The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said it approved “a new approach to funding grants that will enable the organization to invest the world’s money more strategically and for greater impact.” The announcement noted that the new funding model “is designed to significantly improve grant-making, with a process that is more predictable and reliable, and also more flexible, so that it can achieve a higher success rate in all grants and more effectively save the lives of people affected by the three diseases.” Further, the new funding model “will change the way implementers apply for financing, get approval of their proposals and then manage their grants. Once fully developed, it will encourage national strategic plans in each country, and strive for more simplicity and efficiency.” Several aspects of the new funding model require further preparation, and the Board agreed to consider them at its next meeting in November.
The Global Fund said that one key element of the new system will be for applicants to submit a concept note, shorter than previous applications, and then get early feedback from the Global Fund, other donors and technical experts on how the proposal may need adjusting before moving forward. That is expected to reduce waiting times, and to improve the overall success rate of applications. Another important change will be more flexible timing for grant applications: instead of having to apply at one set time, implementers will be able to better align the submission of grant proposals with their own national budgeting schedules. Also under the new approach, countries will be grouped in bands, which will enable the Board to ensure focus is placed on countries with the highest disease burden and least ability to pay, among other factors.
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