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GRANT APPLICATION

The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation (Foundation) is inviting your organization to apply for a grant using this Grant Application. Complete the gray shaded sections with requested information as detailed below and forward the final application electronically (MS Word document – Not a PDF) along with the required attachments (listed on the final page of the application) to [email protected] by July 31, 2015. Any supplemental materials that add clarity may also be attached. If you have any questions please ask your Foundation contact. This document is to be in English and in US dollars.

Please note that the Foundation carefully evaluates all Grant Applications. Action will be taken based on this review and approval or denial will be communicated in writing. Organizations should not consider any grant to be approved until written verification is received.

Date Submitted or Revised: August 31, 2015; Revised project dates 12/3/2015

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Organization’s Legal Name (As stated on the Evidence of Legal Status Document)

Save the Children Federation, Inc.

Popular Name Organization is Also Known As(If different from above) Save the Children

Federal Taxpayer Identification Number(if applicable) 06-0726487

PROGRAM/PROJECT INFORMATION

Program/Project’s Contact (to serve as primary liaison for communication regarding this request for funding.)Prefix (Mr., Ms., etc.) Ms.

Full Name Megan McLain

Suffix (if applicable)

Title Director, Strategic Foundation PartnershipsDirect Phone Number(include extension if applicable) 475.999.3163

Email Address [email protected]

PROGRAM/PROJECT TITLE(10 words or less) Community Based Services for Children with Disabilities

TOTAL REQUEST AMOUNT (USD) $ 5,000,000

PROPOSED GRANT PERIOD (mm/dd/yyyy) 1/1/2016 – 12/31/2018

PROGRAM AREA Directed Giving

mailto:[email protected]

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TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET (USD) (this should match the total expense amount in the attached program/project budget)

$5,000,000

1. Describe the purpose of your program/project. (One or two sentences only, no longer than a brief paragraph)

Save the Children will establish 10 high-quality childcare centers in five countries in Eurasia that provide opportunities for rehabilitation and integration for children with disabilities, through early detection, individual rehabilitation, and holistic guidance and support services for family members. These centers will benefit between 1,000 and 1,500 children and their families. There are three main components of the project: 1) Provision of direct services for children with disabilities, 2) Supporting families of children with disabilities so that they can advocate for their children, and 3) Increase capacity of relevant government authorities. Save the Children will use your generous funding over three years to establish sustainable, context- and needs-based services for children with disabilities, strengthen families and empower state authorities and local NGO actors to deliver, sustain and replicate these services beyond the project life. The project builds on our previous interventions in the area of inclusion of children with disabilities, and complements our current work in inclusive education and social protection in countries of implementation.

2. Describe the issue/problem you are trying to address.Save the Children International (SCI)’s Eurasia region includes seven countries: five in Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina - BiH, Serbia and Montenegro– united in the North West Balkans Office, plus Albania and Kosovo) and two in the South Caucasus (Armenia and Georgia). The current population of the region is estimated at 23,670,000, of whom around 6 million (or 25 percent) are children ages 0-18. All of the region’s countries share a similar history over the last three decades. They were once part of a centralized communist decision-making and planning system, with state-controlled resources and public services. For all, the dissolution of state entities they belonged to left the administration and services in disarray. The countries undertook a great long-term effort – in most of them marred by violent conflicts - to build new state structures and implement fundamental economic and political reforms. With established multi-party parliamentary systems and a steady rates of economic growth (even if recently affected by the global economic crisis), they have enjoyed a period of political and economic stability that helped achieve significant gains for children.

Across the region, the legislative and policy frameworks governing education, health, social protection and other spheres related to children and families were modernized. In readjusting these laws and policies to meet the new realities of their independent states, they have been guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC), which each country has ratified. These efforts have been supported, through a strong and active presence, funding and expert technical assistance, by bilateral and multilateral donors, UNICEF and other inter-governmental organizations (IGOs) and by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). Among them, Save the Children, which has been active in the region since the 1990s, has been a recognized champion.

In all countries, governments have taken ownership of the childcare system reform processes. Still, gaps in service delivery were identified by Save the Chldren’s 2014 Child Rights Situation Analyses (CRSAs) across the region and include: scarce, low-quality direct services for children with disabilities; insufficient numbers of qualified workforce; uneven structures and systems of professional supervision; inadequate systems and services of support for families in especially difficult circumstances; uneven or no system to independently monitor and demonstrate quality of services and outcomes for these children and in general.

Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized groups in Eurasia, facing stigma, discrimination, and segregation in their communities. They are frequently deprived of education and other basic rights and services, and they are significantly more vulnerable than their non-disabled peers to violence, abuse, and exploitation. Conservative estimates are that there are 150,000 children with disabilities across the Eurasia region, which is experiencing a shortage of well-trained professionals and insufficient allocation of state resources. Without adequate and appropriate local services, many families feel incapable of supporting their children’s psychosocial

Margaret A. Cargill Foundation – June 2014 (PC/ED/ER)page | 2

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development, physical rehabilitation at home and inclusion in schools and community life. Our Child Rights Situation Analysis found that children with disabilities are routinely institutionalized due to lack of access to quality community-based alternatives.

All EuroAsia countries signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; many also ratified it and signed (and/or ratified) the optional protocol (UNICEF 2013 ). In several countries, Save the Children has successfully partnered with children, families and governments to reverse the legacy of the medical model of disability and institutionalization and move towards social inclusion and empowerment approaches. Today, across the region, legislation has been adjusted to include the rights of persons with disabilities (PWD), and national strategic plans for PWDs exist. The plans reflect principles of equality, non-discrimination, participation and self-determination of people with disabilities. They contain provisions on determination of disability, accessibility of services, health, education and employment, and participation of PWDs as equal citizens in the countries’ political, social and cultural life. Across the region, services for children with disabilities (such as child development centers, day care centers, specialized foster care and small group homes, home-based care) are in the initial steps, but are significantly under-resourced and not accessible for all children, especially those in very difficult circumstances and living in most deprived areas.

Education of children with disabilities still mainly depends on capabilities, skills and knowledge of parents, who face numerous challenges and limitations in the system. Parents lack information and specific guidance on what they can do to ensure the full development potential of their child. Support and assistance to parents and outreach to vulnerable and marginalized groups are weak, fragmented and mostly limited to civil society initiatives. There is no evidence of parental supportor education programs offered by state institutions, and there is no clear strategy that plans to fill this gap in the near future. Existing strategies and action plans make few references to specific activities to strengthen family roles and capacities in inclusive education and early childhood development. A practice of consulting with children on their problems, ways to solve them or in any other situation is more often an exception than a rule. Serious reform progress also suffers from lack of preparedness on the part of parents of other children on how to respond to the special needs of a child with developmental difficulties and disabilities.

Day care centers for vulnerable children are not a permanent part of the family strengthening and alternative care system. They are insufficient in numbers and coverage and in most countries, local governments that are responsible for providing community based services for families lack the capacities, human and financial resources to do so. Existing day care centers tend to offer services just for children – providing them with food, education and activities influencing their development, with no approach or systematic methodology to work with children’s families.

3. List the key Outcomes, Objectives and Activities for the program/project. (The application provides for five (5) outcome areas but it is not a requirement for the applicant to submit five. If more are needed, insert additional as needed.) If you have multiple objectives for one outcome, list one objective per table and repeat outcome as applicable.

Below are the Foundation’s definitions for Outcomes, Objectives and Activities- Outcomes = The broader goal or result to which this program/project will contribute- Objectives (project) = What the program/project is expected to deliver. How success will be measured at

the end of the grant period. - Activities = Key activities that will accomplish the program/project objectives

Outcome # 1 Children with disabilities develop their abilities, practice independence, and enjoy inclusion

Our intended outcome is to increase the number of children with disabilities who access integrated services at comprehensive child care centers, develop their abilities, practice


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independence and enjoy inclusion. Objective: To provide high-quality, community based, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation services for

children with disabilities and enable their inclusion in school and community lifeActivities: Phase I: Development and Preparation

Kick-off meeting Identification of the location for establishment of the second center (Albania,

Georgia) Hiring of key staff Identify partners, conduct partner assessment and orientation Conduct situation analysis, infrastructural needs assessment, and train partner

key staff to support activities in Phase II. Phase II: Implementation

Physiotherapy and other alternative physical rehabilitation Developmental and behavioral therapy (ABLES - Abilities-Based Learning and

Education Support) Occupational sessions (individual, group, play therapy, art therapy, drama

therapy) Psychological counseling and support for children Provide self-help groups for children with disabilities Social projects for life: entertainment activities that promote social inclusion and

independence Counseling and case management programs Home-based care and support service for children who are not physically able to

frequent the center or the school Facilitating the process of registration in schools of children with disabilities,

supporting and monitoring their inclusion and learning outcomes After-school classes for educational support Vocational training and opportunities such as social businesses

Phase III: Documenting Learnings and Dissemination Review, document, and disseminate key learnings for further application by the

global Save the Children movement, Save the Children country offices and key stakeholders in countries of implementation.

Outcome # 2 Strengthening families and supporting parents

Our intended outcome is to empower parents to advocate for their children’s rights and develop skills and psycho-emotional strength to support their children’s development and independence.

Objective: To support families to become resilient and able to facilitate their children’s physical, social and educational development and advocate for the rights of their children for education, health and social inclusion.

Activities: Phase I: Development and Preparation 1. Kick-off meeting 2. Identification of the location for establishment of the second center (Albania,

Georgia) 3. Hiring of key staff 4. Identify partners, conduct partner assessment and orientation 5. Conduct situation analysis, infrastructural needs assessment, and train partner


Capacity building of parents to support and facilitate the education and development of their children


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Capacity building of parents to facilitate behavioral, educational and psychosocial development of their children in home settings

Establishment of parent support groups Provide family counseling and psycho-education services for family strengthening

and well-being Community based awareness raising activities on importance of inclusion in

school and social life of children with disabilities through active participation of children, families and the wider community

Informational sessions for parents on the services available for their children and the best use of these services

Occupational sessions for parents who do not work. Develop a system of communication with parents to promote activities, engagement and announce upcoming events via on-line platforms and other Information and Communication Technologies (e.g. social networks, sms messages, engagement with media, etc.)

Develop and publish materials to support parents in their day-to-day activities with their children (brochures, manuals, guides)

Phase III: Documenting Learnings and Dissemination Review, document, and disseminate key learnings for further application by the

global Save the Children movement, Save the Children country offices and key stakeholders in countries of implementation.

Outcome # 3 Mobilize community stakeholders to support quality services for children with disabilities

Our intended outcome is to have relevant institutions and communities engaged and mobilized to dedicate proper funds and resources to address needs of families, children and adolescents for social inclusion

Objective: To increase capacity of stakeholders on identifying the needs of children with disabilities and their families, respond/address these needs and monitor progress.

Activities: Phase I: Development and Preparation Kick-off meeting Identification of the location for establishment of the second center (Albania,

Georgia) Hiring of key staff Identify partners, conduct partner assessment and orientation Conduct situation analysis, infrastructural needs assessment, and train partner


Capacity building of relevant structures and staff of the community based centers on identifying the needs and functionality of children with disabilities, developing individual, family, school and community programs that support the development of children and adolescents and monitor their progress

Establish a multi-disciplinary taskforce among health, education and social services, and strengthen their capacity to collaborate and support children and families in need

Strengthening the capacities of stakeholders for budget analysis and budget allocation for such services

National campaign that promotes the rights of children with disabilities for education, health and social life

Documentary that shows the best practices of community based centers and their impact on children and adolescents and their families’ lives


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Phase III: Documenting Learnings and Dissemination Review, document, and disseminate key learnings for further application by

the global Save the Children movement, Save the Children country offices and key stakeholders in countries of implementation.

4. How do the outcomes/objectives address the issue/problem you described above? All three intended outcomes have been specifically targeted to address the challenges related to lack of quality community-based services for children with disabilities, as outlined above.

Children with disabilities develop their abilities, practice independence, and enjoy inclusion: Our first intended outcome is to increase the number of children with disabilities who access integrated services at comprehensive child care centers, develop their abilities, practice independence and enjoy inclusion. We will establish 10 comprehensive child care centers for children with disabilities in five countries in Eurasia. The child care centers will be established in existing premises provided by local authorities or local partners and will be equipped to provide appropriate standardized services for children with disabilities and their families on the case management approach. These services include: 1)Physiotherapy and other alternative physical rehabilitation: One physiotherapist or sports doctor will be engaged as a part of multidisciplinary team involved in helping children who have physical difficulties and movement limitations (poor posture, low muscle tone, lack of coordination, and lack of fluidity of movement) through the provision of physiotherapeutic support. They will use evidence-based techniques and natural methods such as exercise, motivation and other adaptive techniques that can stimulate and foster children’s gross and fine motor skills.

Moreover, they will help the families to understand their children’s challenges and teach parents/caregivers the skills they need to help children develop the ability to perform everyday tasks. 2) Developmental and behavioral therapy (ABLES - Abilities-Based Learning and Education Support): A developmental psychologist will be engaged to provide behavior therapy with the purpose of supporting children with special needs to reduce behavior problems (aggressive behaviors, episodes of out-of-control anger, poor tolerance or excessive frustration and/or self-injurious behaviors, internalizing behaviors such as social withdrawal) and promote adaptation skills. Speech therapy and teaching children basic knowledge in line with their developmental age will also be part of the developmental therapy. 3) Occupational sessions (individual, group, play therapy, art therapy, drama therapy): Within the structure, the therapist will provide individual and group sessions (play art and drama) to be held weekly for children, with the purpose of providing them with the opportunity to explore their roles, ideas, and feelings about self and others through play and art techniques. The activities will also include parents and family members to promote joint activities and nurture the sense of inclusion. 4) Psychological counseling and support for children: Children (family members) will have time to discuss for their challenges, learn about choices, experience change, self-responsibility and self-direction, and resolve emotional difficulties and inner conflicts they are facing. 5) Provide self-help groups for children with disabilities. Self-help groups will bring together adolescents facing different disabilities, and will provide them room for sharing feeling, thoughts, and experiences and supporting one another, either by sharing their experience and coping strategies or by taking joint action to build a better life and safeguard human rights for disabled children. By meeting, talking and speaking up, adolescents will feel included and more valued. The establishment of early identification mechanisms in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams (education, health and social) will be prioritized.

Strengthening families and supporting parents: Our second intended outcome is to have empowered parents who advocate for their children’s rights and develop resilience and appropriate skills to support their children’s development and independence. To achieve this outcome, we aim to provide capacity building for parents to better manage the educational, behavioral and psychosocial development of their children. Regular training sessions will be provided for parents and caregivers by professional staff of the centers, on topics related to parents’ empowerment and their collaboration with relevant services. These include home-based support, child development, behavioral and motivation strategies and other basic skills that facilitate their ability to support their children’s education and development. A home visit support model would be used to strengthen families


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through equipping parents with capacities to support for their preschool-age children with disabilities/special needs at home. Through home visiting support, based on a case-by-case approach, the Portage method will be used to assess children’s actual abilities, develop individual educational programs for them, and to manage behavioral problems. Parents of younger children will be trained to support an individual plan of education in collaboration with the center and teachers of the school. Other methodologies developed by Save the Children will also be used to engage with parents and education institutions as part of the outreach activity of the centers. Our approach will be tailored to the local context of every country and project site.

We will establish parent support groups to provide room for parents so that they can share their experiences, feelings, challenges of being parents, grandparents or siblings of children with disabilities and their coping strategies. Sessions will give participants a feeling of belonging and not being alone. Moreover, parents will be able to act as peer consultants on giving relevant information to other families on child care and development and specific issues of inclusion. A special focus will be given to reaching fathers to ensure that they are equally participating in their children’s lives.

During project implementation we will establish a taskforce of parents to facilitate the dialogue between local and national policymakers and children with disabilities and their families to advocate for the rights of children for access to quality services and advocate for proper budgetary allocations for these services. Establishment of the parent taskforces will help empower parents to have a voice in and support the full inclusion of children with disabilities in all aspects of society. Through this group, parents will create their own advocacy and lobbing strategies to directly communicate and negotiate with existing institutions for education, social and health services for children with disabilities. Capacity-building for such activities will be provided through the centers.

We will support community-based awareness-raising activities on the importance of including children and adolescents with disabilities in school and social life, through active participation of children, families, schools, other relevant actors and the wider community. Community days can be organized, with open dialogues, sharing best practices, and presenting successful cases to the wider communities – beginning in the closest neighborhood/s (including churches, mosques, social and sports clubs) as well as at local self-governance bodies (municipalities) to underline the importance of including children with disabilities in school and social life. Events and activities will be organized for the participation of children with disabilities and their families in community life (street activities, theatre plays, mini-festivals, etc.).

Information sessions will be provided continuously to the families from the center staff. Representatives from different services will be invited to speak to families about the direct benefits of the services available in their municipality and in the country, as well as opportunities and ways to access these services. Social media and networks will be usedto inform parents about activities, initiatives, to promote engagement and announce upcoming events. Thematic informative-education-counselling materials will be produced and shared with parents, children and community on topics such as: reproductive health, vocational training opportunities, independent living skills, child developmental phases, and the rights of children with disabilities.

Mobilize community stakeholders to support quality services for children with disability: Our third intended outcome is to have relevant institutions and communities engaged and mobilized to dedicate proper funds and resources to address the needs of families and children for social inclusion. In cooperation with the relevant multidisciplinary evaluation teams (health, education and social services) in the region and center staff, training sessions would be provided on the social model of disability and specifically for International Classification of Functionality (ICF). Further support would be provided to families and children by sharing the expertise and providing models and of tools/ guidelines/best practices, including the assessment and evaluation forms, development planes and monitoring tools). Moreover, trainings would be offered on strengthening the capacities of the national and /or local stakeholders on modern governance concepts in delivering social services by introducing the best global models/practices on delivering public services. We will promote inter-sectoral cooperation at the local level by being engaged in analyzing the situation and coming up with recommendations for improving national/state system’s gaps and promote the new service/s that are critical to be established country-wide. Regular meetings, roundtable discussions, workshops, and conferences will be arranged to ensure


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knowledge sharing, as well as identification of existing gaps/issues and ways to move forward.

Capacity building of stakeholders and beneficiaries will take place to enable them to analyze budgets and improve budgeting procedures to secure adequate funding for services for children with disabilities. If necessary, desk analysis and focus groups with relevant stakeholders will be carried out to review the approaches on generating the budget, allocation of budget and transparency of the local and national governments in investment in children with disabilities. Recommendations will be provided. In collaboration with stakeholders and local authorities, binding documents will be signed, such as Memorandums of Understanding, and joint hand-over plans developed to ensure sustainability of the centers after the project is completed.

National campaigns that promote the rights of children with disabilities to education, health and social life will be developed and disseminated at the national and local levels. Production and distribution of promotional material, including presence in local radio and television programs and wide use of social media, will be ensured with the purpose of promoting inclusive values and attitudes. Save the Children and its partners will abide by our agency’s Child Safeguarding Policy, which ensures that during interventions, all children are safe and protected from all forms of risks and abuse.

5. Describe how you will evaluate the progress and these results. (If you have an evaluation plan/design, please attach)

Save the Children Approach and Principles: Save the Children will use a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) approach to: 1) track progress against key indicators; 2) ensure quality implementation of the project; 3) capture beneficiaries and stakeholders’ feedback; and 4) share findings with relevant partners. The MEAL plan we will develop with our project partners will be guided by the following principles: 1) use of relevant and appropriate indicators to measure project output and outcomes; 2) use of qualitative and quantitative indicators and indicators of quality; 3) participatory monitoring and evaluation; 4) interpretation of data for timely decision-making and needed revisions/adjustments; and, 5) performance evaluation.

Methods and Tools: Several methods and tools will be used for proper monitoring. The set of outcome indicators are proposed and will be measured through qualitative and quantitative indicators (see Annex). However, a detailed activity-based MEAL plan will be developed as a start-up point, including all activity level output indicators, means of verification, frequency of data collection, people responsible, data flow; how the data can be used to inform decision making; reporting requirements and deadlines; proposed monitoring tools; evaluation requirements; and learning opportunities. A baseline will be conducted to reconfirm the proposed targets. Throughout the project, monitoring of project implementation will be simultaneously and regularly done.

Data against the set indicators will be collected using the following tools and sources: 1) key informant interviews with national and local authorities; 2) a social mapping process, including a survey on a representative sample; 3) the end line results of change in attitude and inclusiveness process will be examined through Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) techniques; 4) checklist for quality benchmarks on activity level; pre-post training tests 5) Save the Children’s internal tool to measure the quality of child protection services , and most importantly, 6) focus-group discussions with children with disabilities and their families to ensure that their voices are heard to improve activities and related outcomes (see Annex #). Baseline and endline impact surveys will be carried out.

Project evaluation: A mid-term internal evaluation and final external evaluation will be conducted. Gender, age, geographic location, and socio-economic status will be considered in the evaluation methodology, as well as the nature of the information, analysis, or feedback needed, cost-effectiveness, time and resources available and the level of accuracy required, with a thorough explanation of sampling and sample size adequacy. The evaluation will aim to assess to what extent the project was relevant to the target group, effective and cost–effective, and how it impacted primary beneficiaries. The evaluation analysis will contain conclusions and recommendations at both strategic and operational levels to improve future projects. Well- documented best practices and key lessons


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learned will be used for further advocacy.

Data Management and Quality: Routine data collection of activities will be managed by Save the Children and its partners. Data collection will be primarily paper-based and data summaries will be entered into Excel-based activity tracking sheets by the project team and reviewed by our MEAL staff. All activity outcome data and analysis will be reviewed by the project team to explore quality, interpret the findings, and track progress. All data will be disaggregated by gender, age group and location. Periodic spot checks will be conducted by our MEAL team on partners’ activity tracking sheets to ensure accuracy.

Review and updating of the MEAL plan: The MEAL plan will be updated on an annual basis to ensure that it accurately reflects the project progress and need in the field. It will be the basic reference document for all performance-related data and will be used as guidance for any internal and external reviews and evaluations.

6. Describe how this project fits into your organization’s mission, strategic goals, and capacity to deliver both financially and through staff resources.

This project embodies Save the Children’s mission to “inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.” By supporting parents and communities to care for their children with disabilities, as well as providing the services required to help them learn and develop to their full potential, the approach outlined in this proposal seeks to meet immediate needs and effect lasting change. Similarly, the project is well aligned with Save the Children Eurasia’s regional vision, which is: “the Eurasia region of Save the Children becomes a ‘center of excellence’ in strengthening national systems to provide long-term effective solutions for the most vulnerable and marginalized children and youth in middle-income country contexts.”

Save the Children has been active in the Eurasia region since the early 1990s, and has strong staff resources and experience in supporting children with disabilities. This experience, along with strong connections to communities and stakeholders in the region, position us to deliver the outcomes proposed in this project.

7. Describe how this proposal addresses the Foundation’s Program Area Application guidelines (where applicable).

N/A

8. Describe the risks and challenges you anticipate and how you plan to manage them. There are external risks associated with this project that can be classified as financial, programmatic and organizational.

Financial risk: Funding of the services provided by the centers unlikely to be continued after project closure.

This risk has been identified in all five countries of implementation. Drastic shortage in budget allocated to social protection by respective governments due to economic crisis may lead to inability of centers to provide services after the project ends.

Mitigation: In the first phase of project implementation, a MoU will be negotiated and signed between Save the Children and relevant government authorities in all countries. It will require concrete engagement of the authorities to keep the centers running and providing services for children with disabilities and their families at the same standard after the project ends, depending on country legal context either by taking over center management as part of state social services or commit to provide continuous sustained funding to local NGOs to run the centers through framework agreement. To achieve this in all five countries of implementation, project implementation teams will work together with partners and responsible state authorities to carefully prepare a cost analysis of the core services to be delivered. A fundraising action plan for each center will be prepared to channel efforts and provide guidance to fundraising.


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Programmatic: Difficulties in identifying and reaching children with disabilities and families’ unwillingness to use the services offered.

This risk is identified in all five countries of implementation. Lack of accurate data on children with disabilities and poor coordination among health, education and social services sectors in project areas might create difficulties in reaching and identifying children. Because of the high level of stigma and discrimination in the communities in which they live, parents may not be willing to use the services offered in a community-based centers as they might not want to show up in public with their children.

Mitigation:This risk will be addressed through networking, community outreach, counseling to families and intensification of community awareness-raising activities. Multidisciplinary teams composed of health, education and social protection sectors will be established at the start of the project to ensure proper inter-sectorial coordination and also sharing of information and data.

9. Describe your team. People who will be most involved in designing, implementing, managing and monitoring this project? Briefly describe their roles and skills in relationship to this project.

The implementation of this project will be led by a new Save the Children Eurasia Regional Knowledge Manager (to be hired soon) who will ensure coordination, information-sharing and thematic technical input among all five countries. S\he will be supported by our regional award manager, who will be responsible for proper grant management in terms of financial and donor compliance.

At the country level, the project will be implemented by respective program implementation teams led by respective program managers who will be responsible for overall technical oversight and management of the project/team, providing strategic and operational leadership, including implementation and coordination guidance and oversight. The program implementation manager will direct and oversee strategic, financial, and program planning and will ensure the timely submission of all financial and technical reports. S\he will liaise closely with national/local government authorities, religious representatives, international/local NGOs and other stakeholders active in the field of disability. The implementation team will work in close collaboration with program development and quality teams that are responsible for thematic design of the project, technical thematic advice and monitoring and evaluation of the project throughout its implementation.

Monitoring and evaluation will enable project management to assess progress and provide formative feedback so the project team can modify or reinforce activities to achieve planned results. The MEAL staff will collect the data for the indicators through regular field visits and prepare the quarterly progress reports. S\he will also develop data collection forms, develop the management information system in MS Excel, plan for quality activity checks, report quarterly achievement against quarterly benchmarks, and plan and oversee the external or internal assessment processes. Teams of finance and administration will provide support to the implementation teams in terms of day-to-day budget track, donor financial rules and regulations compliance, procurement and logistics. Country directors of Save the Children in Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kosovo and NWB are the ultimate decision-makers and have the overall responsibility of implementation of this project in their countries. They will backstop the project managers and will guarantee smooth and timely coordination among with the subregion, quality of the monitoring, evaluation and reporting. They will be actively involved in advocacy and policy formation on issues related to children with disabilities, future strategic programing, and resource management.

10. Who are the stakeholders most involved and affected by the program and how will you engage with them?In this project, as in every Save the Children program, children and their families are our primary focus, and we consider them to be the project’s ultimate stakeholders and beneficiaries. Specifically, we will seek to reach the poorest or most marginalized and highest at risk children and families, who require strong support to make progress in their inclusion in educational, social and community life. They are the ones most often affected by continuous lack of appropriate services, who have the least resources available to support their development, and who run the greatest risk of being left behind in education and social life.


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Stakeholders also include national ministries, local organizations and communities themselves. We will seek their active contribution and engagement in the project’s design, implementation, and evaluation. This will include community-based organizations with whom we have ongoing relationships or with whom we already work in implementing programs in community empowerment and specific areas of inclusive education and social protection for children with disabilities. These local partners will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the program. In specific countries of implementation main stakeholders will be:

Albania: The main beneficiaries and stakeholders of the project are children and adolescents with disabilities and their families in the Tirana municipality. The municipality is home to one-third of Albania’s population; we will also identify one other municipality in which to work within the first month of the project. State social service department, Municipality of Tirana, Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Sports are identified as main stakeholders whose involvement and ownership will determine the project’s sustainability. The private sector is identified as an important stakeholder to be influenced with regard to future funding through public-private partnership and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Local NGOs of persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities are also important stakeholders in the work with parents and communities.

Armenia: The main beneficiaries of the project are children with disabilities (ages 0-18) and their families in the Yerevan, Ararat and Armavir regions, where half of the population lives. Government stakeholders include the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and regional administrations. Interdisciplinary community stakeholders groups that are established within the project will seek to strengthen linkages between stakeholders working in the area. There wil also be collaboration with the National Council on Disability Issues, as well as maternal and child health networks in order to advocate for the rights and inclusion of children with disabilities. Save the Children’s partner NGOs “Full Life” (a Disabled Persons Organization which will operate the Yerevan-based Child Care Center) and the Armavir Development Center will be among the main stakeholders of this project and will be directly involved in every stage of design, implementation and evaluation.

Georgia: The project’s main stakeholders are children with disabilities and their families in the Gldani-Nadzaladevi Municipality, Tbilisi, as well as in one of the remote regions of Georgia we will identify in Year 1 together with the state structure/s. Specifically, we will seek to reach the most deprived children – those with severe disabilities -- and their families from the most vulnerable communities. Government stakeholders will include national ministries and local governing structures, as close coordination and collaboration with them is essential to ensure replication of the established new service/s countywide and ensure their sustainability. The project will also seek the active contribution and engagement of local and international organizations, church and communities in the design, implementation, and evaluation. Our local NGO partner, Anika, is the key stakeholder; it will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the project and the delivery of quality services to children with disabilities.

Kosovo: The main stakeholders are children with disabilities and their families in the municipalities of Gjakova and Ferizaj. The project is tailored to their needs and they will provide feedback on daily activities at centers and services through specific consultation and participatory processes. Families will have direct relationships with all relevant stakeholders at the local level (CSOs, groups, services, schools, institutions, etc.) and play a crucial role in children’s access to the opportunities this project will offer.

Civil society organizations and, specifically, our implementing partner Handicos, will have have a multi-dimensional role that will include: direct service provision, creating demand for child care and protection services among the families, counseling and support to parents, advocacy for increased access to opportunities and inclusion, monitoring to ensure that local authorities are accountable to the people and communities they serve. Other stakeholders are local and central institutions such as respective municipalities responsible for the general


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assessment of the target population, the development and improvement of local social services through the administrative framework; primary health care services involved in early information and counseling for families related to general health and disability; Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Education Science and Technology, Office for Good Governance of the Prime Minister.

Bosna and Herzegovina: The key primary stakeholders are children with disabilities and their families in Una-Sana Canton. National/cantonal/local authorities who influence decisions related to children with disabilities are crucial stakeholders in the project. In Una-Sana Canton, they include the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, as well as the Government of Una-Sana Canton. They will be engaged through protocols of cooperation, multipartite MoU which they are expected to sign, as well as through a multidisciplinary task force, in which the two ministries will be directly involved. Their attitudes, actions and interventions in relation to children with disabilities are crucial to this project and will be targeted throughout the intervention.

In addition to these institutions, other relevant stakeholders are education institutions, centers for social welfare, experts engaged in assessment of children with disabilities, associations of professionals (speech therapists, educationalists for children with disabilities, etc), parents and associations of parents of children with disabilities. All will be invited and encouraged to participate in the implementation of the project and to engage in the activities of the centers. They will also be targeted by promotional activities, events, campaigns and materials developed for specific audiences.

Save the Children’s national staff will also be stakeholders in the project. We will conduct training to build capacity so that our in-country health, nutrition, education and Disaster Risk Reducation staff are knowledgeable about the learnings and can implement the protocols that are developed.

11. Are other organizations involved in working toward the objectives described in your proposal? If yes, explain how your work complements that of others or fills a key gap.

Over the last several years, Save the Children has been a leading international NGO with UNICEF and other national partners in areas of inclusive education and social protection, especially in Eurasia. We have the operational experience and field presence in direct program implementation. UNICEF’s role is complementary, as it works at the national and governmental levels to define national policies and guidance. UNICEF and Save the Children have joined forces in advocacy and lobby national governments to ensure proper implementation of the rights of children with disabilities.

In Albania, Save the Children’s work in Albania in areas of inclusive education, social protection for children with disabilities and family strengthening is complemented by the work of UNDP and UNICEF, respectively leading the legislative and policy development in social inclusion, social protection and deinstitutionalization of children and family strengthening. Through this project, we will operationalize service delivery based on the foreseen outputs of the above mentioned strategies through a replicable and sustainable model of comprehensive care centers for children with disabilities. It complements our ongoing work in inclusive education, which began in 2003; we have led successful civil society initiatives in legislative and policy changes regarding inclusive education for children with disabilities, capacity building of professionals and service delivery at preschool and school level.

In Armenia, our work is complemented by Full Life and ADC NGOs working mainly on social inclusion of persons with disabilities through advocacy, rights protection, Inclusive education, vocational education for children with disabilities, and social and health programs. Other local NGOs known for their work with people with disabilities include: Pyunik, Prkutyun, Havat, Astghatsolk, Astghik, Skarp, Child Development Center and Bridge of Hope. We will cooperate with all of the stakeholders to use children with disabilities databases, the experience gained and tools developed by them, as well as coordinate all efforts in the field. Our coordination and cooperation framework is based on the national DPO network, in which all major NGOs of persons with disabilities participate.

Save the Children in Georgia has successfully partnered with USAID, UNICEF and other international and local


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partners over the last several decades to advocate for the rights of children with disabilities to move towards social inclusion. Within this project, we will continue to work in tandem with USAID and UNICEF through regular discussions/meetings and joint advocacy efforts to ensure that children with disabilities are receiving quality and appropriate attention and care, along with quality health, social and education services. Close coordination and collaboration will also be ensured with all NGO stakeholders active in the field to avoid overlap and duplication and complement the pieces of work done by the different agencies. Furthermore, there is a wide array of state structures working on social inclusion of children with disabilities, including the National Ministries for Education and Health and Social Services. Their key interest and strategic priority is to fulfil obligations acknowledged in line with the UN Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities after its ratification in 2013. This political will and momentum will be considered by the project team and translated into the common strategies and approaches to the existing gaps through close field work, effective communication, joint monitoring and planning and strong advocacy leading to the relevant policy and budgetary changes.

In Bosna Herzegovina there are some initiatives and interventions aimed at providing services to children with disabilities and their families, but they are mostly sporadic, dependent on donor funding and not professional; but rather dependent on capacities of local NGOs, mostly associations of parents. Save the Children proposes a different approach by establishing the services in cooperation with educational authorities and with the support of local authorities and regional government, all based on the recently developed Strategy for Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Education in Una-Sana Canton (developed with support of Save the Children). In addition, Una-Sana Canton is one of the few regions where there is no support provided to families or children with disabilities whatsoever, either from the government or the civil society sector. With the proposed approach we seek to achieve that the service becomes part of the system within the lifespan of the project.

Save the Children in Kosovo will be working jointly with the local NGO Handikos, who has a long history in delivering these kinds of services. Save the Children has been working on Inclusive Education in Kosovo since 2005, focusing on children with disabilities and marginalized children from ethnic minorities (Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian). From 2011 to 2014, we implemented a program funded by the Italian Ministry Foreign Affairs to promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in public pre-school structures located in eight municipalities. Currently, we are implementing three projects funded by IKEA Foundation, Save the Children Italy, and the EU on education and social inclusion of children with disabilities in Kosovo. The projects overall aim to improve and promote the right to education for children with disabilities and vulnerable groups, through improvement of qualitative education services and awareness raising interventions. The project-specific objectivesare to guarantee to children with disabilities access to a quality primary education in eight municipalities of the seven regions.

The activities will be complementing each other in ensuring a better quality and a more complete platform of services, which will result in greater positive impacts for children with disabilities and their families.

12. Program/Project Employees/Volunteers:Total Number of Employees 50 Save the Children staffTotal Full Time Equivalent Employees 5 Save the Children full time staffTotal Volunteers (if applicable) NA

13. Budget Narrative. Describe your program/project budget. All funds and personnel for this program will be managed in compliance with Save the Children’s overall policies and procedures which are compliant with Margaret Cargill Foundation requirements. Budget calculations are made on a unit cost basis, and full time equivalent/consumption for the project is mentioned against each line item.

Inflation is calculated at 5% each year for all staffing and operational unit costs. The “Other” category herein includes all Other Direct Costs of the Country Offices. These Other Direct Costs are budgeted fairly to the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and are necessary to the direct operation of the project. These are real costs associated with managing any award and can be attributed directly to the project using cost allocation systems across the Country


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Offices.

PersonnelSalary and Wages – This category covers the labor time for headquarters, regional and county office staff to implement and monitor program activities. The program staff will provide ongoing technical social, education, and care advice and guidance during the life of the program. The estimated total salary cost for the program team over the life of the grant is $1,002,707.00, ($321,528.00 for year 1, $330,765.00 for year 2 and $350,414.00 for year 3) which is 20.05% of the total program budget.

Insurance, benefits and related taxes – The estimated cost for insurance, benefits and related taxes for the program team is $304,873.58 which is approximately 30% of salary and wages.

Outside ResourcesConsultants and professional services will be used to provide special technical and programmatic assistance. Areas where consultants and professional services may be used are: advancing specific aspects of the rehabilitation and learning agenda, developing and participating the skills of the national child care taskforce, reviewing program documentation and analyzing findings. The total estimated for cost for consultants is $93,140.00 which is 1.86% of the total budget. The total estimated cost for professional services is $18,350.00 which is 0.37% of the total budget.

TravelEstimated travel over the life of the program is $76,696.10, consisting of local, regional and international transportation. The in-country program staff will use local and regional travel to provide ongoing support and to report back on program implementation. The international travel will serve as technical site visits to monitor, supervise and report program activities. We are estimating at least four international trips per year for approximately five to seven days.

Grants Made to OthersProject implementation in most cases will be done through national partners and the total estimated costs is $1,685,511.96 which is 33.71% of the total budget.

Other Direct CostsProgram Delivery is the costs for implementing the health and nutrition components of the program focusing on issues pertaining to acute malnutrition, immunization and newborn activities. The total estimated cost is $277,460.72 which is 5.55% of the total budget.

Program Costs (Outcomes 1-3)

Child Care Centers include costs for establishing community based centers in five countries in Eurasia for children with disabilities; 2 centers per country. The child care centers will be established in existing premises provided by local authorities or local partners and will be equipped to provide appropriate standardized services for children with disabilities and their families on the case management approach The total estimated cost is $596,404.51 which is 11.93%.

Strengthened families include the costs for capacity building interventions, peer-to-peer approaches, documenting learnings and disseminating the best outcomes/cases. The total estimated cost is $108.060.00 which is 2.16% of the total budget.

Resources services includes costs for advocacy and media campaigning; learning and documenting the project outcomes. Activities include national campaigns that promote the rights of children with disabilities to education, health and social life; production and distribution of promotional material, including presence in local radio and television programs and wide use of social media. The total estimated cost is $237,600.00 which is 4.75% of the total budget.


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Indirect CostsIndirect Costs include costs as outlined in the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation Indirect Cost Policy for Project Grants for Applicant Organizations with a total estimated amount of $565,695.98.

14. Describe any plans to share results of this program/project and with which audiences.During Phase III of this project, we anticipate that we will document and disseminate the findings, results, lessons learned and recommendations stemming from implementation. We will dedicate the last six months of the project implementation for review, documenting, and disseminating key learnings for further application by the global Save the Children movement, our country offices and key stakeholders, such as relevant Ministries and state departments in countries of implementation as well as professionals, local civil society, private sector and the wider community. We will also seek to ensure media coverage of awareness-raising activities.

15. Will Foundation grant funds be used by your organization to fund affiliated organizations to implement the project? If yes, explain below. If no, continue to question 16.

A. Describe how funds will be used by your organization to fund affiliated organizations.

B. Describe the legal relationship between the affiliated organizations, including whether the affiliated organizations are separate legal entities.

16. Will Foundation grant funds be used by your organization to make payments to a secondary grantee? If no, continue to question 18.

Yes

17. If your organization will use grant funds to make payments to a secondary grantee or contractor (including an affiliated organization that is a separate legal entity), your organization will have sole responsibility for and control over selection of the secondary grantee or contractor. The Foundation will evaluate your application on the basis of your organization’s selection of secondary grantee(s) or contractor(s) but will not require, recommend, or otherwise direct your organization’s selection of such implementing partners.

Select the response that describes your organization’s responsibility with respect to selection of implementing partners:

Yes, your organization acknowledges that it will retain sole discretion and control over selection of any secondary grantee(s) and/or contractor(s). No, your organization will not exercise sole discretion and control over selection of any secondary grantee(s) and contractor(s).

A. Please describe your organization’s process for selecting the secondary grantee(s). In the case of this project, secondary grantees are selected among the local NGOs with whom Save the Children has been working in the area of disability in countries of implementation. These sub grantees have been selected through open call procedures. Their selection is preceded by a partnership vetting done by Save the Children International Legal Compliance unit in Headquarters in London and followed by partnership assessment process and an organizational and project-specific capacity assessment. This assessment stage happens at the beginning of the partnership engagement process. The partnership assessment is aimed at assessing the compatibility of the two parties, making it a joint and mutual assessment of the possibilities, relationships and prospects of the two partners working together. The organizational capacity assessment on the other hand aims at assessing the capacity of the partner


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organization (sub grantee) alone – technical capacity, focus, governance, financial systems, resources and relationships. Key issues explored during the partnership assessment

Do we share a common vision and mission for children? Are the values and methodologies compatible? Aims and objectives – what does this partnership seek to achieve (outputs/ outcomes

indicators)? What resources are needed for this partnership to operate and what does each party bring to

the partnerships (inputs)? What are the expectations and commitments of each partner organization? How do we want to work together (process indicators)?

A thorough risk analysis regarding financial, organizational and programmatic aspects is completed throughout the process. Once selected Sub grantees are required to sign a Partner Agreement. The partner agreement is used for contracting a non-governmental partner to implement a portion of an award that Save the Children has from a donor. The partner will be expected to manage advances of funds and report back to Save the Children periodically. Partner agreements are used when a partner has a bank account and has been assessed to have the organizational capacity to apply appropriate levels of financial management to the funding they will receive form Save the Children. The Partner agreement includes the minimum clauses required by Save the Children for this type of contractual relationship. Additional clauses can be added depending on the local legal requirements.

B. How will your organization exercise due diligence in its selection of the secondary grantee(s)? (Check all that apply)

Your organization has acceptable accounting/bookkeeping practices in place to handle regrant paperwork

Selection Committee - Explain the make-up of the committee.

Awardees selected based on acceptable qualifications Your organization has/will investigate(d) history, background, experience, anti-terrorism checks,

and practices of awardees to ensure regrant will be used solely for the purposes awarded. Other (explain below)

18. Will any Foundation grant funds be used for lobbying activities or influencing legislation, public elections or political campaigns? If yes, explain.

No

19. Will Foundation grant funds be used by your organization for making grants to individuals for purposes of travel, study or research? If yes, explain.

No

CONDITIONS OF GRANTBy submitting this request to the Foundation, I acknowledge that I have reviewed the Conditions of Grant as stated in the attached document, and I understand that if a grant is approved, my organization would be required to agree to these and any additional Terms and Conditions deemed necessary due to the nature of any grant award, which will be communicated in writing at the time of any grant award.

AUTHORIZATIONBy submitting this application to the Foundation, on behalf of the organization’s Executive Director/President/CEO, I, as the primary contact for this application, attest that all relevant staff and/or Board Members have reviewed this application and the information is accurate and complete.


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REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS To be submitted via email with this form. Please submit individual documents for each bullet point – we ask that you not combine all the attachments into one PDF file. ZIP files not accepted. Thank you.

Program/Project Budget (Complete the attached template) (in English and USD) Short Bios of Key Program/Project Team Members Map of project area, if applicable Project Timeline and Milestones (in English)

If any information has changed since the initial Organizational Background document was submitted, provide updated documentation to the Foundation.


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