14 June 2019 | Geneva, Switzerland - The TB REACH Wave 7 first stage is now closed, and the independent Proposal Review Committee has invited 149 applicants from 52 countries to submit a Stage 2 proposal for TB projects that impact women’s empowerment. Competition was fierce with over 585 applications received, requesting over $200 million in funding. The selected projects currently total $69 million in requested funds.
In this Wave, TB REACH aims to fund and support people-centered approaches to TB care that have the potential to contribute to empowerment of women and girls. Many of the projects selected to advance to the next stage recognize the central role that women play within families and communities and propose interventions that impact TB outcomes but also advance the role of women in local decision-making, shift harmful gender norms, and address gender inequities within TB programs.
While contributing to gender-transformative approaches in TB, proposed Wave 7 interventions are not short on innovation! From using artificial intelligence and new point of care diagnostics for tackling extra-pulmonary and pulmonary TB, to using radical tools for improving treatment adherence, the next stage will see steep competition among interventions capable of transforming TB care. Projects focused on private sector partnerships also had a strong presence in this wave.
Stop TB Partnership’s TB REACH is a multi-lateral funding platform primarily supported by Global Affairs Canada, with additional funding from the United States Agency for International Development, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and National Philanthropic Trust. TB REACH provides grants to partners for testing innovative approaches and technologies aimed at increasing the number of people diagnosed and treated for TB, decreasing the time to appropriate treatment and improving treatment success rates.
We would like to thank everyone who submitted an application. The selected applicants will submit Stage 2 proposals by 17th July. These will provide more in-depth methodologies and detail the impact of proposed interventions. Final decisions on Wave 7 selections will be made at the beginning of September.