The time to start working on Round 7 Proposals is NOW!

Author:

Bernard Rivers

Article Type:

Article Number: 3

ABSTRACT In the past, the most common problem faced by applicants to the Fund was that there wasn't time to develop the proposal in a consultative manner. However, this issue no longer arises, because it is already known when Round 7 will be. Potential applicants can and should start their work now; there is no need to wait for the Round 7 Call for Proposals.

In the past, the most common problem faced by applicants to the Global Fund was that the time period between the Fund issuing its “Call for Proposals” and applicants having to submit the completed proposal was not sufficient for all the work that had to be done. Applicants could not start that work early, because they did not know when the Call for Proposals would be issued.

However, this issue no longer arises, because at the Fund’s last Board meeting it was “pre-announced” when Rounds 7 and 8 will take place. For Round 7, the Call for Proposals (when the proposal form and guidelines will be published) will be on or before 1 March 2007, with proposals to be submitted by early July 2007 and Board approval in mid-November 2007. The Round 8 dates will be one year later.

Therefore, potential Round 7 applicants can and should start their work now; there is no need to wait for the Call for Proposals. Furthermore, applicants that start their work now have a good chance of submitting stronger proposals than are submitted by applicants that wait until the Call for Proposals.

However, even applicants that start now will find the work requirement somewhat daunting. The Fund does not just require CCMs to fill in a highly complex proposal form; it also requires them to start by developing and documenting fair, transparent processes to ensure input from a broad range of stakeholders – both CCM members and non-members – in the proposal development process. (Requirements for the few non-CCM applicants are somewhat different.)

Global Fund requirements state, in effect, that the process to be followed by CCMs should be as follows:

1. The CCM publicly invites a broad range of stakeholders within the country to submit their suggestions as to what should be included in the proposal to be sent to the Global Fund.
2. The stakeholders prepare their suggestions and send them to the CCM.
3. CCM reviews the suggestions, and decides which ones will be incorporated into the CCM proposal.
4. The CCM completes the Fund’s proposal form, gets it signed by all CCM members, and submits it to the Fund.

 

Doing this thoroughly will take some applicants longer than the four months between the Call for Proposals and the application deadline. But there’s no reason not to start the process now. Steps (1) through (3) can all be worked on before the Fund issues its Call for Proposals and publishes the Round 7 proposal form. Furthermore, applicants can review the Round 6 proposal form and guidelines (at www.theglobalfund.org/en/apply/call6) to see the basic conceptual approach – goals, objectives, service delivery areas, major activities, indicators, targets and budgets – that has been used in recent rounds and will be used again in Round 7.

A CCM that wants to be ahead of the game will invite suggestions from a broad range of stakeholders, review the suggestions and do serous work designing the project(s) that it wants the Global Fund to finance – BEFORE the Fund issues its Call for Proposals two-and-a-half months from now.

Note: As Aidspan (publisher of GFO) has done since Round 4, we will prepare an “Aidspan Guide to Round 7 Applications to the Global Fund,” to be issued as soon as possible after the Call for Proposals is made. We would like to hear from people who used the Round 6 version of this Guide (accessible at www.aidspan.org/guides) We are looking for constructive feedback that will enable us to improve the Round 7 version. If you are willing to provide feedback, please contact David Garmaise, Aidspan’s Senior Analyst, at garmaise@aidspan.org.