Deadline: 31 December 2019
Initiative for Hygiene, Sanitation and Nutrition (IHSAN) has issued an Annual Program Statement (APS) to support the testing and scaling up of innovations that increase the accessibility and quality of high-impact, cost-effective and evidence-based nutrition, hygiene, and sanitation interventions in Afghanistan.
The Innovation Fund is a cross-cutting component of the IHSAN program; its aim, through this APS, is to catalyze innovative solutions to address challenges within the nutrition and WASH sectors in Afghanistan. To achieve this goal, IHSAN will provide short-term and long-term grants (six months to one year for proof of concept and one to two years for concept to transition) to test and scale up proposed innovative interventions. The project will also support the development and evaluation of the most promising innovative program approaches, technologies and processes, as well as the integration of those innovations with Afghanistan’s nutrition and WASH systems. Using an evidence-based approach, the proposed innovations should demonstrate the potential to have a measurable impact on nutrition and WASH. The Fund will support the development of the selected innovations until these are better positioned for additional investment or integration into existing programs or systems.
Target Activities
Considering the current nutrition situation of children under 5 years of age and WRA, as well as the overall nutrition, hygiene and sanitation situation of the general population in Afghanistan, there are several gaps and shortfalls that require quick, innovative and sustainable approaches. IHSAN is seeking interventions that have not been tested before in Afghanistan.
Objectives
To be considered, proposed innovative concepts must also support the achievement of one or more of the IHSAN objectives and indicators detailed below:
- Objective 1: Enhance capacity to institutionalize nutrition programs.
- Objective 2: Increase adoption of optimal nutrition and hygiene behaviors at community and household levels.
- Objective 3: Increase availability of nutrition, hygiene and sanitation services and products.
IHSAN will also fund scale-up initiatives, approaches and services in the areas of hygiene, sanitation and food and nutrition that are tested in Afghanistan and have proven effective, based on evidence. In addition, the Fund will support any SBCC innovation that focuses on positive behavior change for hygiene, sanitation and nutrition practices. Approaches for greater promotion and increased access, availability and production of low-cost and locally acceptable nutrition, hygiene and sanitation products and services will also be funded.
Level of Grant Funding
IHSAN will provide funds for the purpose and as per the levels outlined below.
- Seed Grants: Concept activities that are innovative and not previously implemented in nutrition or WASH in Afghanistan are eligible. Such activities will be tested for feasibility and design refinement with limited funding and activity scope. These funds are to support previously untested innovative approaches, technologies, services, products and processes. Funding will be provided for innovations at the concept stage or innovations that are developed and need to be tested for the first time. Through the funding, the grantee must evaluate the feasibility of the activities on a small scale. Grant Amount up to USD $60,000 for a period up to two years.
- Advance Grants: This category will include but not limited to nutrition and wash polit activities, including those supported through seed Grants and deemed feasible. Such activities will be requested to demonstrate provincial coverage. These funds are to support proposed innovative approaches, technologies, services, products and processes that have already demonstrated feasibility in a primary testing phase and are ready to transition to the scale-up stage. Applicants are required to present the testing stage results or evidence in their applications. These innovations will be considered for implementation at a relatively wider scale to provide evidence of effectiveness. The funding level available ranges from Grant Amount may range from USD 60,000 to USD 250,000 for a period up to two years.
- Scale Up Grants: These nutrition, WASH, and/or Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) activities will be typically implemented at a regional level These funds are to support the scale-up stage of currently employed community-based programs, such as CommunityLed Total Sanitation (CLTS) in Urozgan province and community-based nutrition programs (CBNP) in Ghazni, Zabul, and Kabul provinces. Both types of programs are GIRoA-approved approaches to address nutrition and WASH challenges in the community. Maximum individual grant amounts and period are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Eligibility Criteria
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- National and international nonprofit organizations
- National and international for-profit organization (private entities)
- National and international academies and institutions working in nutrition or WASH
- Community-based organizations
- CSOs
All organizations must be legally registered and must agree with the terms and conditions of USAID funding regulations.
The following are not eligible to apply:
- Individuals
- IHSAN’s current partners or relatives of IHSAN employees
- Any organization that has misused USAID funds in the past
- Political parties, groupings, institutions or their subsidiaries and affiliates
- Organizations that advocate, promote or espouse antidemocratic policies or illegal activities
- Faith-based organizations whose activities are for discriminatory and religious purposes and whose main objective for the grant is of a religious nature
- Any entity included in any supplementary information concerning prohibited individuals or entities that may be provided by USAID
- Any entity whose name appears as debarred in SAM
- Any organization that does not pass the USAID vetting requirement for grants above $25,000
- Any organization that is not willing to submit the required information for USAID vetting.
How to Apply
Electronic copies of concepts and applications should be submitted via email to at the address given on the website.
For more information, please visit http://www.acbar.org/rfq/9103.jsp