How to Apply

The 2025-2028 ICATCH grant application is now open!

International Community Access to Child Health (ICATCH) gives grants of $2500/year for 3 years to pediatric healthcare providers and educators in low-income and low-middle-income countries for programs that improve the health of infants, children, or adolescents.

Each year, ICATCH selects up to 7 grantees. Once selected, each grantee will receive technical advising in addition to the $7500 award.

This year, ICATCH will accept applications in the following categories: physical or developmental disabilities, childhood or adolescent mental health, newborn health, nutrition/malnutrition, care of hospitalized children and congenital and acquired cardiac conditions.

Eligible projects may provide clinical care to children; health education for children, adolescents, or parents; or training for health care providers treating infants, children, and/or adolescents. All grants must include a project director living and working in the area being served (as well as a codirector who may reside anywhere on the planet). Applicants may be supported by an organization or apply individually. Please read our Call for Proposals for further information on whether your idea for improving child health in your community qualifies.

The preliminary and full applications for the 2025-2028 cycle are now closed.

Important dates for the 2025-2028 grant cycle

Webinar on Successful Grant Writing

ICATCH held another webinar on grant writing on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at 11 a.m. CST with tips for successful grant writing. This information session offered insights into proposal development, grant writing, and what ICATCH is looking for.  You can watch the 2023 recording, download the slide deck, and review the questions and answers from the 2023 session. A previous ICATCH webinar on grant writing was held on Wednesday, November 16, 2022. You can watch the 2022 recording and review the questions and answers from the 2022 session.

General Application Information

ICATCH Grant Cycle

Each year, our annual call for proposals open in October or November, All applicants must complete a brief preliminary application, and the highest-quality proposals are invited to submit a full application. At this stage, an application advisor is available to each applicant to provide brief feedback on the full application prior to submission. The full application is due in February or March, awards are announced in late spring, and funds for the first year become available in July.

What does ICATCH fund?

Funds can be used to implement or expand a program that provides clinical care to children or adolescents, health education for children and/or their caregivers, or training for health care providers. ICATCH does not fund research projects, surveys, or assessments.

We limit our call for proposals to three to six designated areas of child health each year. These program areas may vary from year to year and will be announced in the annual call for proposals. Topic areas may include neonatal health, school health, adolescent health, mental health, infectious diseases, acute care, nursing care, developmental pediatrics, public health (child focused), nutrition, telemedicine, or specific diseases.

You can find a list of previously funded programs here.

What is the grant amount and duration?

Grants are $2500 per year for 3 years. The funds are distributed each July pending approval of a brief annual report after year 1 and 2. We also require a final report at the end of year 3. We do not allow all the funds to be taken at the start of the program.

Who can apply?

Grants are awarded to those working in child health care in low-income and low-middle-income countries (according to current World Bank designation). A project director and codirector must work together to carry out the program. The director must live in or near the community where the program takes place; the Co-Director can live in any country as long as he/she is very involved in the design and implementation of the proposal over the 3-year period.

We welcome applications from pediatricians, other doctors, nurses, midwives, social workers, dentists, community health workers, physical therapists, health educators—anyone who is involved in child health care, or child health education in low-income and low-middle-income countries.

How are applications evaluated by reviewers?

Proposals are judged based on:

• Their fit with the ICATCH mission of helping local health workers or educators improve child health in their communities, using collaboration with at least one other community agency or partner group.
• The potential of the project to make a significant difference in the health and well-being of children in the local community.
• How clearly the application questions are answered, particularly descriptions of project goals, activities, and evaluation measures.
• The project’s potential for sustainability beyond the 3-year grant cycle and scale up or replication in other communities to impact more children and families.
  

Questions?

Contact our ICATCH staff at (icatch@aap.org) the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for any additional questions.

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