Originally developed in 2002, the Ultra Poor Graduation Programmeprovides a comprehensive "big push" to help women in ultra-poverty transition to secure livelihoods. It combines complementary, sequenced, and time-bound interventions over a 24-month period. The design has evolved over time.
Original Design (2002–2016)
Targeting focused on the poorest female-headed households in 42 districts known for deep pockets of extreme poverty.
- Productive Asset: A one-time transfer (grant) of assets like a cow, goat, or trade supplies valued at approximately USD 100.
- Consumption Support: A weekly stipend to cover essential needs for the first few months.
- Home Visits: Weekly household coaching and monitoring visits.
- Health: Biweekly visits from a community health worker.
- Community Mobilization: Monthly meetings of the village poverty reduction committee.
- Training: Enterprise training and life skills development.
- Cost of intervention package: USD 450–550 per household.
Current Design (2017–Present) and main design changes
Targeting is now based on three specific approaches: poverty mapping (visual representation of poverty distribution), participatory rural appraisal (community-based method where local people are actively involved in the assessment and planning of the development program), and household verification via a survey (also known as poverty scorecard, consists of objective data on specific ultra-poverty indicators, such as ownership of productive assets, physical structure of the home, income sources, disability, and ability to be economically active). The programme was adapted to increase participant ownership and sustainability.
- Productive Asset: Assets are now transferred as an interest-free partial loan valued at USD 200. It targets women under 50, offering options like livestock, agriculture, fisheries, or small trade.
- Main changes: Participants are required to repay 30–50% (Group 2: poorest category verified by vulnerability survey of households) or 80% (Group 3: better-off category, these are still ultra poor but slightly less vulnerable than Group 2) of the asset value over 24 months. This shift from a free grant was made to increase the sense of ownership.
- Training: Includes 10 days of enterprise development training. 7 of these days are tailored specifically to the participant's chosen activity. There were no substantial changes from the original version of the component.
- Consumption Support (Removed): The weekly stipend was eliminated. Analysis showed that by 2016, even the poorest households could generally meet basic food needs, rendering the stipend's value negligible.
- Financial Services: Includes credit shield life insurance and a new savings mechanism.
- Main changes: Savings are now matched 1:1 (up to USD 1.20 per month) to provide a stronger incentive than simple access.
- Home Visits & Life Skills: Biweekly individual visits now alternate with biweekly group-based sessions. Group topics cover child welfare, health, safety, and women’s issues. Individual visits focus on monitoring progress, business health, and financial management.
- Main changes: Moving from weekly individual visits to alternating biweekly visits maintains four touchpoints per month but increases efficiency.
- Health: Links are provided to government health clinics rather than direct service provision. A reserve fund is set aside for medical emergencies (covered by BRAC). For general ailments, local managers are present at government clinics for four hours a day a week to facilitate access.
- Community Mobilization: Bimonthly village social solidarity committees (VSSCs) are held to promote social integration and raise the voices of the extremely poor.
- Cost of intervention package: USD 350 per household.
After two years of being in the programme, participants graduate following a set of Graduation criteria which are defined in terms of basic economic and social indicators. The programme staff assesses progress towards ‘graduation’ out of ultra-poverty during a certain point of time before their graduation and try to ensure that by the completion of the cycle, all participants meet a set of ‘graduation criteria’ that reflects improvements in living standards and livelihoods. 95% of participants continued to improve their living standards when measured even seven years after the programme ended (BRAC, 2025).
As of 2023: Cumulative Participants (direct): 2,312,477. Current Participants (direct): 70,000 (World Bank, 2025). The programme successfully targeted ultra-poor households: 53% of households in the programme live below PPP USD 1.25 while 25 per cent of the Bangladeshi population lives below that threshold. (J-PAL, 2015) 100% of the participants are female.
What started out as a pilot targeting 5,000 households in 2002 has been incrementally scaled and has now reached over 2.1 million Bangladeshi households as of December 2020. (BRAC, 2021)
Average Cost per Household: Approximately USD $550. This figure represents the cost of the full, comprehensive UPG package in Bangladesh, which includes assets, training, coaching, and linkages. This cost is a benchmark for an established and optimized programme reaching the 2023 cohort of 69,242 participants. (BRAC, 2020)
Global Implementation Cost Range: USD $300 to USD $2,000. Costs vary significantly globally based on context. High costs (up to USD $2,000) are typically found in more fragile or complex environments (e.g., humanitarian contexts or high-cost countries), while the lower end (USD $300–$550) reflects efficient, large-scale implementation in stable environments like Bangladesh. (BRAC, 2020)
The financing structure of the UPGP has evolved to prioritize system-level scale and sustainability, moving from reliance on international grants to strategic partnerships that emphasize leveraging public finance. The financing structure is characterized by a hybrid funding model, where costs are primarily borne by the implementing NGO (BRAC) through a combination of donor and internal capital, and costs are mitigated by integrating participants with existing government and internal financial services. Adaptive programme design in support of outcomes was also enabled by a flexible funding agreement in place from 2011 to 2020 with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and Australia’s Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). As part of the Strategic Partnership Arrangement, the FCDO/DFID (UK) committed a total amount of GBP 223 million (USD $305 million in 19/11/2025) from 2016–2021 (FCDO, 2021) and DFAT (Australia) committed AUD 95 million (USD $61.4 million in 19/11/2025) from 2016–2020/2021 (DFAT, 2020).
The governance structure of the BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Programme (UPGP) is an adaptive, NGO-led model focused on evidence-based implementation and eventual integration with state systems. This structure relies on four key components:
- Institutional Anchor (NGO-Led): Implementation is led by BRAC using a framework of four interconnected pillars. This defines minimum standards for execution while maintaining flexibility in specific interventions.
- Accountability & Oversight: The model prioritizes outcomes over rigid inputs. Funding agreements (e.g., DFID, DFAT) mandate continuous evaluation, allowing for significant adaptations—such as the 2017 redesign—to improve impact. Field staff ensure fidelity through regular coaching, while targeting utilizes poverty maps and local consultations for verification.
- Grassroots Governance: Decentralized Village Social Solidarity Committees (VSSCs) act as platforms for community mobilization and social integration. BRAC coordinates with local governments to facilitate service provision and institutional strengthening.
- Strategic Scaling: The governance structure is shifting from direct implementation toward advisory support. BRAC engages with policymakers to integrate the graduation approach into national public sector infrastructures and government systems.
The BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Programme (UPGP) in Bangladesh utilizes a dedicated, centralized Management Information System (MIS). Field management teams can now supervise, monitor and follow-up digitally, with the support of features like task management, scheduling, approval, and preparing work plans for day-to-day activities. Over 2,700 staff members in approximately 244 offices across Bangladesh are now using this platform (BRAC, 2022). The MIS was implemented with the support of Bengal Mobile QA Solution.
Findings: According to the study, rigorous evaluations and randomized controlled trials have demonstrated significant positive impacts of the programme. In its earlier years, the programme has successfully broken the poverty trap for the poorest. It achieved this by providing an injection of resources large enough to allow the extreme poor to access productive opportunities that were previously inaccessible to them. Data from a cohort that entered the programme in 2007 showed significant income increases four years later. Households with women under age 50 saw their annual household income increase by USD 200, while those with women over age 50 saw an increase of USD 82.
Findings: This brief describes key findings from a rigorous seven-year evaluation of the ‘Targeting the Ultra-Poor’ programme in rural Bangladesh. Targeted households increase earnings by 37 per cent and improve their consumption, savings, and asset accumulation. Results from Bangladesh are consistent with evidence from randomised evaluations of pilots in six other countries, that suggest BRAC’s approach improves outcomes for the ultra-poor across diverse contexts. Longer-term evaluations (four and seven years later) suggest long-run impacts may be even larger than two-year effects.
Evidence suggests benefits for the ultra-poor do not come at the expense of other households. Within programme villages, households that do not receive transfers maintained consumption and savings and increased business assets. Furthermore, the average benefits of the programme are 5.4 times its cost. High internal rates of return suggest the poorest face barriers to accessing more productive jobs. Lastly, BRAC’s approach can be scaled up and successfully adapted to different contexts. Results from similar programmes suggest ‘big-push’ livelihood programmes can help the ultra-poor onto a sustainable path out of poverty.
Findings: Households selected for the programme support were asset poor at baseline, indicating that the programme was successful in targeting vulnerable households. Per capita income of the households increased by 28.91 per cent for Group 1 and 27.11 per cent for Group 2 from baseline to endline. The intervention increased the total labor supply in poultry and livestock rearing of working age men and women from both groups. The programme increased the working age members’ time devoted to agriculture work and vegetable/fish cultivation.
As a result of the intervention, ownership of poultry (chicken) and livestock (cow/goat) significantly increased among both groups, and consequently, significantly impacting the total value of productive assets (excluding land) owned by households in both Group 1 (220.47 per cent increase) and Group 2 (260.96 per cent increase). The programme increased owned land by 30 per cent and 25 per cent for Groups 1 and 2 respectively.
The programme led to increased food expenditure (21% and 11% among Groups 1 and 2, respectively) and consequently increased the overall food security level among both groups. For the more vulnerable Group 1, the programme support enabled them to spend more on food and non-food items immediately, resulting in the higher impact on their consumption expenditure.
Effective adaptation: BRAC’s iterative approach to the evolution of its programme has been supported by long-term investment with flexible terms. The programme benefited from the stability of a long-standing funding instrument with DFID and DFAT. This arrangement gave BRAC the flexibility to adapt and adjust the programme because it was held accountable for outcomes and not for specific programme design expectations.
Additionally, because of Monitoring and Evaluation, it became clear that some populations were slightly better-off than the poorest but were nonetheless too vulnerable for microfinance alone. For this second group, the graduation programme was adjusted to include the same components, with the stipulation that assets would be transferred as part of a soft loan that participants would have to repay over the course of the programme period.
Scale: For BRAC, an intentional shift toward supporting governments to scale up their own graduation programmes implies new learning and innovation and exploring new arrangements for implementation and contexts suitable for graduation. Through its work with governments in different contexts, BRAC has explored a variety of implementing arrangements, from direct government implementation to government–NGO partnerships, seeking to understand which operational approaches apply best in which settings or circumstances.
Specifically, BRAC has been exploring how the graduation approach can be adapted to refugee settlements and host communities, urban resettled populations, fragile contexts, violence- and conflict-affected communities, and people with disabilities. BRAC is also seeking to address questions of cost-effectiveness by exploring opportunities to layer onto existing government schemes, such as cash transfers, public works programmes, and other livelihood schemes.
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- Target 1.1 By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
- Indicator 1.1.1 Proportion of population below the international poverty line, by sex, age, employment status and geographical location (urban/rural)
- Target 1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
- Indicator 1.2.1 Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age
- Indicator 1.2.2 Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
- Target 1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
- Indicator 1.3.1 Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, by sex, distinguishing children, unemployed persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, work injury victims and the poor and the vulnerable
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- Target 2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round
- Indicator 2.1.1 Prevalence of undernourishment
- Indicator 2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)
- 2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
- Indicator 2.3.1 Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size
- Indicator 2.3.2 Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Target 3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
- Indicator 3.8.1 Coverage of essential health services (defined as the average coverage of essential services based on tracer interventions that include reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and service capacity and access, among the general and the most disadvantaged population)
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Target 5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
- 5.a.1 (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Target 8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
- Indicator 8.3.1 Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment, by sex
- Target 8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
- 8.5.1 Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities
- 8.5.2 Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
SDG 10- Reduce inequality within and among countries
- Target 10.1 By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average
- Indicator 10.1.1 Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population
- Target 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
- Indicator 10.2.1 Proportion of people living below 50 per cent of median income, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
- Target 10.4 Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality
- Indicator 10.4.1 Labour share of GDP, comprising wages and social protection transfers
SDG 16- Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
- Target 16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
- Indicator 16.7.2 Proportion of population who believe decision making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group
SDG 1 – End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- Target 1.1 By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
- Indicator 1.1.1 Proportion of population below the international poverty line, by sex, age, employment status and geographical location (urban/rural)
- Target 1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
- Indicator 1.2.1 Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age
- Indicator 1.2.2 Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
- Target 1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
- Indicator 1.3.1 Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, by sex, distinguishing children, unemployed persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, work injury victims and the poor and the vulnerable
SDG 2 – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- Target 2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round
- Indicator 2.1.1 Prevalence of undernourishment
- Indicator 2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)
- 2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
- Indicator 2.3.1 Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size
- Indicator 2.3.2 Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status
SDG 3 – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Target 3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
- Indicator 3.8.1 Coverage of essential health services (defined as the average coverage of essential services based on tracer interventions that include reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and service capacity and access, among the general and the most disadvantaged population)
SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Target 5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
- 5.a.1 (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
SDG 8 – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Target 8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
- Indicator 8.3.1 Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment, by sex
- Target 8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
- 8.5.1 Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities
- 8.5.2 Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
SDG 10- Reduce inequality within and among countries
- Target 10.1 By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average
- Indicator 10.1.1 Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population
- Target 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
- Indicator 10.2.1 Proportion of people living below 50 per cent of median income, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
- Target 10.4 Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality
- Indicator 10.4.1 Labour share of GDP, comprising wages and social protection transfers
SDG 16- Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
- Target 16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
- Indicator 16.7.2 Proportion of population who believe decision making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group
Originally developed in 2002, the Ultra Poor Graduation Programmeprovides a comprehensive “big push” to help women in ultra-poverty transition to secure livelihoods. It combines complementary, sequenced, and time-bound interventions over a 24-month period. The design has evolved over time.
Original Design (2002–2016)
Targeting focused on the poorest female-headed households in 42 districts known for deep pockets of extreme poverty.
- Productive Asset: A one-time transfer (grant) of assets like a cow, goat, or trade supplies valued at approximately USD 100.
- Consumption Support: A weekly stipend to cover essential needs for the first few months.
- Home Visits: Weekly household coaching and monitoring visits.
- Health: Biweekly visits from a community health worker.
- Community Mobilization: Monthly meetings of the village poverty reduction committee.
- Training: Enterprise training and life skills development.
- Cost of intervention package: USD 450–550 per household.
Current Design (2017–Present) and main design changes
Targeting is now based on three specific approaches: poverty mapping (visual representation of poverty distribution), participatory rural appraisal (community-based method where local people are actively involved in the assessment and planning of the development program), and household verification via a survey (also known as poverty scorecard, consists of objective data on specific ultra-poverty indicators, such as ownership of productive assets, physical structure of the home, income sources, disability, and ability to be economically active). The programme was adapted to increase participant ownership and sustainability.
- Productive Asset: Assets are now transferred as an interest-free partial loan valued at USD 200. It targets women under 50, offering options like livestock, agriculture, fisheries, or small trade.
- Main changes: Participants are required to repay 30–50% (Group 2: poorest category verified by vulnerability survey of households) or 80% (Group 3: better-off category, these are still ultra poor but slightly less vulnerable than Group 2) of the asset value over 24 months. This shift from a free grant was made to increase the sense of ownership.
- Training: Includes 10 days of enterprise development training. 7 of these days are tailored specifically to the participant’s chosen activity. There were no substantial changes from the original version of the component.
- Consumption Support (Removed): The weekly stipend was eliminated. Analysis showed that by 2016, even the poorest households could generally meet basic food needs, rendering the stipend’s value negligible.
- Financial Services: Includes credit shield life insurance and a new savings mechanism.
- Main changes: Savings are now matched 1:1 (up to USD 1.20 per month) to provide a stronger incentive than simple access.
- Home Visits & Life Skills: Biweekly individual visits now alternate with biweekly group-based sessions. Group topics cover child welfare, health, safety, and women’s issues. Individual visits focus on monitoring progress, business health, and financial management.
- Main changes: Moving from weekly individual visits to alternating biweekly visits maintains four touchpoints per month but increases efficiency.
- Health: Links are provided to government health clinics rather than direct service provision. A reserve fund is set aside for medical emergencies (covered by BRAC). For general ailments, local managers are present at government clinics for four hours a day a week to facilitate access.
- Community Mobilization: Bimonthly village social solidarity committees (VSSCs) are held to promote social integration and raise the voices of the extremely poor.
- Cost of intervention package: USD 350 per household.
After two years of being in the programme, participants graduate following a set of Graduation criteria which are defined in terms of basic economic and social indicators. The programme staff assesses progress towards ‘graduation’ out of ultra-poverty during a certain point of time before their graduation and try to ensure that by the completion of the cycle, all participants meet a set of ‘graduation criteria’ that reflects improvements in living standards and livelihoods. 95% of participants continued to improve their living standards when measured even seven years after the programme ended (BRAC, 2025).
Effective adaptation: BRAC’s iterative approach to the evolution of its programme has been supported by long-term investment with flexible terms. The programme benefited from the stability of a long-standing funding instrument with DFID and DFAT. This arrangement gave BRAC the flexibility to adapt and adjust the programme because it was held accountable for outcomes and not for specific programme design expectations.
Additionally, because of Monitoring and Evaluation, it became clear that some populations were slightly better-off than the poorest but were nonetheless too vulnerable for microfinance alone. For this second group, the graduation programme was adjusted to include the same components, with the stipulation that assets would be transferred as part of a soft loan that participants would have to repay over the course of the programme period.
Scale: For BRAC, an intentional shift toward supporting governments to scale up their own graduation programmes implies new learning and innovation and exploring new arrangements for implementation and contexts suitable for graduation. Through its work with governments in different contexts, BRAC has explored a variety of implementing arrangements, from direct government implementation to government–NGO partnerships, seeking to understand which operational approaches apply best in which settings or circumstances.
Specifically, BRAC has been exploring how the graduation approach can be adapted to refugee settlements and host communities, urban resettled populations, fragile contexts, violence- and conflict-affected communities, and people with disabilities. BRAC is also seeking to address questions of cost-effectiveness by exploring opportunities to layer onto existing government schemes, such as cash transfers, public works programmes, and other livelihood schemes.
Pro-poor access to agricultural inputs, technology and knowledge; Promote inclusive access to agricultural markets; Food transfer or subsidized food (food distribution programmes); Access to basic health care; Training (vocational, life skills, cash for training, entrepreneurship)
The governance structure of the BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Programme (UPGP) is an adaptive, NGO-led model focused on evidence-based implementation and eventual integration with state systems. This structure relies on four key components:
- Institutional Anchor (NGO-Led): Implementation is led by BRAC using a framework of four interconnected pillars. This defines minimum standards for execution while maintaining flexibility in specific interventions.
- Accountability & Oversight: The model prioritizes outcomes over rigid inputs. Funding agreements (e.g., DFID, DFAT) mandate continuous evaluation, allowing for significant adaptations—such as the 2017 redesign—to improve impact. Field staff ensure fidelity through regular coaching, while targeting utilizes poverty maps and local consultations for verification.
- Grassroots Governance: Decentralized Village Social Solidarity Committees (VSSCs) act as platforms for community mobilization and social integration. BRAC coordinates with local governments to facilitate service provision and institutional strengthening.
- Strategic Scaling: The governance structure is shifting from direct implementation toward advisory support. BRAC engages with policymakers to integrate the graduation approach into national public sector infrastructures and government systems.
As of 2023: Cumulative Participants (direct): 2,312,477. Current Participants (direct): 70,000 (World Bank, 2025). The programme successfully targeted ultra-poor households: 53% of households in the programme live below PPP USD 1.25 while 25 per cent of the Bangladeshi population lives below that threshold. (J-PAL, 2015) 100% of the participants are female.
What started out as a pilot targeting 5,000 households in 2002 has been incrementally scaled and has now reached over 2.1 million Bangladeshi households as of December 2020. (BRAC, 2021)
Average Cost per Household: Approximately USD $550. This figure represents the cost of the full, comprehensive UPG package in Bangladesh, which includes assets, training, coaching, and linkages. This cost is a benchmark for an established and optimized programme reaching the 2023 cohort of 69,242 participants. (BRAC, 2020)
Global Implementation Cost Range: USD $300 to USD $2,000. Costs vary significantly globally based on context. High costs (up to USD $2,000) are typically found in more fragile or complex environments (e.g., humanitarian contexts or high-cost countries), while the lower end (USD $300–$550) reflects efficient, large-scale implementation in stable environments like Bangladesh. (BRAC, 2020)
The financing structure of the UPGP has evolved to prioritize system-level scale and sustainability, moving from reliance on international grants to strategic partnerships that emphasize leveraging public finance. The financing structure is characterized by a hybrid funding model, where costs are primarily borne by the implementing NGO (BRAC) through a combination of donor and internal capital, and costs are mitigated by integrating participants with existing government and internal financial services. Adaptive programme design in support of outcomes was also enabled by a flexible funding agreement in place from 2011 to 2020 with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and Australia’s Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). As part of the Strategic Partnership Arrangement, the FCDO/DFID (UK) committed a total amount of GBP 223 million (USD $305 million in 19/11/2025) from 2016–2021 (FCDO, 2021) and DFAT (Australia) committed AUD 95 million (USD $61.4 million in 19/11/2025) from 2016–2020/2021 (DFAT, 2020).
The BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Programme (UPGP) in Bangladesh utilizes a dedicated, centralized Management Information System (MIS). Field management teams can now supervise, monitor and follow-up digitally, with the support of features like task management, scheduling, approval, and preparing work plans for day-to-day activities. Over 2,700 staff members in approximately 244 offices across Bangladesh are now using this platform (BRAC, 2022). The MIS was implemented with the support of Bengal Mobile QA Solution.