L’Initiative has launched a call for applications for AP-Init-2021-02 pertaining to access to quality health services for vulnerable populations; AP-Init-2021-01 pertaining to strengthening health systems at all levels (community to national) and lastly AP-Init-2021-03 pertaining to operational research on tuberculosis and vulnerable populations.

The purpose of this call for proposals is to select projects that complement and / or support Global Fund investments to improve the quality of health support services and to improve service access for the most vulnerable populations, through adapted strategies that are gender sensitive and integrated at community level.

Key Priority

• Key populations: Key populations are people who are most at-risk or affected by at least one of the three diseases and who are stakeholders in the response. They generally have less access to services and may be criminalized and / or marginalized. The following are generally considered to be key populations:
• For HIV: people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, sex workers and their clients, transgender people, people who use drugs and their partners, people in prisons or other detention centers, refugees, migrants, displaced or mobile populations;
• For tuberculosis: people living with HIV, people who use drugs, people in prisons or other detention centers, refugees, migrants, displaced or mobile populations;
• For malaria: pregnant women and children under 5, indigenous populations living in regions where malaria is endemic, refugees, migrants, displaced or mobile populations.

Other vulnerable populations for the three pandemics: Population groups who are more vulnerable in particular contexts and that do not fall into the categories mentioned above, including children and adolescent young girls and women and people with disabilities.

Funding Information

• The total grant amount from L’Initiative must cover at least 50% of the project budget and be between € 500,000 and € 3,000,000.
• It is mandatory for organizations with an annual budget of over €5 million to present co-financing of at least 10% in the total project budget. Including co-financing will be judged favorably for the other organizations.
• Project duration must be between 24 and 36 months.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for a grant, the following conditions must be met:

• Applicants must be a legal entity with its head office in one of the eligible countries or in France (i.e. be registered legally in an eligible country or in France). International organizations, with the exception of regional organizations, will not be able to lead the project or receive funding.
• Projects must be implemented in partnership. Partners must be involved in project design and be responsible for implementing activities.
• Implementation partners must benefit from budget delegation.
• For multi-country projects, include at least one local partner from each implementing country. A local partner is mandatory for the structures that implement activities in a country which is different from their home country. However, organizations that have their headquarters in an eligible country will not have the obligation to have partners in their home country.
• Organizations must not have any statutory provisions that preclude Expertise France or any external auditor appointed by Expertise France from carrying out audits and inspections and having the relevant rights to access project sites and premises where the project will be carried out, including all documents and electronic data concerning the technical and financial management of the project.

For this call for proposals, each organization can submit a maximum of two letters of intent as lead applicant. Furthermore, each organization can only submit a maximum of three letters of intent total for all L’Initiative calls for proposals in a given year.

For more information, visit L’Initiative.