Save the Children, CSO-strategy 2022-2026

Save the Children Sweden (hereinafter SCS) is a well-established organization in the Swedish society with just over 60,000 members in almost 150 local associations across the country. SCS has a strong international anchoring and is one of 28 members of the global organization Save the Children International (SCI). SCI is working with development cooperation and humanitarian aid in 120 countries, and has an office in London. This program's operations are mainly implemented by SCI's country and regional offices. The 28 member organizations of SCI and SCI are part of the broad and global movement Save the Children. Save the Children has many forms of organizations and activities at local, regional and global levels. Sida signs an agreement with Save the Children Sweden. SCS signs a "Master Programming Agreement" with SCI. It regulates the implementation of all SCI's programs funded by SCS. For each country and regional program, SCS and SCI make specific agreements that regulate grant details, conditions and requirements. SCI signs a "Sub-Award Agreement" with all local partner organizations to which funds are transferred. Sida's funds are paid to SCS and 80 percent of the total budget is forwarded to the country and regional offices, which in their turn forward 70 percent of this to local civil society organizations. Sida's overall assessment of SCS's application for grants for 2022-2026 is that it is relevant to the "Strategy for support through Swedish civil society organizations 2016-2022". SCS has many years of experience working for children's and youth's rights, and Sida assesses the organization has the ability to achieve the expected results. The application is based on lessons learned from previous programs and conclusions in actualized contextual analyzes, such as the shrinking democratic space, the climate crisis and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The main changes compared with the program during 2017-2021, in addition to updated contextual analysis and related program adjustments based on this, are above all a new results framework with a clear focus on strengthened civil society and the transfer of power and resources to partner organizations by giving them greater influence in terms of prioritizing. A new structure for MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) including tools has also been developed and adaptive management is further developed. The program´s overall goal is to contribute to "a strong civil society that demands and supports the fulfillment of children's rights - holding states to account and mobilizing and empowering children and their communities". To contribute to this, work and coordination takes place with a wide range of actors and stakeholders, mainly the CSO partners and children that Save the Children works with in the program. Save the Children's commitment is to better reach the children who are most affected by inequality and discrimination. These are different depending on the context, but some of the groups that are often identified are children with low socio-economic status, girls, LGBTQ children, children with disabilities and children from ethnic minorities. The program has four outcomes: (1) civil society capacity, (2) children's agency, (3) child rights and (4) civic space. For each outcome, there are three or four expected results. Sida assess that SCS has the ability to achieve expected results in the planned contribution.