Despite growing global momentum for childcare, ECDAN partners consistently indicated that this momentum did not materialize at the national level. Low awareness, weak political commitment, siloed advocacy, and limited funding for local advocacy continue to limit progress at the national level. To respond to the demand from partners and address the gaps that were raised, ECDAN engaged 130+ partners through a consultative process—including workshops, consultations, surveys, and a multisectoral steering committee—to unpack these challenges and co-design potential solutions.
The CARE Initiative is the second phase of ECDAN’s global childcare campaign, which launched in 2021 in response to a crisis that the COVID-19 pandemic made glaringly apparent, to seek an increase in investments to expand access to high-quality, affordable, and accessible childcare services across the globe.
The countries that are eligible for this round of funding include Bangladesh, South Africa, and Tanzania. Proposals for up to US$250,000 over 30 months (September 2025 – March 2028) will be considered for each of the three countries. Only one advocacy consortium will be selected per country through a transparent, competitive process.
Each selected consortium will be supported in two phases: planning and implementation. Phase one will culminate in a coordinated advocacy plan and related budget that has been co-created with input from a range of key stakeholders. During phase two, subrecipients will be supported with additional funding to implement the coordinated advocacy plan created. The phase one planning period is expected to take place during the first six months, although this timeframe is flexible, depending on each country’s situation, with the remaining two years allocated for implementation of the plan.
Applications must come from a consortium of at least three organizations or networks with representation from each of the movements the initiative seeks to bridge:
- Early childhood development
- Gender equality / women’s economic empowerment
- Workers’ rights
The consortium must identify a prime partner that is legally registered to operate in the country and has the financial management capacity to manage the funding. Preference will be given to proposals that are able to link to and leverage existing work and that demonstrate a clear need, advocacy expertise, a strong collaborative approach, a feasible plan, and value for money.
A question and answer session about the RFP was held on April 30. This document summarizes answers to the questions that were raised by potential applicants.
Childcare Stories
