AIDSPAN LAUNCHES WEB-BASED EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR GLOBAL FUND GRANTS

Author:

Bernard Rivers

Article Type:

Article Number: 1

ABSTRACT Aidspan has released a major web-based "early-warning" system that shows for every Global Fund grant how well that grant is performing against its own goals and in relation to other Global Fund grants.

Aidspan, the NGO that publishes Global Fund Observer, today released a major web-based “early-warning” system that shows for every Global Fund grant how well that grant is performing against its own goals and in relation to other Global Fund grants. The analysis is available at Aidspan’s newly-upgraded web site at www.aidspan.org.

Using a constantly-updated database derived from information at the Fund’s web site, the Aidspan system shows a score and a graph that together indicate the extent to which each grant is or is not achieving the timeline originally anticipated.

Because the Global Fund is “results-based,” it only sends a new financial disbursement for a grant after it receives evidence that earlier disbursements have been made use of as promised in the grant agreement. Thus, disbursements that are sent late provide a clear indication that grant performance is not on track.

Many grant implementers are not aware that the Fund has budgeted on the assumption that it will only approve about 85% of grants for Phase 2 (Years 3-5), with the remaining grants being wound down steadily after Year 2.

It is for these reasons that Aidspan has developed its early-warning system. The system enables visitors to www.aidspan.org to see, on a day-by-day basis, how many months ahead of or behind schedule each grant is. Aidspan gives each grant a “performance rating” of A, B, C or D according to whether the grant is on or ahead of schedule, up to three months behind schedule, three to six months behind schedule, or more than six months behind schedule.

In future issues of GFO, Aidspan will provide analyses of grant performance ratings averaged by country, continent, disease covered, type of Principal Recipient, and more.

Also, in the coming months, Aidspan will release further web-based features and services designed to be of value to those interested in Global Fund grant implementation.