Dear colleagues,
Attached is American Academy of Pediatric International Community Access to Child Health (ICATCH) 2026 Call for Proposals.
Please feel free to share with anyone who may be interested and eligible to apply.
ICATCH Call for Proposals
International Community Access to Child Health 2026-2029 Grant Cycle
(Funding period July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029)
3-Year grants for programs improving child health in low- and lower-middle-income countries ($2500 per year for 3 years, total $7500)
Welcome to the ICATCH 2026 Grant Cycle Call for Proposals!
Deadline for Preliminary Applications: Friday, December 12, 2025
Deadline for Full Applications (invitation only): Monday, April 6, 2026
The International Community Access to Child Health program is a grant program of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Global Health (SOGH).
ICATCH grants are designed for pediatricians and other health workers in low- and lower-middle income countries who need financial and advisory support to plan and implement a project or program that
● provides clinical care to children or adolescents,
● provides health education for children, adolescents or parents, or
● provides training for infant, child, and adolescent health care providers.
PLEASE NOTE:
● ICATCH does not fund research projects, surveys or assessments. Our focus is on providing
clinical services and health training.
● We discourage one-time training; if you are considering one-time training for health workers
at different sites, consider instead training at fewer sites, or even just one site, with repeated follow-up reinforcement training and assessments of effectiveness.
An important requirement is that projects work with one or more community partners such as hospitals or clinics, nongovernmental organizations, local governments agencies, schools, or faith-based groups. Such collaborative partnerships help ensure sustainability of the project goals beyond the 3-year grant period, which is encouraged and expected.
Prior to developing an ICATCH proposal, applicants should ensure that the program is needed and that it will be supported by the community. Those who will be carrying out the activities of the program should be involved in the proposal planning from the very beginning. We do not fund proposals where those leading the initiative are not directly involved and invested in the target community.
For projects selected for funding, the Director and/or Co-Director are required to submit a brief but important end-of-year report form about the completed activities and how funding was spent. At the end of 3 years, we also ask that a simple poster highlighting the work of the project be submitted. The poster template and assistance, if needed, will be provided by ICATCH.
Proposal Requirements
For this grant cycle, we are accepting proposals in the follow areas:
1. Physical or Developmental Disabilities in Children (infants to 21 years).
Includes developmental delay, early childhood development, or physical disabilities which are congenital or acquired (e.g. blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, impairment following conditions such as cerebral malaria or head trauma or seizure disorder, etc.)
NOTE: We will not fund proposals that only carry out screening for disabilities; projects that include screening must also include treatment or therapy for the disability.
2. Childhood or Adolescent Mental Health (3 years to 21 years)
3. Newborn Health (projects must focus on the newborn period; can follow infants up to 6 months
of age)
NOTE: We will not fund proposals in this area that target only pregnant women or infants older than 6 months of age.
4. Nutrition/Malnutrition (for infants 6 months and older to 21 years). This can include
both community- and hospital-based programs.
5. Care of Hospitalized Children (infants to 21 years).
6. Congenital or Acquired Cardiac Conditions (including infants, children, and young adults up to
21 years of age). We will fund projects related to the care of and education about infants and
children with congenital or acquired cardiac disease.
We will accept only one Preliminary Application per NGO (non-governmental organization) or community group. We can accept more than one application from academic institutions and hospitals if the projects are different and are submitted by different persons.
Projects must be carried out in a low- or lower-middle income country.
Please refer to the map on The World Bank website: The World by Income and Region (https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/the-world-...) or this list on the World Bank website: World Bank Country and Lending Groups (https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-b...)
ICATCH funding cannot be used for research projects. However, QI (quality improvement) projects can be an appropriate use of ICATCH funds.
A Project Director and a Project Co-Director must be listed on the proposal. The Project Director must live and work in or near the community where the services/training will be offered. The Project Co-Director may live elsewhere or in another country, provided he/she will be actively involved in the project for all 3 years of funding.
NOTE: Project leaders should ensure that the others involved in carrying out project activities 1) are part of the initial planning and application process,
2) support the program, and
3) feel that this work is needed in their community.
For example, if you will be working with community health workers, or teachers, or nurses you should confirm their interest and ability to participate NOW, and seek their input in this early planning stage. Such partners must agree to participate BEFORE the Preliminary Application is submitted. Consider enlisting one such individual as a Co-Director for the proposal if appropriate.
A portion of the ICATCH grant can be used for project-related planning (maximum planning period is the first 6 months); however, project service or training activities must begin after the first 6 months (i.e. by end of December 2026).
The Preliminary Application will ask for a brief but detailed budget. Note that ICATCH funds cannot be used for salary or honoraria for the Director or Co-Director, or for international travel.
Who Can Submit a Preliminary Application
Preliminary Applications are accepted from pediatricians as well as from other medical doctors, surgeons, nurses, midwives, health workers, social workers, dentists, physical therapists or anyone who provides health care or health education for children and youth such as teachers or community health workers.
How Preliminary Applications Will Be Evaluated
Preliminary Applications are evaluated by the ICATCH Review Team made up of a diverse group of 30 pediatricians. Proposals are judged based on the criteria below:
● 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 impact on the health and well-being of children in the local community.
● How clearly the application questions are answered, particularly descriptions of project goals and activities.
● The project’s potential for completion within the 3-year time period as well as sustainability and the possible scale-up or replication in other communities to impact more children and families.
Preliminary Applications that receive highest scoring from reviewers will be invited to submit a Full Application.
Applicants are invited to view a recording of a 2023 ICATCH webinar (https://players.brightcove.net/6056665225001/default_default/index.html?...) that reviews the application process and includes tips for successful grant writing. See ICATCH Webinar for Prospective Applicants. Registration details for a grant writing webinar to be presented on November 11, 2025 will be shared separately.
How To Submit A Proposal to ICATCH
Step 1: Carefully read this Call for Proposals to make sure your idea qualifies.
Step 2: Create an AAP Individual Account.
All applicants need an AAP Individual Account to apply.
Applicants do not need to be AAP members; AAP members can use their existing AAP account information.
To create an AAP Individual Account, go to the AAP Grants page: AAP Application System (https://grants.aap.org/)
You must create an INDIVIDUAL account (NOT an organization account).
Step 3: After you create an account, return to AAP Application System and log in to access the ICATCH Preliminary Application (https://grants.aap.org/prog/icatch_application_2026-2029_grant_cycle/) on SurveyMonkey Apply.
If you have technical problems, please email Mr. Nicolas Reese at icatch@aap.org right away as it may take a few days to correct the issue. Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your Preliminary Application.
Deadline for Preliminary Applications is Friday, December 12, 2025 by 11:59pm US Central Time.
(Chicago, Illinois, USA; equivalent to UTC-6 hrs; or Dec 13, 5:59am UTC ; or 06:59am December 13, West Africa Time)
Step 4: In order to avoid important emails ending up in a ‘spam’ folder, please add icatch@aap.org to your contact list. If you do not receive a confirmatory email from SurveyMonkey Apply stating that your preliminary application has been received, please contact AAP ICATCH Staff at icatch@aap.org.
Step 5: Look for an email from ICATCH in mid-February 2026 to learn whether or not you have been selected to submit a full application for ICATCH funding.
For those selected to submit a Full Application, further instructions will be provided at that time (early February), and the deadline for full applications will be in early April 2026.
Funding announcements will be sent out in early June 2026, and funding for Year 1 will be available in early July 2026.
Questions & Additional Information
ICATCH Website: www.aap.org/icatch
AAP ICATCH Staff: icatch@aap.org
Best,
Mirzada
Mirzada P. Kurbasic, MD, MSc, FAAP
CHIFA Profile:
Mirzada Kurbasic is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville, United States. Professional interests: Global Child Health. mirzada.kurbasicATlouisville.edu