The Aidspan Guide to Round 7 Applications to the Global Fund has just been published. It is accessible at no charge at www.aidspan.org/guides, where various other Aidspan Guides are also available. Versions in French and Spanish will be posted in the next two weeks.

The 250-page Guide provides a step-by-step guide to filling out the Round 7 proposal form. It also discusses the strengths and weakness of proposals submitted in prior rounds of funding, based on an analysis of comments made by the Technical Review Panel. As well, the Guide provides advice on the Round 7 applications process, and a series of links where potential applicants can obtain information concerning the technical content of their proposals. Finally, the Guide discusses factors that applicants should consider if they plan to submit a regional or Non-CCM proposal.

The Guide is not intended to tell readers what they "should" say in their applications to the Fund. The objective instead is to de-mystify the application process and to provide a clearer feeling of what is expected. It is based on the premise that there is no single "correct" way of completing the proposal form. It encourages applicants to clearly describe their plans to tackle HIV, TB, or malaria; and to make a convincing case that the plans are viable, are capable of delivering the anticipated results, and are something that the applicants are committed to and capable of implementing.

The Guide will also be useful for potential applicants who are trying to decide whether or not to apply in Round 7.

The main sections in the Guide are as follows:

Chapter 1: Introduction and Background

• Overview of the Global Fund
• What Initiatives Will the Global Fund Support?
• Are There Any Restrictions on the Amount of Funding Applicants May Apply For?
• Who is Eligible to Apply to the Global Fund?
• Description of the Applications Process

• Deciding Whether to Apply
• Designing a Process for the Period Before Starting to Fill Out the Proposal Form
• Determining How CCMs Can Make the Best Use of the Private Sector
• Determining How CCMs Can Make the Best Use of CSOs
• Deciding Whether to Submit a Non-CCM Proposal
• Deciding Whether to Submit a Regional Proposal
• Deciding Whether to Submit a Sub-CCM Proposal

• Strengths
• Weaknesses

• General Guidance on the Proposal Process
• General Guidance Concerning the Technical Content of Proposals
• Version of the Proposal Form
• Other Relevant Documents and Links
• Process For Submitting a Proposal
• Some Key Concepts to Be Used in all Proposals
• General Guidance on Filling out the Proposal Form

• Section 1: Proposal Overview
• Section 2: Country Eligibility
• Section 3A: Applicant Type and Eligibility for Funding
• Section 3B: Proposal Endorsement
• Section 4: Component Section
• Section 5: Component Budget

 When the Call for Proposals was issued on 1 March 2007, the Global Fund posted a version of the Proposal Form that was protected, which meant that it was not possible to copy large sections of the form, and it was not possible to search for specific words or strings of text. This was problematic, so on 6 March 2007, the Fund replaced this version with an unprotected Word file. People who downloaded the Proposal Form file (in any language) from the Global Fund website before 6 March 2007, and who find that they can't do functions like copy or search, might want to go back to the site and download the newer version.