Effectiveness of school feeding in low- and middle-income countries: secondary research

Closed: The FCDO invited bids by 1 March 2024 to conduct secondary research on the effectiveness of feeding children at school in low and middle income countries.

From:: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published: 7 February 2024

Funds:: Closed
Countries:: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Congo (Democratic Republic), Gabon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Sector:: Education, Girls and women, Livelihoods
Eligible organisations:: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), UK-based non-profit organisations, Educational institutions, Humanitarian relief organisations
Value of funding:: £100,001 to £500,000

This opportunity closed on 1 March 2024.

Background

School feeding is a popular intervention supported by many governments and development agencies to improve nutrition and education outcomes among children. It also brings broader social-protection benefits in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It has been referenced in G7 and G20 statements and brought together an international School Meals Coalition.

There have been a number of impact evaluations of school-feeding programmes conducted since 2020. This call for proposals is for research that will build on the current literature and evidence and integrating new primary studies to provide the latest evidence on the effectiveness of providing school meals.

The research will inform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) policy position on school feeding, as well as increasing global dialogue on school-feeding programmes.

What the fund will achieve

The purpose of this research is to provide an assessment of the latest evidence on school feeding, including an assessment of the quality of available evidence.

The research is intended to:

analyse the effectiveness of school feeding on nutrition, education and social protection outcomes in low- and middle-income countries
estimate the cost-effectiveness of school feeding, for individual outcomes and an aggregate level
compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of school feeding with other interventions intended to achieve the same outcomes
identify the circumstances in which school feeding is effective and cost-effective

We are seeking a research team with experience in:

undertaking research in the fields of nutrition, education and social protection in low- and middle-income countries (essential)
school feeding, either research or in practice (desirable)
conducting rigorous evidence synthesis, including systematic reviews and/or rapid reviews and/or economic evaluations
empirical research methods used to evaluate and assess value for money of education, nutrition and social protection interventions

How to apply

For more information on how to apply to this call for proposals, read the instructions and evaluation criteria, statement of need, and additional documents.