Kosovo American Education Fund (KAEF) evaluation

The bank shares were held by the Kosovo Business Finance Fund (KBFF), established by USAID in 1999. The proceeds in the amount of US$7,881,825.25 formed the base of the grant agreement with the American Councils for International Education (AC) to establish the Kosovo American Education Fund. The goal of the KAEF is to provide Kosovar"s with the education they need to lead Kosovo"s economic development. Since its establishment, 51 Fellows have received KAEF support to attend masters programs in the U.S. The expectation was that income generated by the endowment would support at least ten Fellows annually. Additional resources that AC was expected to generate from other donors would enable AC to augment that number of Fellows. Because the ultimate objective of the effort was Kosovo"s economic development, scholarships were limited to fields of study such as business, public administration, economics, international affairs, policy, and urban planning. This report presents the results of an evaluation of this program requested by the USAID Mission to Kosovo (USAID/K) and conducted in June and July, 2012. Conclusions reached by the evaluators are: (1) KAEF is a success with respect to producing degree graduates, although at a level somewhat lower than expected; and (2) KAEF has not performed as expected financially, and it will cease to exist if current financial trends continue. Recommendations include: (1) review KAEF"s finances to determine what can reasonably be done to make KAEF"s financial future more secure; (2) improve program analysis and reporting; (3) increase Kosovar involvement in decision-making and fundraising; (4) review options to increase the development impact since not all master"s degrees -- not even all degrees in the currently accepted fields -- have the same development impact; (5) address the participation of women and minorities; (6) find ways to strengthen linkages Fellows host U.S. universities and other Fellows, to enhance follow-up activities in Kosovo; and (7) convince more Fellows to return to Kosovo since not returning reduces the program"s impact. (Excerpt, modified)