The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa - Democratic Republic of Congo through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Coordination Office (PCO) is pleased to announce an open Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for organizations to submit applications that support Community - led Monitoring (CLM) activities to be implemented in close collaboration with local civil society organizations (CSOs) and host country governments.

The CLM program is funded through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The goal of PEPFAR in DRC is to support efforts to achieve HIV epidemic control through implementation of evidence-based interventions to drive progress in HIV prevention, care and treatment and ultimately, save lives. 

Objectives

PEPFAR DRC recognizes the importance of engaging with communities in the development and implementation of its HIV programming. PEPFAR will support a community led monitoring initiative in each PEPFAR-supported province in hopes of closing any client feedback gaps that might be accruing and ultimately improve the quality of HIV services. Key deliverables include but are not limited to:

• Collect information and inputs from recipients of HIV services in a routine and systematic manner that will translate into action and change for the client's outcomes.
• Monthly and quarterly sharing of results and feedback with PEFPAR and other key stakeholders.
• Participate in quarterly meetings with PEPFAR, communities, government, and other stakeholders, to provide in-depth discussion of work and results that will ultimately translate in actions and recommendations for program quality improvement.
• Make actionable recommendations to PEPFAR, and the government to improve client care in their provinces.
• Track the implementation of the recommendations.
• Grant recipient is required to have Community-led monitoring findings made as accessible as possible (while ensuring safety and confidentiality) for use by all stakeholders.
• Monitoring data should reflect an 'added value' and not duplicate collection of routine data already available to PEPFAR through its standard reporting. 'Added value' monitoring data includes: information from beneficiaries about their experience with the health facility, information about barriers and enablers to access and retention in services etc.
• CLM mechanisms must be routine to ensure follow up and continuous improvement for sustainability.

The program set to encourage affected communities to be self-reliant and undertake similar activities on their own in the future. 

Funding Information

• Length of performance period: 06 months to 12 months
• Number of awards anticipated: Six (6) awards
• Award amounts: Awards may range up to US Dollars S 100,000.00
• Total available funding: $500,000.00

Eligibility Criteria

CLM funds are meant for activities that are community driven and serve the community at large where they are being funded. The following will be considered eligible for CLM grants: 

• Independent and local/community-based organizations, traditional community groups and faith-based organizations (FBO) (PEPFAR Implementing partners who currently work on service delivery at the site level are not eligible to apply).
• Not-for-profit organizations, including civil society and non-governmental organizations.
• Only organizations registered with the government of the DRC will be considered eligible organizations.
• Eligible organizations must have experience of successfully implementing programs with funding of a minimum of $25,000.00.
• Eligible organizations must have established offices, at least 12 months prior to application submission.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.