Global Fund Launches Round 4

[Guest guest]

* NEWS: Global Fund Launches Round 4

On January 10, as planned, the Fund launched its fourth Round of grant

applications. The deadline for submission of Round 4 proposals is April 5,

2004. The Fund stated that at present, US $604 million is available for Round 4

grants. This is approximately equal to the amount committed for Round 3 grants.

However, more money will certainly become available by the time the board makes

its approvals in June.

* NEWS: Aidspan Releases Guide to Obtaining Global Fund-Related Technical

Assistance

Aidspan today released " The Aidspan Guide to Obtaining Global Fund-Related

Technical Assistance. " This 123-page Guide is intended to be useful to any

country or organization that is considering applying to the Global Fund or whose

grant application has been approved by the Fund. It is based on a survey

conducted by Aidspan of 170 organizations and individuals that are in a position

to provide Global Fund-related technical assistance.

* NEWS: Global Fund Releases New Documents for Grant Applicants and Recipients

At the same time that it launched Round 4, the Fund released a number of

documents that are designed to be helpful to grant applicants and recipients.

* NEWS: Full Text of the Fund's Round 4 Call for Proposals

The Fund provides details on who can apply, how to apply, etc.

NEWS: Global Fund Launches Round 4

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On January 10, as planned, the Fund launched its fourth Round of grant

applications. It also released a number of documents useful not only to

applicants, but also to those implementing grants that have already been

approved. For details on these documents, see further articles below. The

deadline for submission of Round 4 proposals is April 5, 2004. The proposal

form and the accompanying guidelines have been extensively revised since Round

3. An evaluation of these will be provided in the next issue of GFO.

The Fund stated that at present, US $604 million is available for Round 4

grants. This is approximately equal to the amount committed for Round 3 grants.

However, more money will certainly become available by the time the board makes

its approvals in June. The press release issued by the Fund stated:

" The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today issues a call for

a new round of proposals for grant funding. The new round of grants will

contribute to a substantial increase in the amount of money available in the

global fight against the three diseases.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has grown to become the world's

largest financier of programs to fight the three diseases. AIDS, TB and malaria

together kill more than six million people each year and impede economic and

social development in a large number of developing countries.

" We are looking for proposals of the highest quality, particularly from

partnerships that include the private sector and local non-governmental

organizations, " said US Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy ,

Chair of the Board of the Global Fund, " to meet the greatest challenge of our

times – turning back the tide of these three pandemics. "

Today's call is the fourth round of proposals. In three previous rounds, the

Global Fund has committed US$ 2.1 billion over two years to 224 programs in over

120 countries to combat the three diseases.

This round of proposals comes in the wake of the World Health Organization and

UNAIDS' launch of the " 3X5 " initiative to provide anti-AIDS treatment for three

million people living with HIV by the end of 2005. The Global Fund will provide

many countries with their main opportunity to finance the massive expansion of

services needed to succeed in this commitment.

This round will also encourage countries to submit ambitious, large-scale

proposals to combat malaria.

" A number of countries are now ready to conduct a major offensive against

malaria, " says Dr Feachem, Executive Director of the Global Fund. " We

have effective tools to prevent and treat malaria. We need to spread these tools

to as many countries and people as possible. "

The fourth round of proposals also represents a major opportunity for private

sector companies to expand their efforts to prevent and treat these diseases

among their work force and in the surrounding communities.

In December, nine global companies with operations in countries affected by

HIV/AIDS announced that they will use their facilities, employees and other

infrastructure to expand workplace HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs

into communities where they operate. By using infrastructure that was created to

serve their employees, this corporate contribution will be able to expand public

programs and reduce their start-up and running costs. Companies can now submit

proposals for co-investment in prevention and treatment of the three diseases to

the Global Fund, increasing the impact of their own efforts.

" I urge companies around the world to submit proposals for combating the three

diseases, expanding workplace prevention and treatment programs into communities

where they operate, " said Ambassador Holbrooke, former diplomat and

president of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS.

The deadline for submission of proposals is April 5, 2004. Proposals are

evaluated by an independent Technical Review Panel of health and development

experts. Proposals found to be of a sufficiently high standard will be

recommended for funding to the Global Fund's Board, which will meet at the end

of June. Over the past three rounds, roughly 40% of submitted proposals have

been deemed to have the technical quality necessary to be recommended for

funding. All recommended proposals have so far been funded.

The Global Fund is a unique global public-private partnership dedicated to

attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat AIDS,

tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between governments, civil society,

the private sector and affected communities represents a new approach to

international health financing. The Fund works in close collaboration with other

bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing

with the three diseases.

The Global Fund has been established as an independent private foundation under

Swiss law and is governed by an international Board. Apart from a high standard

of technical quality, the Global Fund attaches no conditions to any of its

grants. It is not an implementing agency. It relies on local ownership and

planning to ensure that new resources are directed to programs on the frontline

of this global effort, reaching those most in need. Its performance-based

approach to grant-making - where grants are only disbursed if progress has been

measured and verified - is designed to ensure that funds are used efficiently

and create real change for people and communities.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit proposals through a new web-based

Proposals and Grants Management System available on the website in English,

French, and Spanish from January 14 2004. Updated guidelines and application

forms are also available for downloading from

www.theglobalfund.org/en/apply/call. Applicants unable to use the web-based

version may request a CD-ROM from the Global Fund Secretariat.

Ashok Rau

Senior Research Fellow, HIP

The Terry Sanford Institute of Public Health, Duke University, USA,

Senior ASHOKA Fellow,

Executive Trustee/CEO, Freedom Foundation-India,

Centers of Excellence- Substance Abuse & HIV/AIDS

Head Office: 180, Hennur Cross, Hennur Main Road,

Bangalore-560 043

India Phone-0091 80 5440134,5443114(Dir) 5449766, Mobile(Cell)-98452 47616

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