International Development

Overview

Our Maternal & Child Health focus area aims to improve survival, health, and long-term well-being for mothers and children. We prioritize interventions that address the most significant drivers of maternal and child outcomes, including health system capacity, clean water and sanitation, and early childhood nutrition and development.

Maternal and child health is foundational to progress across all development outcomes. When mothers and children are healthy, children are more likely to attend and succeed in school, and women are better able to participate in economic life.

Action area: Paediatric and maternal health workforce development and quality of care

Trained health professionals are among the most significant drivers of maternal and child survival. This action area focuses on strengthening maternal, newborn, and paediatric health systems by building skilled clinical workforces, improving quality of care, and developing durable local leadership. Investments in workforce development are highly cost-effective because they strengthen entire health systems, not just isolated services.

Action area: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) as a foundation for maternal and child health

Access to safe water and sanitation is one of the most cost-effective investments in global health. This action area focuses on expanding access to WASH in communities, schools, and health facilities. Poor WASH conditions are a root cause of maternal infections, neonatal illness, and childhood disease, and create disproportionate burdens for women and girls — in time, safety, and opportunity.

Action area: Early childhood nutrition, growth, and development

Nutrition in the first 1,000 days is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong health, cognitive development, and economic opportunity. This action area focuses on improving maternal and early childhood nutrition and supporting healthy growth and development. The evidence is clear: well-nourished children are more likely to learn, thrive in school, and participate fully in economic life as adults.

Overview

Our Women & Girls Opportunity focus area supports women and girls to access education, build skills, and participate fully in economic life. We focus on interventions that strengthen pathways from learning to livelihoods, recognizing that education, economic opportunity, and agency are deeply interconnected.

Investments in education and economic opportunity for women and girls are among the most powerful drivers of improved maternal and child health. Girls who stay in school are more likely to delay marriage and childbirth, have healthier children, and access health services. Women with stable incomes are better able to provide nutrition, access care, and invest in their families’ well-being.

Action area: Girls’ education — access, retention, and quality of learning

Girls’ education is one of the most effective investments in global development. This action area focuses on ensuring girls can access, remain in, and meaningfully benefit from primary and secondary education. Improving both access and quality of learning is essential — education only creates lasting opportunity when girls can stay in school and genuinely learn.

Action area: Adolescent and women’s pathways to dignified work and economic agency

Economic agency is a key driver of long-term well-being for women and their families. This action area focuses on supporting adolescent girls and women to transition into safe, dignified, and productive work through skills development, entrepreneurship, and labour market access. Ensuring that education translates into meaningful employment or enterprise is critical to achieving lasting impact.

Action area: Climate-resilient livelihoods and economic opportunities for women

When women have stable, sustainable incomes, the benefits extend across their families and communities — including improved health, nutrition, and education for children. This action area focuses on supporting women to build livelihoods that are resilient to climate and economic shocks, with an emphasis on approaches that are grounded in local context and linked to real markets.

Our International Development program welcomes EOIs from any registered Canadian charity working in one of our six action areas. Organizations with a current or recent grant from the International Development grant program are welcome to apply. Past funding does not guarantee selection, and we are actively seeking strong organizations we may not yet know. Our program is focused in Sub-Saharan Africa. Organizations whose work is based entirely outside of Africa are unlikely to be the right fit at this stage, and we would encourage them to consider that carefully before investing time in a submission.

Send your completed EOI to info@petergilganfoundation.org with the subject line: EOI – [Action Area Name] – [Organization Name].

After the window closes, we may follow up with clarifying questions. All organizations that submit an EOI will hear from us by the end of August — whether or not they are moving forward to the next stage.