Background and overview of program

UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children Background

In 2012, the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children (the Commodities Commission) was formed to call attention to the need for increasing access to and use of critical medicines and health supplies in the countries where the most women, newborns, and children under five die each year.Specifically, the Commodities Commission released a reportthat outlined a priority list of 13 reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) commodities that can prevent and treat many of the leading causes of death in these countries.

The Commodities Commission report also outlines ten bold and innovative recommendations to catalyze changes in the way the 13 commodities are produced, distributed, and used, estimating that the effective implementation of the recommendations could result in saving the lives of six million women and children over five years.

The Commodities Commission was established as part of the global Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) movement, which seeks to mobilize and intensify global action to address the main treatable health challenges facing women and children in the poorest countries. EWEC is guided by the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, which includes a specific challenge to global and national leaders to increase access to and appropriate use of essential medicines, medical devices, and health supplies—or commodities—that effectively address the leading avoidable causes of death during pregnancy, childbirth,postpartum, and early childhood.The availability and affordability of commodities underpin the success of broader RMNCH efforts, including, but not limited to, the following complementary EWEC initiatives: Child Survival Call to Action: A Promise Renewed,[i] Family Planning 2020,[ii]and Every Newborn.[iii]

A group of eight countries—Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda—were identified as pathfinder countries to develop evidence-based, costed workplans in line with the Commodities Commission’s recommendations.

Led by ministry of health officials, with support from partners, each pathfinder government developed a “catalytic workplan” that augments or builds on existing programs and strategies in each country.This is intended to ensure a coordinated approach with EWEC initiatives and other related RMNCH plans. The workplans prioritized commodities and recommendations based on country-specific evidence, programs, and opportunities.These plans were costed, and in 2013, the Commodities Commission provided one-year catalytic grants to the eight pathfinder countries to implement an initial year of activities.The Commodities Commission funds for the catalytic workplans are to be used in a coordinated and complementary way with other funding streams already present in each country, including those for EWEC-related initiatives.

Spotlight on advocacy

Dedicated and coordinated advocacy is essential for ensuring that the necessary resources, policies, and political will are available to realize the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health goals, including the objectives of the Commodities Commission and complementary EWECinitiatives, such asthe Child Survival Call to Action: A Promise Renewed, Family Planning 2020,and Every Newborn.Only through coordinated advocacy will expanded access to RMNCH commodities and programs be scaled-up and sustained.

Under the Commodities Commission, a diverse group of partners formed an advocacy working group[iv], which seeks to promote joint planning and advocacy to ensure that an amplified and unified voice of relevant stakeholders from different sectors are motivating the implementation of global and country commitments under EWEC.Jointly, through advocacy and programming across the RMNCH continuum, these initiatives are working to improve access to lifesaving commodities and programs for women, newborns, and children.

Advocacy initiative and grants

By March 2014, the Advocacy Working Group will identify advocacy focal point organizations and make grants up to US$50,000 in Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.The funding, made available through support from the RMNCH Fund,[v]will be used to work with relevant stakeholders to develop an advocacy strategy and implement activities that build policymaker support for addressing RMNCH issues, including commodity-related gaps, in alignment with larger EWEC initiatives.

The Advocacy Working Group is seeking applications from partner organizations in each of the four identified pathfinder countries to develop and implement a policy advocacy strategy.Applicant organizationsmust be registered/incorporated as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) or nonprofit organization in Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, or Uganda; local organizations will be prioritized. The advocacy working group seeks proposals that complement the national catalytic workplan by identifying opportunities and gaps for RMNCH policy advocacy.Proposed activities should seek to enhance specific aspects of the country’s catalytic workplan.Advocacy activities do not need to focus on all commodities and recommendationsoutlined by the Commodities Commission report, but should address a set of commodities and related services and programs across the RMNCH spectrum relevant to country-specific needs and priorities, including other EWEC and country RMNCH plans.[vi]Applicant organizations are expected to demonstrate relevant examples of previous work advocating to government and/or policy decision-makers, as well as successful partnerships and collaborations.

On behalf of the RMNCH Fund and the Advocacy Working Group, PATH may make up to two awards per country, of no more than $50,000 per award.Funding will expire March 31, 2015.

Grant deliverables

The Advocacy Working Group will provide funding through March 31, 2015 to support NGOs to conduct advocacy in support of new, improved, and/or updated policies and funding as related to RMNCH commodities, programs, and services.

The key deliverables of the grants are:

  1. Develop and implement a policy advocacy strategy with objectives and related activities thataim to influence decision-makers to change policies and/or resource allocation to improve accessibility and availability of the 13 priority commodities and related programs and services,based on needs identified by the country’s catalytic work plan and as outlined in other RMNCH plans and policies.

Note: Deliverables will not necessarily correspond to each of the 13 commodities and related recommendations, but rather the relevant commodities within each country where advocacy for specific policy change and resource allocation may be needed.Proposals that seek to address issues that relate to two or more categories of commodities will be prioritized.

  1. Strengthen information sharing, communication, and collaboration between NGOs working on various RMNCH advocacy efforts under the EWEC umbrella, including the Commodities Commission, Child Survival Call to Action: A Promise Renewed, Family Planning 2020,and Every Newborn.

Activities funded by the grants

Each application must include a project proposal that outlines illustrative or potential advocacy activitiesto be carried out fromApril 2014 through March 2015in support of the grant deliverables (as outlined above).The activities should focus on efforts that will support progress toward changes in policies or resource allocation to support the goals of the Commodities Commission and other EWEC initiatives.Applicants are encouraged to think creatively and resourcefully when developing their proposal.[vii]Grant periods can be no longer than a maximum of 12 months; therefore activities must be shown to achieve resultsand progress toward policy change and/or resource allocation in a one-year period.Applicants are encouraged to refer to and draw from ideas as outlined in the Scaling Up Lifesaving Commodities for Women, Children, and Newborns Advocacy Toolkitand their country’s catalytic workplan (See Annex 3) when developing their proposals.[viii]

Advocacy strategy development workshops

As outlined in the application form (Annex 1), grant applicants are expected to develop illustrative draft advocacy workplans as part of the application.At least one staff member from each grantee organization will be required to attend and actively participate in a four-day advocacy strategy development workshop in April or May 2014 (schedule of workshops listed below).The representative attending the workshop must be a staff member who will serve as the organizational point of contact and be responsible for ensuring all activities and deadlines under the grant are met.

The purpose of these workshops is to bring diverse partners together to develop advocacy strategies targeted at changing policies and resource allocations in support of the goals of the Commodities Commission and other EWEC initiatives. The workshop will provide the opportunity to take the plan developed in the application and refine and adapt to reflect current or ongoing advocacy efforts by partners. Grantees will be expected to further refine their strategies after the workshop and submit to PATH for final approval before advocacy activities begin.

An advocacy strategy development workshop will be held in each of the four focus countries (Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda) for grant recipients and a select number of targeted partners, identified by the Advocacy Working Group, who will support advocacy efforts for the goals of the Commodities Commission and other EWEC initiatives (e.g.Child Survival Call to Action: A Promise Renewed, Family Planning 2020,and Every Newborn).

Schedule of workshops:

DATE / LOCATION
Week of April 28 /
  • Dakar, Senegal
  • Kampala, Uganda

Week of May 5 /
  • Lilongwe, Malawi
  • Freetown, Sierra Leone

Specific details on exact location, logistics, and other information will be shared with grant recipients and other partners selected to participate in each workshop. Additional workshop-related funds will not be provided to grant recipients; workshop-related costs will be billable under the grant.

In addition to participating in a workshop, grantee organizations are expected to participate in monthly calls of the global Commodities Commission Advocacy Working Group. This group will provide a platform to share progress at the country level as well as learn about efforts globally to support the goals of the Commodities Commission.

Grantee organizations will also be expected to convene partners, including those who participate in the advocacy strategy development workshops, to ensure ongoing coordination and collaboration in advocacy for RMNCH commodities and related programs and services.

Guidelines for application

To be considered for this funding, an applicant organization must be registered/incorporated as an NGO or nonprofit organization in Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, or Uganda; local organizations will be prioritized.We will only accept one application per organization.

In the application form, applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to demonstrate:

  • An understanding of the RMNCH policy environment within their country.
  • Familiarity with their government’s approved Commodities Commission country plan.
  • Advocacy experience to improve support for RMNCH commodities and programs and successful collaborationamong decision-makers and policymakers, including parliamentarians and ministry officials.
  • Strong experience and demonstrated ability to work in partnership with other RMNCH-focused organizations—membership/leadership in advocacy networks and alliances is strongly desired.

Consortiums

Existing coalitions and consortiums are encouraged to submit applications. The consortium must identify one lead agency who will apply on behalf of consortium or coalition partners. The lead agency will be responsible foroverall management of activities, and will assume financial accountability to PATH. The lead agency will also be responsible for all reporting requirements under the award. Please submit only one application per consortium or coalition.

Applicants are asked to not form new consortiums, coalitions, or partnerships to respond to this RFA. Opportunities to engage a variety of key partners in final advocacy strategy activities will be identified at advocacy strategy development workshops; as such, please ensure that only existing entities (represented by a single lead agency) apply for funding. Applicants applying as a consortium will be required to submit documentation (such as a consortium or coalition charter or terms of reference) to demonstrate the consortium structure and history.

Lead agencies or organizations are allowed to sub-grant to other coalition or consortium partners, provided a previous working relationship between the organizations is established. Anticipated sub-grant recipient organizations are required to submit a signed letter of commitment in the final RFA submission. Additionally, sub-grantee organizations must submit an individual budget outlining the proposed activities that correspond to the amount to be sub-awarded.

Selection process

Applications will be evaluated by a review committee comprised of representatives from the Commodities Commission Advocacy Working Group Steering Committee and Commodities Commission Country Focal Points, using a standardized evaluation checklist (Annex 2) for each application reviewed.Every effort will be made to provide written notification of the review committee’s decision to applicants within approximately one month of the application submission due date.

Monitoring and reporting requirements for grantees

Organizations are accountablefor the appropriate utilization of all project funds.Grantees must submit financial and narrative progress reports within 30 days of the end of the project’s activities to PATH.Progress reports must indicate the progress toward meeting the timelines and outcomes agreed upon in the final grant strategy.

Grantees will also be expected to explain any notable deviations from the application and the steps being taken to remedy these deviations.The grantee organizations will be notified of the reporting schedule upon issuance of the final award.

Submission of materials

All application materials must be submitted via email to by 19 February 2014, at 11:59 p.m. EST.Applications submitted by mail, fax, or other methods will not be considered.Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applicants will receive confirmation of their submission within 24 hours.

Applications may be submitted in French, if that is the primary language of the country. However, the organization must have the ability to conduct business in English, as monthlyAdvocacy Working Group Steering Committee conference callsare conducted in English, and grantees are expected to participate in those meetings.

1

Annex 1: Application Form

Instructions to applicants: Use this form to develop your application. Please limit the length to eight pages (not including the cover page or the budget attachment). Submit application by email to .For any questions, please contact .

Note: Applicant organizations are encouraged to refer to provided resource materials (Annex 3), specifically the Advocacy Toolkit,when developing their application.

Name of applicant organization to receive funds
Please include the full name and any abbreviations.
Organizations must be registered or incorporated in the country to be considered. Please attach a copy of local registration/incorporation of organization with submission.
Point of contact name
Please include the name and title of the person responsible for overseeing the advocacy activities (i.e. most likely to attend the workshop) and their email address.
Country
Contact information
(mailing address, email, and telephone)
Website address (if available)
Audited financial records
Please submit a copy of the organization’s most recent audited financial reports.

Please adhere to the following format in outlining your proposed initiative.The narrative sections of the applications (sections 1-7) must not exceed 8 pages total.

  1. Introduction

Describe briefly the background and rationale for the activities being proposed. Please ensure your response specifically addresses the following questions:

  • What are the major opportunities for advocacy on the Commodities Commission 13 priority commodities and related RMNCH programs and services in your country and why?[ix]
  • Which of the 13 RMNCH commodities (as identified by the Commodities Commission) and related recommendations or programs/services should be prioritized for advocacy in your country and why?
  • What are some of the specific policy or resource allocation changes that you want to work toward and why?*
  • How do these opportunities relate to your country’s Commodities Commission catalytic workplan (i.e. how do they help to further the plan or address gaps)?
  • How will addressing the gaps or opportunities further the goals of broader EWEC initiatives that have been launched in your country (e.g.Child Survival Call to Action: A Promise Renewed, Family Planning 2020,and Every Newborn)?

*Note that while changing/revising policies and allocation of resources may be the ultimate goal, it is understood that this may not be feasible in the timeframe of this grant; activities must be able to demonstrate progress toward the ultimate goal of policy change and resource allocation.

  1. Project objectives

Describe up to three objectives to be accomplished during the project period. For each objective, explain how it will contribute to the overall achievement of developing policies and allocating resources that increase availability of and accessibility toRMNCH commodities, programs and services.

  1. Major activities

Describe the major activities the organization will conduct and how they will contribute to achieve the objectives described above.In addition, complete the draft workplan template below.

Some key points to consider:

  • Current RMNCH commodity and program advocacy efforts that you are already undertaking that could be leveraged.
  • Existing working groups, coalitions, and coordinating mechanisms within the country that would offer opportunities for collaboration.
  • Integral milestones that need to be achieved in order to accomplish the objectives.
  • Realistic activities that can be accomplished within the timeframe of the award in pursuit of a longer term goal.

2014 / 2015
April / May / June / July / Aug / Sept / Oct / Nov / Dec / Jan
Example Objective 1:Ensure the four priority newborn commodities are included on the country’s Essential Medicines List.
Example Activity 1.1
Develop fact sheet on status of newborn health in country. / X
Activity 1.2
Activity 1.3
Objective 2:
Activity 2.1
Activity 2.2
Activity 2.3
Objective 3:
Activity 3.1
Activity 3.2
Activity 3.3

Please note: this activity plan should provide well thought-out, illustrative examples of potential advocacy activities. These proposed activities will not be considered final.It is expected that all grant recipients will attend a strategy development workshop in March 2014, where a more detailed workplan will be developed and refined.