative evidence base on outcomes and impacts in a strategic, methodologically coherent way under a priority thematic ‘window’ of UNICEF work.
• Improve programmatic effectiveness and allocative efficiency by incentivizing the use of rigorous scientific methods of test programme theory in a variety of contexts.
• Strengthen institutional and national capacity by integrating evaluative thinking, requirements and credible processes from the onset of the programme planning process.  

Evidence generated with ICF support strengthens UNICEF advocacy and contributes to further innovation and global learning about the programmes that improve the wellbeing of children. 

How does the ICF work? Through a competitive call, UNICEF country and regional offices apply to evaluate programmes within specific thematic areas of strategic importance to UNICEF. To those selected, the ICF team provides full technical assistance and matching grants to support the design of rigorous impact evaluations with multi-year primary data collection. 

Started in 2023, the ICF has already completed two calls with different thematic focus: one on Child Marriage and Social Norms, and one on Adaptive Social Protection in Fragile Contexts - under the UNICEF- Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Adaptive Social Protection Evaluation of Children ouTcomes (ASPECT) partnership. 

Overall, over 30 proposals were sent through the ICF calls. The Child Marriage and Social Norms call led to the selection of six countries to conduct an equal number of impact evaluations. The Adaptive Social Protection in Fragile Contexts call selected six countries.