SDG 4 is to “ensure quality education for all.” The cost of achieving universal basic and secondary education by 2030 is estimated at US$340 billion per year for low and lower middle income countries. This represents an annual financing gap of US$40 billion per year if current spending levels continue. Given this gap, there is an urgent need to find bold new financing solutions. The adoption of the SDGs presents a unique opportunity for education to break from the status quo and embed innovative finance, such as debt and loan buy-downs, as an integral part of the next financing architecture.