Introduction
If you work in child protection or education programming — whether as an NGO director, a teacher with an idea for a bridge programme, a postgraduate student doing field research, or a parent-led community group with a tested local solution — Save the Children’s 2025 funding opportunities may be a practical route to finance program scale-up or delivery.
But Save the Children rarely acts like a simple foundation that hands out small grants. Most opportunities come in the form of project contracts, tenders and RFPs that fund time-bound interventions, evaluations, or procurement of services. Understanding how the organisation procures, what kinds of projects get funded, and how local applicants can compete are the three practical things this guide will help you with.
This post walks you through:
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Where to find up-to-date Save the Children vacancies and RFPs.
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What types of projects are funded (education, child protection, early childhood, cash-plus programmes, emergency response).
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How to build a competitive proposal or tender response with a realistic budget and monitoring plan.
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Real-world examples focused on Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
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A template Statement of Purpose for Save the Children proposals.
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Common mistakes to avoid and a compact FAQ.
I deliberately keep the tone practical and example-based — because applying for grants is a craft you get better at by doing, iterating, and learning from feedback.
Overview of the topic
What “Save the Children grant vacancies” usually look like in 2025
Save the Children structures opportunities in several official routes:
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RFPs / Requests for Proposals: Save the Children US and country offices often list current RFPs for consulting services, program delivery and evaluations. These are time-bound competitive invites. (See the Save the Children RFP Opportunities List.)
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Tenders and procurement ads: For goods, supply chain services, or larger service contracts, Save the Children posts tenders on regional websites (e.g., country office tender pages). These are typically procurement contracts.
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Innovation calls & acceleration grants: The Save the Children Innovation Accelerator seeds and scales tested solutions aimed at improving outcomes for children. These calls prioritize proof-of-concept and rapid scaling.
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Partnered grants and consortium calls: Save the Children sometimes leads multi-partner consortia funded by institutional donors (ECHO, USAID, GPE, DFID/FCDO), where the lead partner issues sub-granting or procurement opportunities.
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Emergency & humanitarian rapid response contracts: During crises Save the Children opens accelerated procurement channels for cash, shelter, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), child protection and education in emergencies.
Who applies? Governments, local NGOs, academic institutions, consulting firms, suppliers, and consortia. Individual applicants (parents, students) rarely receive direct Save the Children project grants; instead, these individuals partner with NGO applicants or benefit as project participants.
Why Save the Children Grant Vacancies 2025 matter
Save the Children is one of the largest child-focused NGOs operating in over 100 countries. Its contracting and grant processes matter for three strategic reasons:
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Scale and reach: Winning a Save the Children contract often means national-level access and the ability to operate in partner schools, clinics and camps — which is powerful for implementers who want impact at scale.
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Donor confidence: Save the Children manages major donor funds and multi-donor programmes; being selected as a vendor or partner provides credibility that helps secure other grants.
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Diverse funding types: Opportunities range from short, high-value tenders (supply of education kits) to multi-year program contracts (child protection systems strengthening), and innovation accompaniment funds — so a range of applicants can find fitting opportunities.
In short: Save the Children contracts are not only about money — they open doors into national programming ecosystems and durable donor networks.
Key Importance — what donors and Save the Children look for in 2025
To be competitive in 2025, proposals must speak to Save the Children’s strategic priorities and the practical realities of donor expectations:
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Child-centered outcomes: Evidence that interventions measurably improve children’s learning, protection or health. Results must be specific and measured.
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Value for money and transparency: Clear cost per beneficiary and budget lines that are defensible to institutional donors.
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Systems approach & sustainability: Donors prefer projects that strengthen local systems (ministries, teacher trainers, social services) rather than creating parallel structures.
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Localisation and partnerships: Save the Children pushes for local partner leadership and capacity building; applications that meaningfully involve local organisations score highly.
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Protection and safeguarding compliance: Child protection policies, safeguarding codes of conduct, and risk mitigation plans are mandatory.
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Operational readiness: Logistical capacity, procurement integrity, and contingency planning (especially for emergency contracts) matter; tender documents often ask for capacity evidence.
These selection signals matter whether you’re bidding for a tender to supply school kits or proposing a new child protection pilot.
Key Insights — practical tips that tilt selection panels in your favour
From reviewing many Save the Children RFPs and innovation calls, the strongest proposals share certain features:
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Make the “child outcome” the narrative spine. Start with the child or classroom-level outcome you will change (e.g., improve grade-level reading fluency by X% within 12 months), then show how activities feed into that outcome.
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Show a plausible theory of change plus measurable indicators. A 1-page ToC and a short M&E matrix with baseline and targets is more persuasive than a long philosophical discussion.
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Partner with a local lead. If you’re an international NGO or a consultant, include a capable local partner and explain how they will be funded and strengthened.
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Budget transparently and precisely. Include unit costs (cost per teacher trained, per school) and a clear procurement plan — Save the Children’s procurement function expects line items for admin, M&E, safeguarding, communications and contingency.
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Answer the evaluation criteria item by item. Many RFPs include scoring rubrics — replicate the rubric headings in your response and answer them in order.
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Demonstrate compliance and systems. Have safeguarding, anti-fraud and audit policies ready; link to copies or annex them.
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Keep the application tidy and on time. Late or incomplete bids are screened out. For tenders, follow submission format exactly (Save the Children often specifies template use).
These insights are tactical but high-impact — they address the common reasons bids get rejected.
Benefits — what winning Save the Children funding actually provides
Winning a Save the Children grant or contract typically delivers some or all of these benefits:
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Guaranteed funding for agreed activities with MOUs and realistic payment schedules (often instalments against milestones).
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Technical support and learning exchanges through Save the Children networks (regional or global communities of practice).
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Visibility and credibility with institutional donors and ministries.
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Capacity development opportunities when Save the Children requires or funds local partner strengthening.
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Potential follow-on funding if pilots produce evidence and align with donor priorities.
For local NGOs and education consortia, these benefits translate into staff retention, expanded service delivery and the ability to plan multi-year interventions.
Table — Quick comparison: Save the Children opportunity types (easy reference)
| Opportunity type | Who posts it | Typical funding shape | Who should apply | Submission form |
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| RFPs (Requests for Proposals) | Save the Children country offices / SC US | Consultancy, external evaluation, program delivery contracts | Local consultancies, NGOs, universities | Written proposal following RFP templates (technical + financial) |
| Tenders / Procurement | Save the Children procurement pages | Supply contracts, service agreements (logistics, transport, equipment) | Suppliers, vendors, logistics companies | Tender pack, bidder response documents (strict formats) |
| Innovation Accelerator | Save the Children Innovation team | Seed grants, mentorship, pilot funding to scale innovations | Startups, NGOs with tested pilots | Application to innovation call; prototype evidence required |
| Consortium calls (donor-led) | Donor + Save the Children (lead partner) | Larger multi-year programme funds, sub-grants | Established NGOs, consortia with ministry links | Concept note → full proposal; may require registration on donor portals |
| Rapid emergency procurements | Country offices (emergency response) | Fast turnaround cash, supplies, WASH, child protection kits | Local suppliers, NGOs with rapid capacity | Short tender or quote, often urgent timelines |
Use this table to decide which route fits your organisation and capacity.
Step-by-step: How to find and apply for Save the Children grant vacancies (beginner’s roadmap)
Below is a realistic roadmap you can start following today.
Step 1 — Monitor the right pages (ongoing)
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Save the Children US RFP Opportunities List (official RFP aggregator) and your local Save the Children country office tender page are the canonical places for current vacancies. Sign up for updates where possible.
Step 2 — Clarify your organizational fit (1–2 days)
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Decide if you will bid as a lead applicant (if you have implementation experience and fiduciary systems) or as a partner/sub-contractor (if you bring technical expertise but limited operational footprint).
Step 3 — Prepare core documentation (1–3 weeks)
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Organisational profile, registration documents, audited accounts, safeguarding policy, code of conduct, CVs of key staff, sample M&E frameworks, and procurement policies. Save these as annexes to reuse.
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If you plan to bid for procurement/tender opportunities, prepare references and capacity proof (fleet details, warehouse specifics).
Step 4 — Screen the RFP / tender (a few hours)
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Read the RFP carefully: eligibility, scope, scoring rubric, required formats, submission deadline and the required templates. Mark “must-have” eligibility items and immediate red flags.
Step 5 — Build consortium early (2–3 weeks)
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If the RFP asks for local partners or a ministry sign-off, reach out immediately. For larger consortia, draft an MoU quickly that clarifies roles and budget shares.
Step 6 — Draft technical and financial proposals (1–3 weeks)
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Technical narrative that follows the RFP sections (problem, approach, ToC, activities, M&E).
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Financial proposal with detailed line items, unit costs and procurement notes. Include clear assumptions.
Step 7 — Safeguarding and compliance (ongoing)
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Provide safeguarding, anti-fraud, data protection and child protection plans. Add a short risk matrix noting mitigation actions.
Step 8 — Quality checking & submission (2–3 days)
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Proofread, confirm annexes are attached, convert to required file formats, and submit before the deadline. Don’t wait for the final day.
Step 9 — Prepare for clarifications & presentations (1–3 weeks after submission)
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Many RFPs shortlist bidders and ask for presentations or clarifications; prepare a concise slide deck and rehearse.
Step 10 — If selected, manage delivery rigorously
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Prepare an implementation plan, financial tracking systems, and a communications plan. Timely reporting and transparency are the keys to successful delivery and future partnerships.
Real-world examples — three anonymised, practical case studies
Below are three realistic scenarios — an international student researcher, an educator/NGO implementer, and a parent-community group — focused on Africa, Asia and the Middle East contexts.
Example A — International student (Bangladesh) → External evaluation RFP
Profile: A PhD candidate in education partnered with a local NGO to pilot a remedial reading programme in two districts. After a successful small pilot, Save the Children posted an RFP for “external impact evaluation” of remedial reading interventions in the region.
Why this was a fit: The student already had local access, a baseline dataset and a methodological toolkit (randomised assignment plus learning tests). Save the Children’s evaluation RFP required independent teams with proven assessment capacity — the student formed a consortium with their university research lab and a local data firm and submitted the proposal.
What they did well:
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Supplied rigorous baseline data and clear methodology (power calculations, sampling frame).
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Provided timelines and field logistics and demonstrated prior ethical approvals.
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Budgeted transparently and included per diem and data validation costs.
Outcome: The consortium won the contract and the student led the endline analysis, published policy briefs, and secured co-authorship on a Save the Children report — a high-value pathway for an academic to influence practice.
Example B — Educator/Local NGO (Kenya) → Child Protection & Education consortium
Profile: A county education office and a local NGO co-designed an integrated teacher-coaching and child protection referral project. A donor consortium, with Save the Children as lead, issued a call for local partners for a 2-year implementation grant.
Why this was a fit: The county office provided system access (district data, teacher lists, and local schools); the NGO had prior experience running teacher coaching; Save the Children required local ownership and sustainability plans.
What they did well:
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Submitted a short MOU with the county indicating match funding (classrooms for training and teacher release time).
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Built an M&E plan that linked coaching cycles to measurable learning outcomes and child protection referrals.
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Demonstrated strong safeguarding systems and included training budgets.
Outcome: The consortium received sub-grant funding; the project later scaled to neighboring counties as evidence accumulated.
Example C — Parent / Community Group (Lebanon) → Innovation Accelerator
Profile: A parent-led community group running after-school learning hubs for refugee children had a tested offline learning app and trained community facilitators. They applied to Save the Children’s Innovation Accelerator because they needed seed funding to adapt content into Arabic, build a low-bandwidth distribution model, and scale to more hubs.
Why this was a fit: The Innovation Accelerator explicitly funds tested pilots that can rapidly scale, particularly those that improve access for excluded children.
What they did well:
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Submitted a short video demonstration of the app and basic impact figures (attendance, comprehension gains).
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Showed a clear plan for localization, facilitator training and distribution logistics.
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Requested a realistic seed grant for content adaptation and monitoring.
Outcome: The group received seed funding, technical mentorship and introduction to a Save the Children country office that later integrated the app into formal remedial learning activities.
These case studies illustrate pathways for different applicants: evaluation teams, local implementers, and grassroots innovators. The unifying lesson: evidence + partnership + clarity = higher chances.
Your Statement of Purpose — A Simple, Strong Structure (for Save the Children proposals)
When an RFP asks for a short statement or concept note (often 1–2 pages), use this compact, outcome-focused format:
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Title and one-line objective
“Strengthening Primary Literacy: A blended teacher coaching and community reading support model for District X.” -
Problem (2–3 lines) — Use a data point: “Baseline testing in District X shows only 35% of Grade 3 children meet minimum reading proficiency.”
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Proposed solution (3–5 short paragraphs) — Activities (teacher coaching cycles, community reading clubs), timeline (months 1–12), and reach (number of schools/teachers/children).
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Outcomes & indicators (bulleted)
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Increase reading fluency among targeted children by X% (endline).
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Train Y master coaches and Z teachers with coaching fidelity >80%.
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Establish sustainable district budget line for teacher follow-up.
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Partnership & sustainability (2–3 lines) — Ministry endorsement, local NGO roles, community contributions.
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Budget snapshot & request (1 paragraph) — High-level totals, cost per beneficiary, and main budget categories (training, M&E, content).
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Closing sentence — Affirm commitment to safeguarding and transparent reporting.
This lean format answers the core questions reviewers need quickly and is often the first screen in donor selection.
Common Mistakes — and how to avoid them
Below are frequent pitfalls that reduce selection chances and the exact fixes.
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Mistake: Submitting a proposal without a local partner or ministry endorsement.
Fix: Secure a letter of support early — even a short MoU that explains roles is enough. -
Mistake: Poorly justified budgets with high lump sums and no unit costs.
Fix: Use unit costing (per teacher, per school, per child) and explain assumptions. -
Mistake: No safeguarding or child-protection plan attached.
Fix: Prepare a short safeguarding annex and declare staff vetting procedures. -
Mistake: Over-ambitious scale in Year 1 that betrays infeasibility.
Fix: Propose a realistic pilot and a clear, conditional scale-up plan tied to evaluation results. -
Mistake: Ignoring the RFP format or failing to use supplied templates.
Fix: Follow the exact RFP instructions for structure, page limits and submission format. -
Mistake: Weak or absent M&E plan.
Fix: Budget for independent evaluation and an M&E officer; be explicit about instruments and timelines.
Avoiding these mistakes increases the technical score and demonstrates operational readiness.
FAQs (concise but useful)
Q: Are Save the Children grants open to small local organisations?
A: Yes — but many opportunities favour consortia that include a local partner plus an implementation partner or evaluator. Small organisations should aim to partner with an experienced NGO or academic partner to bid competitively.
Q: Do Save the Children grants include monthly stipends for individuals?
A: Most Save the Children funding is project-based. Budgets commonly include line items for consultants’ fees, per diems, or short fellowships, but direct individual, long-term monthly stipends (like scholarships to individuals) are uncommon unless specified in the call.
Q: Where are all the RFPs published?
A: Start with the Save the Children RFP Opportunities List and your local Save the Children country office tender page; many country pages publish tenders and procurement notices. Sign up for updates.
Q: Can grassroots parent groups apply?
A: Parent groups usually need to partner with an NGO or academic institution to meet compliance and fiduciary requirements. The Innovation Accelerator is one exception for tested community innovations, where smaller groups can sometimes apply if they can demonstrate a viable prototype.
Q: How competitive are these opportunities?
A: Very — Save the Children receives many quality applications. Success depends on operational readiness, evidence of impact, clear budgets and strong partner arrangements.
Practical annex: a short checklist to prepare before the next RFP window
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Organisational registration & recent audited accounts (or financial statements).
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Safeguarding policy, anti-fraud policy and staff vetting mechanisms.
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Sample M&E framework and a short baseline instrument template.
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CVs for key staff and a short organisation profile.
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Local partner MoU or letter of intent.
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A 1-page problem statement and a 1-page budget template using unit costs.
Having these ready saves weeks when an opportunity appears.
How to increase your chances in regional contexts (Africa, Asia, Middle East)
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Africa: Focus on localisation, government buy-in, and low-bandwidth digital solutions for education. Save the Children often funds projects that combine radios, SMS support and community-led remediation.
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Asia: Demonstrate alignment with national education recovery plans and show strong evidence if seeking scale-up in densely populated districts.
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Middle East: Emphasise inclusion for refugees and conflict-affected children; protection systems and psychosocial support (PSS) are high priorities.
Localise your language, budget and risk mitigation to the regional context in every proposal.
Conclusion — recap of main points, clear call to action and a closing quote
Recap:
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Save the Children’s 2025 grant vacancies come as RFPs, tenders, innovation calls and donor-led consortium opportunities. They fund child protection, education, and other child-centred programs — usually as project contracts rather than individual scholarships.
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To win, be child-outcome focused, partner locally, budget transparently, and include robust safeguarding and evaluation plans.
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Small groups can succeed — especially through the Innovation Accelerator or by partnering with local NGOs or universities — but readiness and compliance matter.
Call to action (3 immediate steps):
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Bookmark the Save the Children RFP Opportunities List and subscribe for updates.
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Prepare the 7 core documents in the checklist above so you can respond quickly when opportunities appear.
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If you have a tested innovation, apply to the Innovation Accelerator — prepare a short demo (video + results) and a concise scaling plan.
“Funders pick partners who can show two things: a clear idea of how children will be better off, and the systems to make it happen. Do both — and you’ll move from idea to impact.”
