Launched in 2005 to address the geographic inequality in survival rates and support children with cancer and their families, the My Child Matters program aims to improve diagnosis, access, and treatment in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), while strengthening local healthcare systems. Foundation S’s commitment directly supports WHO’s crucial objective of achieving a 60% survival rate for all children with cancer worldwide by 2030, thus reflecting our dedication to this life-saving mission.

Since its launch, the My Child Matters program by Foundation S has supported more than 140,000 children with cancer and trained more than 51,000 healthcare professionals. In 2023 alone, 2,872 children were impacted by the program and 10,247 healthcare professionals were trained. Beyond this significant impact, the program emphasizes Foundation S’s commitment to evaluating the quality of its initiatives through comprehensive monitoring and analytics. The My Child Matters program extends beyond immediate care, since it also influences the wider field through extensive knowledge sharing, with more than 200 scientific communications published and available on the open data platform. With the collective at the heart of Foundation S, we believe sharing experiences and data is essential to accelerate progress in the fight against childhood cancers.

The My Child Matters program’s scope includes:

• Health Care Strengthening with projects on early diagnosis and health care professional training.
• Paediatric care including access to care, pain management and palliative care.
• Family support with projects addressing treatment abandonment.

In 2024, the My Child Matters expert committee1 will prioritize projects addressing access to care or early diagnosis.

In addition, specific attention will be given to projects that include novel and innovative technologies and/or digital solutions. These may include but are not limited to machine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (AI). These innovative technologies are already transforming healthcare, and we aim to bring these advancements to the My Child Matters program. Digital solutions that aim to improve diagnosis, support care, address differential diagnosis or predict treatment response or tolerance are welcomed. The goal is to demonstrate the added value of novel technologies and/or digital transformation on children with cancer care in LMIC settings.

• October 17th, 2024: the 2024 My Child Matters call for proposals launch.
• January 6th, 2025: deadline for concept note submission.
• Mid-Feb 2025: selection for full dossier submission
• March 14th, 2025: deadline for full dossier submission
• Mid-April 2025: final decision
• July-October 2025: projects start.

• Projects must involve at least one health care professional specialized in paediatric oncology. Depending on the project, other medical or digital specialists, or policymakers could be eligible as project lead.
• A minimum of 10% co-funding for each project is compulsory.
• The application should be written in English.

The My Child Matters expert committee will evaluate and select the projects based on the following criteria:

• Appropriate and clear link between project design and local or regional needs.
• Objectives, outcomes, and anticipated impact clearly explained, feasible and measurable.
• Replicability in other settings or scalability.
• A detailed sustainability plan for the end of the grant. If your sustainability plan includes stating the government will assume responsibility for sustainability, then your proposal will require evidence of the government’s commitment to do so.
• Evidence of a higher institutional administrator or a person of authority approval of the project proposal.
• Budget accurately estimated, detailed, precise, and consistent with local costs.
• Budget phasing correlated with milestones and outcomes.
• Evidence that the organization and accountable project lead is experienced in developing such projects.
• Project lead (also the contact) committed for the full duration of the grant.
• At least one scientific manuscript planned for publication in an academic peerreviewed journal.
• Projects with training component must specify who will be the trainer(s).
• Projects on new technologies, digital transformation, ML/AI require successful experience with the proposed new technology within the organization or partnership. Evidence of implementation in a research context, and, as appropriate, details on internet connectivity, equipment, data volume and quality are also essential.