Plan International USA Among Top 100 Proposals for MacArthur $100 Million Grant

High-scoring 100&Change applications featured in Bold Solutions Network

News provided by

Feb 20, 2020, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Plan International USA (Plan) today announced the organization is among the highest-scoring 100 proposals for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change competition. Nearly 4,000 organizations entered for a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world's most critical social challenges.

For people to count, they must first be counted. Plan and its partners, Vital Strategies, Jembi Health Systems, Simprints, and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, entered the competition with a bold solution for the world's identity crisis. A quality civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system records major life events like births, deaths, and marriages and is critical to a country delivering services, raising revenues, and progressing on more than half of the Sustainable Development Goals. The consortium proposes to take a holistic CRVS systems-strengthening model that is adapted for local needs. The OpenCRVS software platform will enable collaboration with governments to register every birth and death, and ensure that every individual on the planet is recognized, protected and provided for from birth.

"Five hundred million children have no official identification," says Dr. Tessie San Martin, President and CEO of Plan International USA. "Birth registration is one of the basic rights of a child. It is the foundation for protection and well-being and ensuring that every child can learn, lead, decide, and thrive. This project can have a transformational impact on millions of children and prove a scalable model for universal registration globally. This bold solution requires bold investment."

The Top 100 represent the top 21 percent of competition submissions. The proposals were rigorously vetted, undergoing MacArthur's initial administrative review, a Peer-to-Peer review, an evaluation by an external panel of judges, and a technical review by specialists whose expertise was matched to the project.

Each proposal was evaluated using four criteria: impactful, evidence-based, feasible, and durable. MacArthur's Board of Directors will select up to 10 finalists from these high-scoring proposals this spring.

"MacArthur seeks to generate increased recognition, exposure, and support for the high-impact ideas designated as the Top 100," said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change and MacArthur Managing Director, 100&Change. "Based on our experience in the first round of 100&Change, we know the competition will produce multiple compelling and fundable ideas. We are committed to matching philanthropists with powerful solutions and problem solvers to accelerate social change."

Bold Solutions Network Launches

The Bold Solutions Network launched today, featuring Plan as one of the Top 100 from 100&Change. The searchable online collection of submissions contains a project overview, 90-second video, and two-page factsheet for each proposal. Visitors can sort by subject, location, Sustainable Development Goal, or beneficiary population to view proposals based on area of interest.

The Bold Solutions Network will showcase the highest-rated proposals that emerge from the competitions Lever for Change manages. Proposals in the Bold Solutions Network undergo extensive evaluation and due diligence to ensure each solution promises real and measurable progress to accelerate social change.

The Bold Solutions Network was designed to provide an innovative approach to identifying the most effective, enduring solutions aligned with donors' philanthropic goals and to help top applicants gain visibility and funding from a wide array of funders. Organizations that are part of the network will have continued access to a variety of technical support and learning opportunities focused on strengthening their proposals and increasing the impact of their work.

About Plan International USA
Plan International USA is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children's rights and equality for girls. Plan believes in the power and potential of young people. Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, Plan strives for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

For more information, please visit PlanUSA.org.

More About 100&Change
100&Change is a distinctive competition that is open to organizations and collaborations working in any field, anywhere in the world. Proposals must identify a problem and offer a solution that promises significant and durable change.

The second round of the competition had a promising start: 3,690 competition registrants submitted 755 proposals. Of those, 475 passed an initial administrative review. 100&Change was designed to be fair, open, and transparent. The identity of the judges and the methodology used to assess initial proposals are public. Applicants received comments and feedback from the peers, judges, and technical reviewers. Key issues in the competition are discussed in a blog on MacArthur's website.

SOURCE Plan International USA