Deadline: 11-Jun-21
Management Sciences for Health (MSH), together with the Global Financing Facility (GFF) and PMNCH, is pleased to announce a new COVID-19 Response and Recovery Small Grants Mechanism to support coordinated civil society and youth advocacy for ensuring service continuity for WCAH.
Civil society (CS) has a critical role to play in ensuring that women, children and adolescents continue to access antenatal care, family planning, safe delivery, vaccinations and other basic health and nutrition services. Coordinated and sustained CS advocacy at this juncture can ensure that COVID-19 response and recovery plans maintain essential WCAH services and support continued investment, as well as hold governments accountable for delivering on these commitments. The Small Grants Mechanism responds to this need.
Objectives
This Request seeks applications from country-based civil society organizations to ensure that women, children and adolescents can continue to access essential health and nutrition services to improve WCAH outcomes as countries develop and execute COVID-19 response and recovery plans. These small grants will support country-level CSOs in PMNCH-GFF supported countries to conduct advocacy and accountability activities, in support of this goal. Examples of activities which could be supported by the Small Grants Mechanism include, but are not limited to:
- Conduct an advocacy and communications campaign, including through media engagement, to help communities to safely access essential health services during the pandemic, for example, identifying which health facilities are providing health services, dispelling myths and misinformation, etc.
- Advocate with governments and other decision makers, including through the GFF multi-stakeholder platforms, to maintain availability of gender-sensitive, equitable and high quality RMNCAH services under the COVID-19 response and recovery.
- Advocate with national and local health authorities to address gender-based violence (GBV) within the COVID-19 response and recovery and to include innovative approaches to ensure GBV counselling and services are accessible in the context of government restrictions.
- Support advocacy activities for prevention and response to GBV during the COVID-19 pandemic through campaigns targeting male engagement in domestic responsibilities and addressing drivers of intimate partner violence.
- Develop a shadow report to monitor and document the effective implementation of the national COVID-19 response and recovery plan, specifically as it relates to ensuring continuity of essential services for WCAH.
- Advocate with the government for adequate resource allocation to enable continued access to services and monitor line items and budget allocations for RMNCAH services in light of COVID-19.
- Mobilizing communities to ensure women, children and adolescents are continuing to demand and use essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Monitor service provision in health facilities to ensure availability of and access to high-quality RMNCAH+N information, supplies and services. This can include, for example, community monitoring and reporting of non-use of health services because of lockdowns/curfews, or fears of contracting COVID-19.
Funding Information
- The maximum amount of grants ranges from $30,000 to $50,000 depending on the funding stream.
- Grant applications can be submitted for up to a maximum of $50,000 USD (see amounts for the funding streams below) over a maximum of a 12-month period and are divided into the following funding streams:
- Funding stream 1 (Advocacy and accountability): This funding stream will support advocacy and accountability activities that aim to support policies and financing for essential WCAH services and priorities in the context of COVID-19. Maximum amount of support: $50,000 USD.
- Funding stream 2 (Community engagement): This funding stream will finance activities which aim to mobilize communities to demand and use services, and monitor service delivery to ensure continuity, quality and responsiveness to community needs. Maximum amount of support: $50,000 USD.
- Funding stream 3 (Grassroots CSOs): This funding stream will provide support to youthled, women-led and/or grassroots organizations to engage in either advocacy, accountability, or community engagement activities to ensure access to and use of essential WCAH and nutrition services. Maximum amount of support: $30,000 USD.
Eligibility Criteria
The COVID-19 Rapid Response and Recovery Small Grants Mechanism is open to national and local CSOs who meet specific eligibility requirements, confirmed by WHO/PMNCH, including:
- Operate in one of 36 eligible countries
- Be legally registered as a non-governmental or non-profit organization in the country where proposed work will occur
- Demonstrate the organization’s capability to develop and implement advocacy and communication strategies
- Attest to the organization’s ability to undertake the scope of work for this application
- Demonstrate active membership and participation in local, national and/or regional coalitions and networks working in sexual, reproductive, adolescent, maternal and child health.
- Provide evidence of the prioritization of human rights, gender equality and equity considerations in the organization’s work
- Audited by an accredited external entity for the last two consecutive years.
- No linkages with tobacco and arms industries
- Have a dedicated bank account in the organization’s name to receive funds
For more information, visit https://msh.org/resources/launch-of-covid-19-response-and-recovery-small-grants-mechanism