Deadline: 10th September 2024
The Hepatitis Fund is pleased to announce a new opportunity for transformative initiatives to promote the elimination of hepatitis.
Scope
- Through this multi-year funding opportunity, organisations can apply for a grant to support their work to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat.
- The grants will be awarded to projects serving populations in low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa, for both hepatitis B and C.
- Proposals must demonstrate close coordination with national programmes and strong commitment and collaboration on the part of national governments. Programme design should be country-led and informed by meaningful engagement with community organisations and civil society .
- Implementation should incorporate people-centred strategies. Specific advocacy activities should also be included and aim to raise awareness, expand and build political support for programmes based on human rights and gender equality.
- THF will prioritise projects that demonstrate ways of securing funding for the expansion and use of innovative approaches. The proposed idea should integrate innovation scientific/technological, socio-cultural and/or multi-sectoral. AI and e-health projects that significantly improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness will be prioritised. healthcare THF will be focussing on new technologies, simplifying processes and improving patient outcomes. THF will pay special attention to technologies that optimise resource allocation, reduce operating costs and improve data management, ultimately leading to a more agile and sustainable healthcare system.
- THF-funded projects can include the purchase of products (e.g. medicines and diagnostic equipment) for the purposes of the project and within the agreed budget.
- THF encourages beneficiaries to purchase treatment products using price ceilings agreed by THF, CHAI, Viatris and Hetero or the lowest prices available in the country of implementation.
- THF allocates funds to its beneficiaries through a competitive process for each call for proposals . Meeting all the specified requirements does not guarantee that your proposal will be chosen.
- THF will consider project proposals divided into two strands:
- The advancement of elimination planning and financing activities, particularly through the provision of technical assistance to support national government leaders.
- O development or provision of programme services by the implementing organisation.
Tracks
- Applications must be aligned with the following specific paths and challenges:
- Track 1: Using data and technology to inform planning and financing
- Harness the power of data to engage senior leaders and make data easy to understand for key stakeholders so that they are mobilised to tackle the burden of hepatitis. For example, there are untapped databases that provide data, modelling tools and decision analyses to support the elimination of hepatitis B and C worldwide by 2030.
- Work with Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance officials to develop strategic funding approaches. While most countries with a significant burden/prevalence of viral hepatitis have national action plans to address the disease, these are often limited in scope, ambition and implementation to achieve elimination goals due to perceived insurmountable costs.
- Examples of activities include, but are not limited to:
- Funding a viral hepatitis elimination plan
- Making the investment case for eliminating hepatitis
- Examining innovative financing mechanisms to meet these costs
- Presenting the results of funding strategies to demonstrate to other countries what is possible
- Establish collection, monitoring and modelling of quality national data
- Training to monitor and evaluate hepatitis programme indicators
- Provide technical expertise to key decision-makers in governments to advance their top priorities for testing and treating viral hepatitis.
- Track 2: Development of programmes to provide services
- Saving lives by promoting maternal, newborn and child health
- Vertical transmission (also known as mother-to-child transmission, or MTCT) is the most common form of HBV transmission in many high-prevalence areas, such as East Asia and Africa, and can occur in up to 90% of infants of mothers with chronic hepatitis B if specific antenatal and perinatal interventions are not provided. Childbirth facilities are an underutilised channel for providing comprehensive services for the prevention of HBV infection in children. children In particular, vaccination against HBV with the birth dose. Integrating prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HBV (PMTCT) into routine perinatal care promotes maternal, newborn and child health and strengthens healthcare systems in general.
- Illustrative activities include, but are not limited to:
- Increasing facility-based delivery
- Expand and implement timely vaccination by dose at birth
- Increase uptake, availability and quality of HBV PMTCT services among pregnant women
- Evaluate and develop strategies to address the implementation of PMTCT services for HBV.
- Accelerating access to tests and treatment approaches
- Implement efficient and innovative approaches to accelerate hepatitis testing in populations to identify people who have chronic infection and link them to appropriate care.
- Illustrative activities include, but are not limited to:
- Decentralisation of hepatitis services and change of tasks in hepatitis treatment
- Raising awareness of the challenge and solutions of viral hepatitis
- Integrating the provision of people-centred hepatitis services into universal health coverage
- Ensure equitable access to essential medicines and technologies to combat viral hepatitis by improving procurement systems
- Screening key populations and addressing the stigma associated with viral hepatitis infections.
- Integrate hepatitis care into other relevant health programmes.
- Increase the general competences of health professionals related to viral hepatitis testing and treatment.
- Development and use of e-health tools and secure and economical communication technologies as essential facilitators in health services
- Raising awareness and communicating patient education (e.g. involving civil society and patient support groups)
- Sharing best practices and lessons learnt to facilitate expanded implementation in all countries
- Saving lives by promoting maternal, newborn and child health
- Track 1: Using data and technology to inform planning and financing
- On both fronts, the THF encourages and prioritises e-health initiatives that improve and promote the sharing of health data and innovative, evidence-based approaches to facilitate access to tests and connection to care and treatment.
- For Track 2 programmes on Service Delivery, THF encourages all projects to include and integrate the local community, local government and activities to raise awareness and demand.
- Advocacy efforts should be specifically tailored and integrated into service delivery programmes to raise awareness and garner political support for the programmes.
Information on financing
- The number and size of individual awards will vary depending on the scope of the proposed projects and the availability of funds. Applicants may submit a maximum of two different applications.
- For the Track 1 project, THF foresees that the awards will not exceed US$ 250,000 and will be limited to a grant period of 18 months.
- For Track 2 projects, two maximum amounts will be allocated, depending on the scope and number of countries where the project will be implemented.
- For multinational or regional projects (at least three countries), the planned THF awards will not exceed US$ 1,000,000 per year and will be limited to a grant period of 36 months.
- For single country or regional projects, the planned awards from the Hepatitis Fund will not exceed 500,000 dollars per year and will be limited to a grant period of 36 months.
Election criteria
- The proposal is eligible for consideration if it meets the following criteria:
- The main aim of the project is to advance efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis
- The proposal addresses at least one of the THF's programme guidelines
- The proposed approach is innovative
- The proposal is sustainable and scalable
- The proposal targets low- and middle-income countries in Africa or Asia
- The organisation has the capacity to implement the project
- The project has a strong community involvement approach
- Organisational eligibility criteria
- To apply for a grant, organisations must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Have demonstrated success and a proven track record in carrying out similar or related endeavours
- Have solid working relationships with host governments and other partners and/or a clear plan to develop and maintain such relationships
- Be in good financial standing
- Are able to fulfil the required due diligence requirements
- Are able to launch project activities within 90 days of receiving project funds
- If there was a deficit in any of the previous two fiscal years, include a letter signed by the CEO/Director describing the reason for the deficit and the corrective measures taken to overcome it.
- To apply for a grant, organisations must meet the following eligibility criteria:
Ineligible
- The following categories/purposes are not eligible for funding:
- Research basic and early development work
- Direct financing to government entities
- Grants for individuals and scholarships
- Event sponsorship
- Start-up funding for newly established organisations
- Funds to settle existing debts/financial obligations
- Funds for retroactive purposes
- Subsidies for postgraduate research work
- Funds to support lobbying activities
- Funds to support sub-grantees for project implementation
- The following types of organisations are not eligible for funding:
- Entities without a bank account under their commercial registration
- Non-charitable organisations
- Government organisations
- Entities in legal proceedings
- Entities that have declared bankruptcy
For more information, visit The Hepatitis Fund .
