Presented by Bridgit Adamou at ICFP in January 2016.

1. Small grants, big opportunities:
Using the small grants mechanism
to build local family planning
research capacity and promote data
use
Bridgit Adamou, MPH
MEASURE Evaluation Project
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
ICFP 2016
Nusa Dua, Indonesia

2. Background
Furthermore, funding opportunities
should be made available to
researchers in low-income areas
who are closest to some of the
most pressing challenges
on the FP agenda.
To advance the field of family planning (FP) research,
results must make their way to decision makers.

3. Activity
The MEASURE Evaluation Population and
Reproductive Health (PRH) project developed a small
grants program to:
 Increase the evidence-base of FP/reproductive
health (RH) research.
 Improve the local capacity of developing country
researchers and research institutions.
 Provide data use opportunities to inform
programs and policies.

4. Implementation
1. A detailed request for applications (RFA) was developed
and widely disseminated.
2. A Small Grants Review Committee reviewed the concept
papers (and later proposals) using a standardized
checklist.
3. Final proposals were selected.
4. Our donor, USAID, reviewed and approved the list of final
applicants.
5. All necessary paperwork was completed and sub-
agreements were drafted and signed.
6. Cash advance was sent to the sub-grantees.
7. Sub-grantees needed ethics approval (or waiver) to begin.

5. Implementation (cont.)
• The project ran four rounds of small grants, with
each round averaging four sub-grantees at about
$13,000 a piece.
• Tailored technical assistance was provided to the
sub-grantees, as needed and/or requested.
• The research projects were monitored virtually
throughout the process.
• The small grants covered a 12-month timeline
and entailed both primary and secondary data
analysis.

6. Results
15 research FP/RH projects have been completed around the
globe; four more are currently underway.

7. Results
 Increase the evidence-base of FP/RH research
The sub-grants have proven to be a cost-effective means of
researching a range of FP/RH topics, such as:
• Analyzing how public and private sector FP data can best be
integrated into routine health information systems
• Barriers and opportunities to male involvement in FP
• Using spatial analysis to study modern FP use and unmet need to
identify associated contextual determinants
• Improving FP service delivery to adolescents
• Assessing the quality of FP services when
integrated with HIV/AIDS services
• Studying the effects of spousal agreement
on FP on family well-being

8. Results
 Improve the local capacity of developing
country researchers and research institutions
The small grants program has improved local research
capacity in various ways, such as:
• Proposal writing
• Data collection, management, cleaning and analysis
• Report writing
It’s been particularly beneficial for
young, emerging, and/or under-
funded organizations or researchers.

9. Results
 Provide data use opportunities to inform
programs and policies
Means of dissemination:
• Final report sent to stakeholders
• Research brief developed
• Journal publication
• Presentation at regional conference
• Presentation at international conference
• Presentation at university research event
• Local dissemination workshop
• Local stakeholder and/or technical meeting
• Posted on MEASURE Evaluation website (and others)
• Data used for additional research and analysis

10. Conclusion
Small grants are a viable mechanism for filling local
FP/RH research gaps, providing hands-on research
experience for those working in areas where
promotion of evidence-based FP practices is a priority,
and promoting data dissemination and use of findings.

11. MEASURE Evaluation is funded by the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) under terms
of Cooperative Agreement AID-OAA-L-14-00004 and
implemented by the Carolina Population Center, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partnership with ICF
International, John Snow, Inc., Management Sciences for
Health, Palladium Group, and Tulane University. The views
expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect
the views of USAID or the United States government.
www.measureevaluation.org