Irene Pritzker, Chair and Co-Founder of the IDP Foundation, published her first book, The School in the Market, chronicling the origins and growth of one of the world’s most innovative education financing programs. The book traces how a single visit to Ghana grew into a lending model that has helped thousands of low-fee private schools across Sub-Saharan Africa reach students who might otherwise have been left behind.
The book launched with a celebration in London in February 2026, bringing together supporters, partners, and friends of the IDP Foundation to mark the milestone in person.
In March, Irene also joined Devex for a video feature on how the IDP Foundation and Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans built a sustainable school financing model in Ghana, and how that approach is now expanding into Kenya through the $84 million Generation Empowerment Fund. She discussed her book as well, and how it captures the story of the Rising Schools model over the past 18 years.
Since then, the book has earned recognition on the awards circuit: a Bronze Medalist honor in the Philanthropy, Nonprofit, and Sustainability category of the Axiom Business Book Awards, and a Silver Medalist in the Nautilus Book Awards, which celebrate books that promote conscious living and positive social change.
Alongside these milestones, Irene has shared the story behind the book on four podcasts so far: Positive Impact Philanthropy, Do One Better , The Global Development Primer and Let’s Talk Education each exploring a different facet of the foundation’s work, from the financial mechanics of school lending to the importance of local partnership and government collaboration.