CSHGP Application Preparation

The current RFA ( http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/Funding/cs_grants/cs_index.html)supercedes any information on this page. Tips and resource recommendations presented here are supplemental to the RFA, and should not contradict it. The tips are presented as reminders, and address typical errors made in applications. For more information, consult the evaluation criteria listed for the Entry/New Partner category in the last RFA. Tips included here do not represent all possible advice; contact the New Partner Advisor at CSTS+ (csts@macrointernational.com) for more information.

In addition to the resources mentioned here, the CORE Group (www.coregroup.org ), a network of PVOs/NGOs, has many more resources that were developed and tested by PVOs/NGOs. Links to Working Groups may be helpful for specific technical areas (e.g. Safe Motherhood, M&E, etc.). You can contact CORE members through the web site to inquire about resources or experiences related to a specific context or situation.

Executive Summary

Tips: 

• Keep within the page limit.
• Save description for the body of the application.
  

Project Context

• Draw upon any existing data, both qualitative and quantitative, related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for children <5 and women of reproductive age in the proposed project area. Cite sources.
• Include information about the quality, equity and utilization of existing health care services-both formal and informal.
• Include a description of care-seeking as well as other health-related behaviors and the gender-based values, cultural, religious, economic, and/or other factors driving these behaviors.
• Feel free to collect your own data (qualitative and quantitative), although this is not required.
• Include information about every major CS technical area, but include more description about those areas the project will address.
• Discuss MOH and global policies related to the proposed program areas. Ensure that project strategies conform to policy and best practice.


• Include a description of relevant programming in the project area and how the project will complement and interact with other programs, including those implemented by government, NGOs, bilateral, or multinational bodies.
  

• Technical Reference Materials (TRMs) can be found at http://www.childsurvival.com/documents/trms/update_trms.cfm - they can help you figure out what behaviors and services should be reported in the situation analysis
• UN agency reports on the project area
• PVO or NGO reports on the project area
• MOH reports on the project area; local MOH data
• Consult with the USAID Mission about other projects in the area and in the country
• " DHS and MICS data http://www.measuredhs.com/
  

Innovation

• Explain the proposed innovation clearly and show how it will address key barriers to accessing health services or changing health behavior.
• Describe how the organization will share information about and lessons learned from implementing the innovation.

Project Strategy

• Clearly present the project goal and objectives.
• Justify the choice of each intervention area, explaining why those were chosen and why others were not
• Use TRMs http://www.childsurvival.com/documents/trms/update_trms.cfm to plan and describe a thorough intervention that addresses needs at all levels (household, community, health facility, etc.); for each intervention area, address each potential activity of the intervention, indicating whether the project will be working on each activity or not, and why or why not. For example, within the Immunization intervention, an organization could work on the following: Strengthening routine immunization; expanding coverage and assessment; improving surveillance methods; improving quality and safety of products; support of Six+ immunization (DPT, BCG, Measles); support of polio vaccination programs; strengthening the cold chain. There are many reasons why an organization will only be working on a few of the activities listed--please describe those reasons.
• Clearly describe the roles of implementing partners.
  
  
• Immunization: Strengthening routine immunization (DPT, BCG, Measles); expanding coverage and assessment; improving surveillance methods; improving quality and safety of products; strengthening the cold chain; support of polio vaccination programs.
  
  
• Vitamin A/Micronutrients: Improving coverage and supplementation of vitamin A for children under 5; increasing intake of vitamin A-rich foods; promoting vitamin A fortified foods; integrating vitamin A supplementation with expanded program for immunization (EPI) activities; expanding access to iodine and iron supplementation; provision of iron supplementation for anemia (particularly for pregnant women); increasing intake of micronutrient-rich foods; promotion of micronutrient fortified products.
  
  
• Infant and Young Child Feeding: Promoting exclusive breastfeeding for children 0-5 months, promoting appropriate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) for children 6-23 months comprising three components - continued breastfeeding or feeding with appropriate calcium-rich foods if not breastfed, feeding (solid/semi-solid food) minimum number of times per day according to age and breastfeeding status, and feeding minimum number of food groups per day according to breastfeeding status; and promoting optimal nutrition for women.
  



• Control of Diarrheal Disease: : IExpanding access to zinc supplementation; inclusion of zinc treatment with the new low-osmolarity ORS to improve Diarrhea Case Management for children; reinvigorating ORT practices; improving family and community practices including hand washing, transport and storage of drinking water; promotion of point-of-use (POU) treatment of water; hygiene promotion and improving water and sanitation technologies; strengthening of supportive enabling environments to reduce the incidence of diarrheal disease; improve recognition and appropriate treatment of diarrheal disease at the facility level.
  



• Pneumonia Case Management: Ensuring adequate access to pneumonia case management which includes facility- and community-based treatment; promoting prompt recognition and care seeking from appropriate providers.
  



• Prevention and Treatment of Malaria: Promoting intermittent preventive treatment in pregnant women (IPT); expanding ownership and use of insecticide treated bednets (ITNs), with emphasis on long-lasting nets (LLINs); improving malaria case management at the facility and community levels; promoting care-taker recognition of fever in children under five and prompt care-seeking behavior; applications should not include activities related to indoor residual spraying (IRS). In PMI countries (Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) CSHGP projects should be implemented in collaboration with PMI efforts and priorities in country, which are based on close planning with National Malaria Control Programs (NMCPs) (see PMI website at www.pmi.gov for more information). In all countries, projects should be consistent with NMCP strategies and approaches.
  



• Maternal and Newborn Care: Improving birth preparedness and complication-readiness planning; access to focused antenatal care (including education and counseling for healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy); promotion of tetanus toxoid immunization; promoting skilled attendants for birth and improving skills of providers; promotion of clean delivery and infection control; employ appropriate household- and community-based strategies where access to skilled care is difficult, including referral; promoting active management of third stage of labor; improving access to quality postnatal (mother and newborn) care and appropriate postnatal messaging (including education and counseling for healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy); promoting essential newborn care practices for all newborns including thermal care, cord care and immediate and exclusive breastfeeding; and sick newborn care including identification and treatment of neonatal infection and complications, resuscitation, and special care of premature and low birth weight infants.
  



• HIV/AIDS: Grant activities may include the strengthening or establishment of linkages between MCH services and HIV/AIDS related services for women and children, where these linkages will serve to strengthen both types of service, i.e. strengthening the link of MCH services providing antenatal, delivery and post-partum care with PMTCT services, to produce improvement in those maternity services as well as increased uptake of PMTCT and improved follow-up, care, and treatment of HIV-exposed infants and HIV-positive mothers; strengthening routine child health services, including community-based services, to support improved detection, care, and treatment of HIV-positive infants and children. Since CSH grant funding is not HIV-specific funding, it is important that any proposed activities related to HIV detection, care, and treatment be designed in ways that also strengthen routine MCH services for the broader population of women and children in the target population.
  



• Childhood Injury Prevention: Assessing burden and improving surveillance of injury-related morbidity and mortality; integration of injury prevention messages with IMCI key messages (i.e. messages related to drowning, road traffic injuries, falls, poisons, burns, etc.); demonstrating effectiveness of interventions to reduce the incidence of childhood injury.
  



• Tuberculosis: Advocating for political commitment; improving detection and diagnosis using quality-assured bacteriology and standardized treatment with supervision and patient support; ensuring a reliable drug supply and management system; improving monitoring and evaluating systems through host country strategic information systems; improving management of TB/HIV co-infection; addressing multi-drug resistant TB; and providing care and support to people with TB. Care and support includes community participation in TB care and prevention, advocacy, communication and social mobilization, patient charter for TB care, enablers to help patients adhere to treatment, and engagement of civil society organizations.
  

Resources:

• Look at Detailed Implementation Plans (DIPs) that projects working in similar areas have submitted. First, locate current projects at http://www.childsurvival.com. All DIPs and project reports are available to the public at http://www.dec.org. Proposals are the property of the PVO, and are not included in that database. Review the different parts of the program strategy and interventions.
  
  

Partnerships

• Review USAID Mission objectives and strategies to learn about geographic and programmatic priorities. If possible, establish contact with the USAID Mission early in the proposal preparation process so that mission strategies and objectives can inform project location, intervention areas, and proposed strategy.
  
  
• Clearly describe project's links to national and global policies.
• Ensure that letters of support indicate partners' understanding of their role with the project.

Organizational Capacity and Development

• Succinctly, yet compellingly describe the organization's experience implementing community-based programs, specifically successes in the proposed intervention areas.
• Clearly describe the staffing pattern and roles of staff and partners in the project.
• If your organization has conducted an assessment, discuss the results and plans to address them. If your organization has not conducted an assessment, then devote some resources toward that and state the methodology that may be used and any outside support required, like a facilitator.
• This section should specify the expected areas in which this development will take place (i.e., institutional, individual, organizational and technical levels). See the Technical Reference Materials http://www.childsurvival.com/documents/trms/update_trms.cfm for information and resources on organizational development and capacity building. Also, an assessment or reference to a recent assessment of the PVO's organizational capacity will be required for Entry/New Partner grantees as part of the DIP process.

Resources:

• An overview of several tools: www.ngomanager.org/vansantarticle
• Institutional Strengths Assessment (CSTS): www.childsurvival.com
• Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (Pact): www.pactworld.org
  

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Treat the M&E plan like the backbone of your project. It is the system that joins goals, objectives, activities, and measurement of success together.  It helps project staff to manage information and present it to stakeholders. Beginning project design with the M&E system ensures the consistent, internal logic of the project.
  
  
• Look at examples of M&E templates (link to examples provided in DIP guidelines) and use these to develop your project’s M&E system. If your organization has a preferred format, use that.
  
  
• Be aware of the difference between process and outcome indicators. Use standard indicators whenever possible.
  
  
• Developing the M&E plan is a good opportunity to work closely with project partners and stakeholders. For sustainability, it is good for these groups to help to select appropriate indicators.  
  
  

Resources:

• Look at M&E checklist
• M&E Technical Reference Materials
• Links to TIPS pdfs: search for "monitoring and evaluation TIPs" at http://dec.usaid.gov
• "Maternal and Newborn Standards and Indicators Compendium http://www.coregroup.org/working_groups/safe_motherhood_checklists-1.pdf
• Demographic and Health data, reports, and survey information http://www.measuredhs.com

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

CSTS+ staff compiled this table of common application pitfalls and how to avoid them. In general, the information is not RFA-section specific.