Update on funding requests, grant approvals and other funding modalities

Author:

David Garmaise

Article Type:

Article Number: 5

To date, the Board has approved grants representing 83% of the total allocation for 2017-2019

ABSTRACT Only three of six planned windows for the 2017-2019 allocations have passed, but already the Board has approved grants collectively valued at 83% of the total allocation. This front-end loading is not surprising, given that 70% of existing grants have an end date of 31 December 2017. We provide an update on the various funding modalities.

This article provides an update on the funding requests and grant approvals for the 2017-2019 allocation period as well as matching funds, unfunded quality demand, domestic commitments, multi-country approaches and strategic initiatives.

Funding requests

A total of 164 funding requests have been submitted in the first three windows of the current funding cycle. The breakdown is as follows:

Window 1 – 23 March 2017 – 91 requests
Window 2 – 23 May 2017 – 54 requests
Window 3 – 28 August 2017 – 19 requests

Iterations are not included in these figures. The submission dates for the remaining windows have been set, as follows (with TRP meeting dates in parentheses):

Window 4 – 7 February 2018 (TRP: 19-29 March)
Window 5 – 30 April 2018 (TRP: 3-11 June)
Window 6 – 6 August 2018 (TRP: 9-21 September)

Program continuation requests may be submitted in any of Windows 4, 5 and 6.

For Window 4, the Secretariat estimates that 39 new funding requests will be submitted. For Window 5, 22 new country allocation funding requests are expected, along with up to 26 multi-country requests (from catalytic funding). In Window 6, the Secretariat expects to receive nine new funding requests as well as several multi-country applications.

Window 6 is expected to be the last review window for this funding cycle. However, some iterations and some late funding requests may be accepted after 6 August 2018; they would likely be subject to remote TRP review.

Approved grants

So far, the Board has approved three batches of grants in this funding cycle, as follows:

Batch #1 was approved on 17 October 2017. There were 46 grants from 32 funding requests submitted by 21 countries. Total value: $2.18 billion. (See GFO article.)

Batch #2 was approved on 17 November 2017. There were 32 grants from 20 funding requests submitted by 15 countries. Total value: $1.25 billion. (See GFO article.)

Batch #3 was approved on 1 December 2017. There were 62 grants from 41 funding requests submitted by 29 countries, plus two multi-country grants and a hybrid grant (Phase 2 of the RAI). Total value: $$2.83 billion. (See GFO article elsewhere in this issue.)

A fourth and a fifth batch will be submitted for Board approval in December 2017 and January 2018.

The funding requests submitted in the first three windows represent the lion’s share of the total allocation for 2017-2019 (which was $10.3 billion, excluding matching funds and other catalytic investments). As of the end of October, grants representing 88% of the allocation were approved, were pending approval, or were in grant-making. To date, the Board has approved grants representing 83% of the total allocation. This front-end loading is not surprising, given that 70% of existing grants have an end date of 31 December 2017.

Matching funds, UQD and domestic commitments

Table 1 summarizes the results to date for matching funds, UQD and domestic commitments.

Table 1: Matching funds, UQD, domestic commitments in the first three batches
of approved grants

Item	First batch	Second batch	Third batch
Matching funds	7 requests worth $50.9 million	5 requests worth $22.9 million	8 requests worth $48.6 million
UQD	Initiatives worth $731.6 million added	Initiatives worth $147.2 million added	Initiatives worth $721.2 million added
Domestic commitments for programs related to the approved grants	$1.38 billion	$1.20 billion	$3.82 billion

 

The total budget for matching funds for the 2017-2019 funding cycle is $346 million.

Multi-country grants

For the most part, requests related to multi-country catalytic funding are just starting to come in – with the notable exception of the Regional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative (RAI) in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region of Southeast Asia, which was submitted earlier this year and has now been approved by the Board. This is an extension of a regional program that was launched in 2014. Of the $243.7 million budget for Phase 2 of the RAI, $119.0 million comes from the funds reserved for multi-country initiatives (which is almost half of the multi-country initiatives budget).

See Table 2 for an overview of the multi-country catalytic funding.

Table 2: Multi-country catalytic funding – current status ($ million)

Topic	Funding allocated ($ million)	Modality	Max. no. of grants	Expected sub-mission window
Malaria
Elimination of malaria, Mesoamerica, Hispaniola	6.0 m.	Pre-shaping	1	Submitted W3
Elimination of malaria, Southern Africa	20.0 m.	Pre-shaping/RFP	1-2	W5 or W6
Elimination of malaria multi-drug resistance (RAI)	119.0 m.	Continuation	1	Submitted W1
TB
TB in Mining	22.5 m.	Pre-shaping	1	Submitted W3
Supranational Labs in Southern and Eastern Africa	4.5 m.	Cont. / Pre-S.	1	W5 or W6
Improving quality care, prevention MDR-TB, E. Europe	5.0 m.	RFP	1	W5
Support LAC countries tr. from GF TB financing	4.5 m.	RFP	1	W5 or W6
Interventions among refugees in Eastern Africa	7.5 m.	RFP	1	W5 or W6
Supranational laboratory in Western Africa	6.0 m.	RFP	1	W5
Interventions: migrant, mobile populations, Asia	15.0 m.	RFPs (2)	2	W5
HIV
Sustainability of services key populations, LAC region	17.0 m.	RFPs (2)	2-3	W6
Sustainability of services key populations, EECA region	13.0 m.	RFP	1-2	W5
Sustainability of services key populations, SEA region	12.5 m.	RFP	1	W6
Sustainability of services key populations, MENA	7.5 m.	RFP	1	W5
Total	260.0 m.		15-19

Notes:

1. There could be some changes in how the multi-country funding is allocated among topics.
2. “Pre-shaping” refers to initiatives for which the applicants have been or will be pre-selected by the Secretariat.
3. The RFPs will be published on the Global Fund website several months before their submission windows.

 

The RFP for the sustainability of HIV services for key populations in the EECA region is expected to be issued in mid-December.

Strategic initiatives

The total budget for the strategic initiatives is $194 million. There are 11 priority areas identified – see the list of areas and the budget for each on the Global Fund website here. The strategic initiatives are in various stages of development. Many of them have now been approved and are starting implementation.