Education governance, philanthropy and knowledge brokering: The case of a digital education programme by a private foundation in Portugal

This article focuses how philanthropy leverages knowledge brokering to promote the digitalisation of education and expand its influence on education governance. It presents an empirical study of a digital education programme launched in Portugal in 2020 by a private foundation. Through document analysis and an interview, the findings reveal that knowledge brokering enabled the foundation to bring together actors from different social worlds to conceive, legitimise and deliver the programme in public schools. Furthermore, knowledge brokering created new policy spaces that amplified the foundation’s role in educational governance, positioning Ed-Tech as a new topology for educational delivery. • How philanthropy uses knowledge brokering towards the digitalization of education. • Transnational philanthropic network boosts private actors participation in digital education initiatives across Europe. • Knowledge brokering created new policy spaces that amplified private foundations’ role in educational governance. • New philanthropy commitment with Ed-Tech as a solution and new topology for educational delivery.