Deadline extended until 30 October: Call for applications for the Stop TB Partnership's Challenge Facility for Civil Society Round 7

8 October 2015 – Geneva, Switzerland – The Stop TB Partnership launched the call for the seventh round of the Challenge Facility for Civil Society (CFCS) in September. The CFCS provides grants to technically sound and innovative interventions to support the engagement of communities in national tuberculosis (TB) responses.

Community responses are vital components of an efficient and effective TB response[i]. Starting with Round 7, the CFCS, in countries supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, will invest significantly in community responses that are integrated and are part of a comprehensive response to TB. The Global Fund invests in community systems strengthening to build the capacity of community groups who can engage in the TB response at community and national levels. The CFCS compliments these investments.

To reach its goal of strengthening community responses that are integrated and part of a comprehensive response to TB the three primary objectives of Round 7 funding are to:

1. Strengthen existing or new national level TB constituencies that engage, represent and are accountable to communities.
2. Reinforce the capacities & responses of local communities who are part of the TB response.
3. Tighten linkages, collaboration and coordination between local communities and government.

Grants of up to US$60,000 will be awarded for a 12 -15 month period and grant implementation will be in two phases:

- In Phase I (3-5 months) grantees will conduct assessments at country level to strengthen or build a national TB constituency that engages, represents and is accountable to communities.

- In Phase II (9-12 months), following on from Phase I, the national TB constituency, under the mentorship of the grantee will work to strengthen community responses, especially the linkages, collaboration and coordination between community groups, public agencies, the Global Fund Country Coordination Mechanism and other actors.   
 
Expected Results
 
Local level: A strengthened, integrated and comprehensive TB response that explicitly responds to community needs.
 
National level: Effective community engagement, strengthened representation and subsequent accountability to communities in the national TB response, as well as strengthened linkages and partnerships between community groups, public agencies, the Global Fund Country Coordination Mechanism and other actors.
 
Global level: Documented best practices and evidence based recommendations to enhance community responses that are integrated and part of a comprehensive response to TB, which can be adapted and replicated in other countries.

Applicants must have experience working on HIV or TB with a focus of civil society and community related issues. They must have an understanding of Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria processes. Countries in which applicants propose to work must be recipients of a Global Fund TB or TB/HIV grant and be a TB, MDR-TB, or TB/HIV high burden country.

To review proposals and select those to be funded, the CFCS has an independent Selection Committee. The committee makes recommendations to the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat and final funding decisions are made by the Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board.
 
To apply, applicants need to complete the online application form.
Applications can be filled out in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese.
The deadline to complete applications has now been extended until 30 October 2015 (11:59 PM Geneva time).
For more information on CFCS Round 7 please visit our website.
 
Please direct questions to [email protected]
 
[i] Developing Country NGO Delegation Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Statement on Health and Community System Strengthening: Is health systems strengthening excluding community systems? 2015
http://developingngo.org/article.php?page=39

Source: Stop TB Partnership