Corporate philanthropy has transformed the international development landscape over the past decade. Companies, foundations and individual philanthropists are providing finance, goods and services – including advice to governments – on an unprecedented scale. Yet the effect has been uneven across countries and sectors. To date, education in the world’s poorest countries has received limited attention. This could be about to change, with donors, UN agencies and the World Bank actively seeking to deepen the engagement of corporate philanthropists. But what form should this engagement take?