Strengthening Childcare Models that Advance Women’s Economic Power is a Grand Challenge from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It seeks to address the limits to women’s ability to work outside the home created by a lack of childcare. This Challenge is specifically focused on Africa and South Asia.
Applications for up to $400,000 and a grant term of up to 3 years are due by December 6, 2023 at 11:30 AM PST.
Eligibility
This grant is open to organizations in Africa and South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). Eligible organizations may include:
- Nonprofit organizations
- For-profit companies
- International organizations
- Government agencies
- Academic institutions
Program Objectives
Projects should aim to achieve at least one of the program objectives.
- Support Women’s Economic Opportunity – Increase employment opportunities for women by expanding childcare access, reducing the burden of unpaid work disproportionally done by women, and creating new job opportunities for women in the childcare field.
- Advancing Evidence – Collect evidence on effective, sustainable, and scalable models of childcare with a gender intentional focus.
- Shift Gender Norms – Change gendered expectations to make it more acceptable for women to work outside the home, allowing them to control the money they earn, and making it more acceptable to use services to perform traditional ‘women’s work.’
Priority Consideration
Priority will be given to applications that also meet some of these additional criteria:
- Are led by local people
- Are led by women, women’s organizations and/or make women’s voices key to the project
- Engage the community
- Involve a multi-stakeholder partnership that includes the public, private, and/or government sectors
- Shows knowledge and understanding of cultural norms and local needs
- Generates and measures positive outcomes for women and children
- Take innovate approaches to childcare provision
- Provides employment opportunities for women
- Uses a business model with the potential to generate revenue to sustain the program
- Has the potential to be expanded after the grant period
Review Criteria
Applications will be reviewed based on:
- Their potential to create solutions that have a significant impact
- Creativity of the proposed project and clear differentiation from existing programs
- A clear conceptual framework
- Capabilities of the investigator and organization and potential for collaboration
- Appropriateness of budget and timeline to carry out the project and achieve the stated goals
