The Roma Education Fund (REF) is a non-governmental organization established within the framework of the Decade of Roma Inclusion by Open Society Foundations (formerly Open Society Institute) and the World Bank in 2005.

[1] In July 2003, a conference "Roma in an Expanding Europe: Challenges for the Future", co-financed by the Open Society Institute, was held in Budapest.

The conference resolved to establish the Decade of Roma Inclusion and the Roma Education Fund.

[2] In 2007, research and observations by the Roma Education Fund were cited in the decision of the landmark case of D.H. and Others v Czech Republic concerning the discrimination of Romani children in the Czech educational system.

[3] REF noted the high incidence of placing children into special schools in the Czech Republic compared with other Central and Eastern European countries, the lack of a national definition of "disability" in countries within the region, and the negative effects of special schools on educational achievement.