Key Tender / Grant Details

Required Criteria Table

Scope of Work

The RFP seeks proposals from NGOs and INGOs working in ECCD and primary education in South Asia. The proposed programs should support underserved children and communities through scalable, evidence-based interventions.

The major focus areas include:

1. Early Childhood Care & Development for children aged 0–6 years
   Programs may include play-based learning, early stimulation, responsive caregiving, parental engagement, training of early childhood educators, and quality ECCD services in rural, semi-urban and underserved communities.
2. Primary Education and Foundational Learning for Grades 1–3
   Programs should strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy, improve school readiness, support first-generation learners, engage families and communities, and address barriers related to nutrition, health, attendance and child wellbeing.
3. Systems Strengthening and Community Engagement
   Preference will be given to programs that strengthen existing community and local government systems instead of creating parallel structures.
4. Child Protection and Safeguarding
   All applicants must demonstrate a formal child protection policy, staff training, safe participation of children, and a designated safeguarding focal point.

Pre-Qualification Criteria

Applicants should meet the following pre-qualification requirements:

1. Must be a legally registered NGO or INGO in Bangladesh, India, Nepal or Pakistan.
2. Must have at least 5 years of experience in ECCD, primary education or a closely related field.
3. Must have an annual operating budget of at least USD 3 million for the last three fiscal years.
4. Must have a minimum of 10 full-time employees.
5. Must have experience managing an institutional grant exceeding USD 300,000 annually within the last three years.
6. Must provide audited financial statements for the three most recent fiscal years.
7. Must demonstrate direct operational presence and program management capacity in the proposed geography.
8. Must have established Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning systems.
9. Must have a formal Child Protection Policy and safeguarding focal point.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants include locally registered NGOs and INGOs operating in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Organizations must demonstrate community presence, relevant program experience, financial management capacity, safeguarding compliance and evidence of prior implementation at meaningful scale.

Government ministries are not eligible to apply in this cycle. Faith-based organizations may apply only if the proposed programs are non-denominational and open to all community members regardless of faith.

Financial Criteria

The RFP specifies clear financial capacity requirements. Applicant organizations must have an annual operating budget of at least USD 3,000,000 for each of the past three fiscal years. They must also demonstrate prior experience managing an institutional grant exceeding USD 300,000 annually within the past three years.

Applicants are required to submit audited financial statements for the three most recent fiscal years, conducted by an independent external auditor.

Tender Fee and EMD

The RFP does not mention any tender fee or Earnest Money Deposit. Therefore, applicants should treat the tender fee and EMD requirement as not applicable unless clarified by the Foundation through the official Q&A process.

Submission Guidelines

Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent in Phase One. The LOI should not exceed 5 pages, excluding attachments. The document must be prepared in PDF or MS Word format with font size 11 pt or larger and standard margins.

The LOI must be submitted electronically to grants@arhantsocialfoundation.org by Thursday, July 10, 2026, 5:00 PM EST.

The prescribed email subject line is:
LOI Submission — ECCD & Primary Education South Asia 2026

Late submissions will not be considered.

LOI Content Requirements

The Phase One LOI should include the following sections:

1. Organization overview
2. Problem statement
3. Proposed program
4. Expected outcomes
5. Budget summary
6. Organizational capacity
7. Sustainability plan
8. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning approach

Document Checklist

Applicants should prepare and submit the following documents:

Review Criteria

Phase One LOIs will be assessed based on alignment with ASF’s thematic priorities, clarity of problem statement, feasibility of proposed approach, organizational track record, focus on marginalized populations, sustainability, MEL capacity, and child protection systems.

The highest weight is assigned to alignment with thematic priorities and target populations, followed by feasibility, organizational capacity, equity focus, sustainability and monitoring systems.

Important Dates