Apply now for Impact at Scale Labs: Early Years in Kenya and Tanzania

The Impact at Scale Labs: Early Years in Kenya and Tanzania programme supports locally led organizations working to improve quality childcare and early childhood education (ECE) for children aged 0–5 years. Selected organizations will receive US$50,000–US$100,000 in catalytic funding, technical support, and capacity-building to scale innovative childcare solutions, strengthen gender-responsive models, and improve child development and women’s economic empowerment.

What is the Impact at Scale Labs: Early Years Programme?

The Impact at Scale Labs: Early Years in Kenya and Tanzania is a funding and capacity-building programme designed to strengthen locally led organizations delivering childcare and early childhood development solutions.

The initiative focuses on improving access to affordable, high-quality childcare and early childhood education while supporting innovative, community-based approaches that can be expanded across Kenya and Tanzania. Beyond financial support, the programme helps organizations strengthen their operational capacity, generate evidence of impact, and become investment-ready for future growth.

Programme Overview

• Programme Name: Impact at Scale Labs: Early Years in Kenya and Tanzania
• Programme Type: Funding and capacity-building programme
• Eligible Countries: Kenya and Tanzania
• Target Beneficiaries: Locally led childcare and early childhood development organizations
• Funding Amount: US$50,000–US$100,000
• Number of Organizations Selected: Eight
• Target Age Group: Children aged 0–5 years
• Focus Areas: Childcare, early childhood education, child development, gender equality, and women’s economic empowerment

Purpose of the Programme

The programme aims to strengthen innovative childcare organizations that can improve children’s development while supporting women and families.

Its objectives include:

• Expanding access to quality childcare.
• Improving early childhood education and development.
• Supporting locally led childcare innovations.
• Promoting gender-responsive childcare services.
• Strengthening child development outcomes.
• Increasing women’s participation in the economy.
• Building sustainable childcare systems.
• Preparing organizations for future investment and scaling.

Why This Programme Matters

Early childhood is one of the most important stages of human development. However, many children in sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to quality childcare and early education.

The programme addresses two major challenges:

• Only 27% of children in sub-Saharan Africa are enrolled in early childhood education.
• Only 54% of children are developmentally on track.

The initiative also recognizes that unpaid childcare responsibilities continue to fall primarily on women, limiting their ability to participate fully in education, employment, and entrepreneurship. By supporting quality childcare services, the programme seeks to improve outcomes for children while advancing women’s economic empowerment.

Strategic Priorities

The programme is built around three strategic pillars:

Knowledge Accelerator

This pillar focuses on generating and sharing evidence that strengthens childcare systems.

Key activities include:

• Producing research and knowledge products.
• Documenting successful childcare models.
• Sharing best practices.
• Supporting evidence-based decision-making.

Funding Catalyst

This priority provides catalytic funding that enables organizations to:

• Test innovative childcare models.
• Validate programme effectiveness.
• Improve organizational capacity.
• Generate evidence of impact.
• Prepare for larger-scale investment.

Partnership Builder

The programme strengthens collaboration among childcare stakeholders by:

• Building partnerships with governments.
• Engaging private sector organizations.
• Supporting community-based childcare systems.
• Establishing Communities of Practice.
• Encouraging cross-sector collaboration.

Focus Areas

The programme supports projects that contribute to one or more of the following areas:

• Quality childcare services.
• Early childhood education (ECE).
• Early childhood development (ECD).
• Gender-responsive childcare models.
• Child development outcomes.
• Women’s economic empowerment.
• Community-based childcare systems.
• Government integration of childcare services.
• Private sector engagement.
• Knowledge generation and dissemination.
• Organizational capacity strengthening.
• Investment readiness.

Funding Information

Selected organizations will receive:

• Catalytic funding ranging from US$50,000 to US$100,000.
• Technical assistance.
• Capacity-building support.
• Opportunities to strengthen gender-responsive programming.
• Support to measure child development outcomes.
• Guidance on demonstrating women’s economic empowerment outcomes.
• Assistance in becoming investment-ready.

What the Funding Supports

Organizations may use the support to:

• Test innovative childcare models.
• Improve childcare quality.
• Strengthen early learning programmes.
• Expand access to childcare services.
• Build organizational systems.
• Collect evidence and impact data.
• Improve programme monitoring and evaluation.
• Prepare for future investment opportunities.
• Scale successful childcare interventions.

Programme Activities

The programme includes several capacity-building and ecosystem development activities, including:

• Supporting locally led childcare innovations.
• Developing high-quality knowledge products.
• Establishing Communities of Practice for childcare practitioners.
• Integrating childcare solutions into community systems.
• Strengthening partnerships with government institutions.
• Engaging private sector stakeholders.
• Building investment-ready organizations.
• Demonstrating scalable childcare models.

Who is Eligible?

Eligible applicants include locally led organizations working in Kenya or Tanzania that focus on improving childcare, early childhood education, or child development.

Organizations should demonstrate experience in areas such as:

• Childcare services.
• Early childhood education.
• Early childhood development.
• Community-based childcare.
• Women’s economic empowerment.
• Family support services.
• Child wellbeing programmes.
• Gender-responsive programming.

Applicants should also have innovative solutions that can be tested, strengthened, and scaled through the programme.

How the Selection Process Works

The programme follows a competitive application process.

The general process includes:

1. Submit an application describing your childcare model.
2. Demonstrate organizational experience and local leadership.
3. Explain how your solution improves childcare and child development.
4. Show how your organization supports women and families.
5. Describe the potential for scaling the model.
6. Selected organizations receive funding and technical support.
7. Participate in programme activities, mentoring, and Communities of Practice.
8. Generate evidence of programme impact and prepare for future investment.

Benefits of Participating

Selected organizations will benefit from:

• Funding of US$50,000–US$100,000.
• Technical assistance.
• Organizational capacity building.
• Evidence generation support.
• Gender-responsive programme strengthening.
• Networking with childcare practitioners.
• Membership in Communities of Practice.
• Investment readiness support.
• Increased visibility.
• Opportunities to attract future funding.
• Stronger partnerships with government and private sector stakeholders.

Tips for a Strong Application

To improve your application:

• Clearly explain your childcare model.
• Demonstrate measurable impact on children and families.
• Highlight local leadership and community engagement.
• Explain how your programme supports women’s economic participation.
• Present evidence of child development outcomes where available.
• Describe your organization’s growth and sustainability plans.
• Explain how funding will help scale your solution.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

• Submitting an unclear programme model.
• Providing insufficient evidence of community impact.
• Failing to demonstrate local leadership.
• Ignoring gender-responsive approaches.
• Not explaining how outcomes will be measured.
• Presenting unrealistic scaling plans.
• Submitting incomplete applications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the Impact at Scale Labs: Early Years programme?

It is a funding and capacity-building initiative that supports locally led organizations working to improve childcare and early childhood education in Kenya and Tanzania.

2. Who can apply?

Locally led organizations based in Kenya or Tanzania that work in childcare, early childhood education, child development, or related sectors.

3. How much funding is available?

Selected organizations will receive US$50,000 to US$100,000 in catalytic funding.

4. How many organizations will be selected?

The programme will support eight locally led organizations across Kenya and Tanzania.

5. What age group does the programme target?

The programme focuses on children aged 0–5 years, supporting quality childcare and early childhood development during the most critical years of growth.

6. What additional support do participants receive?

Beyond funding, organizations receive technical assistance, organizational development support, investment readiness guidance, networking opportunities, and access to Communities of Practice.

7. Why is this programme important?

The programme helps improve access to quality childcare, strengthens early childhood education systems, promotes gender equality, supports women’s economic empowerment, and enables locally led organizations to develop scalable solutions that benefit children, families, and communities.

Conclusion

The Impact at Scale Labs: Early Years in Kenya and Tanzania programme provides an important opportunity for locally led organizations to strengthen childcare and early childhood education services while improving child development and advancing women’s economic empowerment. Through catalytic funding, technical support, evidence generation, and investment readiness, the initiative helps innovative organizations test, validate, and scale sustainable childcare models. Organizations committed to creating lasting impact for young children and families are encouraged to apply and contribute to building stronger, more inclusive early childhood systems across Kenya and Tanzania.