Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM)

Policies & Guidelines

Last update: 03/14/2017

  1. Purpose and Scope of the RRM
  2. The RRM provides grants that respond to urgent emerging, unanticipated and/or time-bound opportunities that will help FP2020 meet its goal of enabling 120 million more women and girls using contraceptives by 2020.
  3. The RRM supports projects that amplify existing Family Planning programs in an FP2020 focus country. RRM grants are catalytic, unblocking challenges to stimulate FP2020 work and aims.
  4. The RRM is anchored in principles of: voluntarism, informed choice, participation, protection against coercion and accountability.
  5. RRM funding is disbursed rapidly by the FP2020 Secretariat and must be spent within a maximum of 12 months by the Grantee.The vast majority of RRM-funded projects last3 to 6months.
  6. Awards will not exceed US$ 250,000. However, the vast majority of RRM-funded projects receive less than US$100,000.
  7. The RRM follows a dual track, being either (1) a consultancy-based contract or (2) an activity-based grant around one of four main themes:
  • Technical assistance provided to key stakeholders in need of expert support (for example, the cost of a high-level consultant in supply chain management).

Providing expert advice and assistance to strengthen government capacity to develop and implement improved family planning policies and programs. Technical assistance can either be provided by an organization with demonstrated expertise in a specific subject, or an external consultant. Technical assistance is generally supported by the RRM through a deliverable-based contract (not an activity-based grant).

  • Non-routine training of family planning providers (for example, to train Community Health Extension Workers after a new task-shifting policy has been passed).

The RRM mostly supports training and post-training activities on family planning to service providers and other key stakeholders, using a specific curriculum that has been approved by the national government.

  • Advocacy, including evidence-based advocacy through a pilot project (for example, gather evidence through a pilot on the positive effects of youth-friendly FP services, to influence/inform upcoming budgetary negotiations and secure increased funding for this type of service).

Advocacy is defined as a strategic series of actions designed to influence those who hold governmental, political, economic, or private power in order to effect change. General awareness-raising or education on family planning are not eligible for funding by the RRM.

  • Increasing access for hard to reach and marginalized groups, including adolescents and youth, and in post-crisis contexts.

1.7.The RRM cannot be used to fund the following:

  • General awareness-raising or education on family planning
  • Purchase of contraceptives
  • Government staff salaries or honorariums
  • Scholarships to individuals
  • Fees to attend a conference
  • Basic research, academic studies or surveys
  • Capital equipment (such as machinery, vehicles, IT equipment, and office furniture)
  1. Eligibility Criteria
  2. Registered NGOs, CSOs and INGOs, governments, private and UN organizations are eligible.
  3. Applicants must have a bank account registered to the organization’s name.
  4. Your project must be implemented in an FP2020 focus country (see list here).
  5. The FP2020 Secretariat will support no more than two concurrent RRM grants to the same organization at any given time.
  1. Application Guidelines
  2. The FP2020 Secretariat accepts new RRM applications on a rolling basis.
  3. Prospective organizations can apply through two distinct channels:
  4. On-line application form on the FP2020 website (recommended)
  5. Off-line application package (3 documents: narrative, budget and workplan), available for download on the RRM webpage
  6. The FP2020Secretariat strongly encourages applicants to use the forms andtemplates provided on our website.
  7. Proposed budgets should:
  8. Clearly identify reasonable quantities and unit prices.
  9. Reflect the activities described in the narrative proposal to facilitate a strong link between inputs, outputs and outcomes.
  10. Have transparent and verifiable methods for calculating costs.
  11. Be consistent and enable comparison of costs over time.
  12. Be built on budget categories defined by FP2020 (see template).
  13. Reflect a realistic rate of utilization of funds, taking into consideration absorption capacity of the applicant.
  14. Be arithmetically accurate.
  15. Fall within the available maximum allocation amount under the RRM funding criteria (see 1.5.)
  16. Selection of RRM applications is competitive, based on how relevant the proposed project is to fulfill the RRM mandate and how much funding is available at any given time. Applicants must demonstrate that the grant will help address an unanticipated need or urgent opportunity and that there are clear benefits or reasons to secure rapid funding.
  17. Selection of RRM grants will be handled by the FP2020 Secretariat, in consultation with our country support teams as appropriate.
  18. All grants will undergo a degree of validation and due diligence. In addition to their narrative form, budget and workplan, the following documents must be provided by each applicant:
  • Registration Documents

Always required – Unless the applicant is a government body, it is mandatory to be registered or incorporated in the proposed country of implementation. Alternatively, applicants can provide official registration documents from their main country of operations.

  • Audit report or Bank Letter

Always required – Unless the applicant is a government body, it is mandatory to provide a recent annual audit of accounts signed by a certified auditor. Where there is no record of an audit available, a letter from the organization’s bank is required.

  • Commitment Letter

If the applicant plans to implement its proposed project jointly with one or several partner organization(s), it must provide a Letter of Commitment describing the terms of the partnership and the roles and responsibilities of each partner during the project. This letter must be signed by the applicant and a representative of the implementing partner.

  • Support Letter

If the proposed project budget exceeds US$25,000, the applicant must submit a letter of support from an FP2020 commitment entity.

Templates of these documents are available on the RRM webpage in the “Resources” section.

  1. Reporting Requirements
  2. The FP2020 Secretariat is committed to keepthe RRM’s reporting requirements as light-touch as possible. We do not require a full M&E plan or logical framework.
  3. The FP2020 Secretariat requires a mid-term report to describe in narrative form the achievements of the first half of the project.
  4. The FP2020 Secretariat requires a final report,typically within 60 days of the end of the project. This report needs to describe in narrative fashion what was achieved with the grant funds and provide a full financial accounting of the grant funds.
  5. Reporting templates will be shared by the FP2020 Secretariat one month prior to the reporting deadline.
  6. RRM Grantees are asked to be as objective and open as possible in evaluating their progress. There are many potential obstacles to being able to deliver any project as planned. It is helpful forthe FP2020 Secretariat to understand implementation challenges to advise Grantees on how to achieve the best possible outcomes for their beneficiaries.
  7. In addition to the reports described above, RRM Grantees are encouraged to submit intermittent updates of grant activities, providing a sense of what the organization is accomplishing with the grant.
  8. The FP2020 Secretariat may decide to conduct an independent case study to document and assess the grant’s impact. In that case, the RRM Grantee is expected to support and accommodate the work of an external consultant to carry out the study.
  1. Disbursement and Use of the Funds
  2. Funding for RRM grants is typically disbursed in two tranches, according to the following schedule:
  3. 80% of the total amount upon execution of the Grant Agreement, and
  4. 20% of the total amount upon receipt of a satisfactory mid-term report.
  5. Payments received by the Grantee from the FP2020 Secretariat may be expended only for the purposes outlined in the approved scope of work. No other uses are authorized without the express, written consent of the FP2020 Secretariat.
  6. Grantees are required to submit a detailed project amendment request to the FP2020 Secretariat if they wish to:
  7. Reallocate funding between budget lines for changes +/- 10% of original budget line amount.
  8. Obtain a no-cost extension.
  9. Cancel an approved activity from their Activity Plan.
  10. Add a new activity to their Activity Plan.