The Global Fund launches new funding round
02 October 2008
Geneva – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria yesterday opened a new call for proposals from countries to support their fight against the three diseases. It is the ninth call for proposals (also often referred to as “Rounds”) since the Global Fund’s creation in 2002.
Round 9 is an additional Round, supplementing Round 8 which closed on 1 July this year. It is the second time that two calls for proposals have been launched in the course of a single year. Demand for an additional call for proposals in 2008 arose from the growing impact of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs, and recognition that an additional opportunity to access funding this year further supports the rapid scale-up of country efforts to reduce the burden of the three diseases.
The Global Fund requests that proposals are based on a comprehensive needs assessment – including efforts to scale up access to key prevention services for the three diseases through both public and non-public implementers.
“The launch of this additional round enables countries to seek extra funding to achieve global targets such as universal access to AIDS treatment and prevention, and to cut the number of deaths from tuberculosis and malaria by half by 2015,” said Dr Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “Round 9 presents an extra opportunity to build on programs which are having an impact in fighting and preventing the three diseases, and to ensure continuity for those already on treatment.”
Round 9 also provides the opportunity for countries to resubmit and strengthen proposals that may not have been approved under Round 8.
The submitted proposals will first be screened for eligibility and completeness by the Global Fund Secretariat and are then reviewed for technical merit by an independent panel of health experts (referred to as the “Technical Review Panel”).
The Board approves grants that are recommended for funding by the Technical Review Panel; initially for a two-year period, with an option to renew funding for a second three-year phase if the programs achieve targets.
Countries may submit proposals until noon (CET) on 21 January 2009. The Global Fund Board is expected to approve successful applications for this Round in May 2009.
Guidelines and proposal forms are available on the Global Fund's website.
In August this year, the Global Fund announced that 97 countries had requested a total of US$ 6.4 billion in new resources under Round 8. The Board is scheduled to announce which countries have been successful in applying for Global Fund resources under Round 8 at its Eighteenth Board Meeting in New Delhi, India in early November.
Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the main source of finance for programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 11.5 billion for more than 550 programs in 136 countries. It provides a quarter of all international financing for AIDS globally, two-thirds for tuberculosis and malaria.
As of June 2008, programs supported by the Global Fund are estimated to have averted more than 2.5 million deaths by providing AIDS treatment for 1.75 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 3.9 million people, and by distributing 59 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide.