Alive & Thrive (A&T) is currently accepting applications for its grants program. A&T is a five year initiative funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by a consortium of organizations such as AED, BRAC, GMMB, IFPRI, Save the Children, University of California-Davis and World Vision.
The A&T initiative has been established for the purpose of improving infant and young child feeding (IYCF) by increasing rates of exclusive breastfeeding and improving complementary feeding practices. The Small Grants Program under A&T initiative “aims to fund operational research projects that will identify novel approaches and overcome key barriers to improving IYCF at scale in low and middle-income countries. Approaches that can potentially be extended to different countries/settings are of greatest interest.
In the first year of the Small Grants Program (2009), the request for Letters of Interest listed multiple potential topics for research. In this second year, the focus is on operational issues related to IYCF interventions, as listed below. Letters of Interest that do not address one or more of these issues are highly unlikely to be competitive.
High priority issues:
- Optimal ways to “bundle” different interventions (i.e. combinations of interventions that are delivered using the same delivery platform or channel), at least one of which includes IYCF
- Optimal delivery channels for different intervention “bundles”
- Costs and benefits of intervention “bundles”
- Best strategies to reach the ultra-poor to improve IYCF
- Comparison of behavior change communication strategies for better IYCF programming and advocacy
The emphasis on intervention “bundles” reflects the growing consensus that integrating IYCF interventions into broader programmatic initiatives is likely to be a more cost-effective and sustainable approach than stand-alone IYCF interventions.”
The two-stage application process will evaluate the letters of interest and selected applicants will be requested for full proposals. “Awards for small grants will generally be in the range of $50,000-100,000 USD. Grant requests may not exceed $100,000 (for the total duration of the project). One- or two-year projects may be proposed, but in the latter case the second year of funding will be contingent upon satisfactory progress by the recipient during the first year.”
The deadline to submit the letters of interest is 14 September 2010. For more information, visit this link.
