This issues paper is intended to inform a series of discussions convened by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) about a potential new platform or fund to address the educational needs of children and youth affected by crisis and conflict. In it, the authors review the current architecture for funding and delivery of educational services for children in crisis and conflict-affected settings, including the roles currently played by GPE. The paper then lays out three areas in which a new global initiative might help, and discuss basic goals and principles that might inform decisions about the creation of a new platform – including the challenges and risks associated with its development.