The article is based on a survey of higher education institutions in Kazakhstan conducted by a group of experts from the Organization for Economic Co"operation and Development and the World Bank. The authors examine the strategies for mobilizing resources that the government can employ in order to compensate for the low level of education funding: stimulation of the private higher education system, participation in the financing of education, privatization of state"owned universities. The grant (voucher) system of education funding that is being used in Kazakhstan is discussed in detail.