24 September 2013 - Geneva - TB REACH, an initiative of the Stop TB Partnership that aims to increase the number of people with tuberculosis (TB) who are found and provided with quality care, has launched a call for applications for its fourth wave of funding.
Partners of the Stop TB Partnership, national TB programmes, HIV programmes, local and international NGOs, civil society and community-based organizations can apply for this fast-track funding which encourages the use of innovative approaches among poor, vulnerable and at-risk populations.
Seventy-eight countries are eligible for wave four funding. Applicants can propose all types of innovative TB case finding interventions, however they are encouraged to focus on detecting TB in the following populations: mining-affected communities, migrants, children, incarcerated persons and indigenous populations and ethnic minorities. TB REACH will prioritize funding for applicants who can provide co-funding as well as those that propose scaling up interventions to a provincial or national level.
There will be a separate funding track limited to civil society and small domestic NGOs. This funding will be limited in scope but will provide small organizations with a chance to access TB REACH funds to support early and increased TB case detection and improved treatment outcomes in the communities they serve.
Due to overwhelming demand in previous waves, TB REACH has instituted a two-stage process to review proposals. Applicants must first submit a letter of intent (LOI) to TB REACH that will be reviewed by the Proposal Review Committee in December 2013. Organizations that are shortlisted following the review of LOIs will be invited to submit a full application later in December.
Detailed information about Wave Four, the LOI, the proposal review process, eligible countries, some of the different types of interventions that would be appropriate and other requirements for submission are available on the Stop TB Partnership website. The deadline for submitting LOIs for Wave 4 is 8 November 2013.
TB REACH was launched in January 2010 with multi-year grant support from the Canadian Government. TB REACH provides short-term, fast-track grants to projects that aim to achieve early and increased TB case detection using innovative approaches in populations that are poor and vulnerable and have limited access to care. Projects are selected via a competitive process by an independent Proposal Review Committee. To ensure the evidence of impact, an independent monitoring and evaluation agency is responsible for measuring progress and validating results. TB REACH has so far supported 109 projects in 44 countries through three waves of funding. Results of the first two waves of funding have demonstrated substantial increases in case detection in some of the most underserved and vulnerable population groups.