Call for Proposals
The Pandemic Fund opened its second Call for Proposals (CfP) on December 22, 2023, and invited interested eligible countries, Regional Entities, and Implementing Entities to develop full proposals for potential projects to be supported by this initial funding. The online application portal closed on May 17, 2024.
The envelope of funding for this CfP is US$500 million. The Pandemic Fund expects that further rounds of funding (3rd and 4th) will likely be launched in 2024-2025, subject to available resources and alignment with the Fund’s Strategic Plan.
In recognition of the high demand for funding demonstrated in the first CfP, the second CfP continues to prioritize high-impact investments in: 1) early warning and disease surveillance systems, 2) laboratory systems, and 3) strengthening human resources/public health and community workforce capacity, including workforce capacity related to human and animal health, to help countries prevent, prepare for, and respond to health emergencies.
For the 2nd CfP, the 16 countries that were awarded single-country grants under the first CfP are not eligible to receive single-country grants under the second CfP. However, these countries may be included in “multi-country” or “Regional Entity” proposals. Countries that were part of successful multi-country grants and/or covered under successful Regional Entity proposals in the first CfP are eligible to apply for both single-country and multi-country grants in the second CfP.
Unsuccessful applicants from the first CfP are encouraged to re-apply during this CfP. It is recommended that applicants review the feedback provided to them on their previous submission before re-applying, and ensure their proposal reflects the considerations in this Guidance Note, as well as information provided in the Scoring and Weighting Methodology.
Timeline and process for the second round of funding
- December 22, 2023:
2nd Call for Proposals announced. Guidance Note released.
March 5, 2024:
Scoring and Weighting Methodology released, which provides information on how the Technical Advisory Panel will score and evaluate proposals, and online application portal launched.APPLICATION PORTAL
- May 17, 2024:
The Pandemic Fund’s application portal closed on May 17, 2024 at 23:59 Eastern Time.
- June - August 2024:
Review of eligible proposals by the Technical Advisory Panel based on the Scoring and Weighting Methodology.
- September – October 2024:
Review of eligible proposals by the Governing Board. Announcement of selected proposals to be funded. Exact dates will be communicated in June and will be based on the number of proposals received.
Priority areas of funding
This Call for Proposals will continue to prioritize high-impact investments in: i) early warning and disease surveillance systems; ii) laboratory systems (human and animal); and iii) strengthening human resources/public health and community workforce capacity, including workforce capacity related to human and animal health, which are in line with relevant Joint External Evaluation 3rd edition (JEE) targets, National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS), One Health and related national and regional health and community systems strengthening plans, as applicable, as well as with the Pandemic Fund’s Results Framework. The second CfP will pay particular attention to community engagement, civil society involvement, gender and broader equity considerations in project design and implementation, and strongly encourages a One Health approach.
Financing is intended for projects that will help strengthen core capacities in one or more of these three priority areas, which present the promise of generating a visible impact in terms of prevention and preparedness to effectively detect and respond to disease outbreaks.
Types of proposals accepted
There are three types of proposals that will be accepted, which include:
- Single-country proposal: This is a proposal submitted by one eligible country along with one or more approved IEs, where the activities of the proposal will occur in and benefit those at the national or sub-national level of the applying country.
- Multi-country proposal: This is a proposal submitted by two or more eligible countries along with one or more approved IEs, where the activities of the proposal will occur in and benefit those at the national or sub-national level of each of the applying countries. A proposal from multiple countries in the same region would also be considered as a “multi-country proposal” and not a Regional Entity proposal.
- Regional Entity proposal: This is a proposal submitted by a Regional Entity (or body or platform) along with one or more approved IEs, where the activities of the proposal will occur in and benefit those at the regional or sub-regional level. A Regional Entity proposal is different from a multi-country proposal because the primary grant beneficiary is a Regional Entity, and not countries.
Key application documents
For details on eligibility and other requirements, please download the Guidance Note below.
Call for Proposals - Guidance Note
The Guidance Note is also available in French and Spanish for your convenience, however the English version should be used as the base.
French / Français
Spanish / Español
Call for Proposals - Application Template
The application must be submitted in English using the online application portal, but PDF versions in French and Spanish will be provided for your convenience.
French / Français
Spanish / Español
Call for Proposals - Scoring and Weighting Methodology
French / Français
Spanish / Español
Call for Proposals - Monitoring & Evaluation Guidelines (draft)
French / Français
Spanish / Español
Call for Proposals - Project-level Results Framework template (v.3)
(please use this version as of May 7, 2024. It will also be uploaded to the Application Portal) [DOWNLOAD]
Call for Proposals - Indicator Menu [DOWNLOAD]
Results Framework
Guiding Principles for Co-financing Co-investment and Country Ownership
Information Sessions
The Pandemic Fund held two information sessions on the requirements on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024 and one information on completing the Monitoring and Evaluation Section on Tuesday, March 16th. Please find below the recordings, as well as the slide deck:
- Session 1 Recording Passcode: Nr8@=p1e
- Session 2 Recording Passcode: &+%g2PGd
- Session 1 & 2 Slide Deck
- Session 3 Recording (Special Session on M&E) Passcode: &s3k=?Ft
- Session 3 M&E Info Session Slide Deck
- WHO EPI-WIN Webinars
- WHO EPI-WIN : Finalizing your Pandemic Fund Proposal Slide Deck
Please follow us on Twitter for the most up-to-date information: @Pandemic_Fund
How to submit your proposal
The Funding Proposal Template should be completed on the Pandemic Fund’s application portal, which is now live. Please review the tutorial video for a step-by-step walk through of the process and review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you have questions, please submit a ticket through the Helpdesk or contact the Pandemic Fund at pandemicfundcfp@worldbank.org.
Language of submission
Proposals, including all accompanying documentation, should be submitted in English. The Pandemic Fund encourages countries to seek assistance from the IE, if required, to secure translation of proposals into English.
Privacy Notice
To participate in this Call for Proposals, the World Bank will collect personal details pertaining to name, business email, business phone, business address, and signature. This data will be destroyed 3 years after the end of the completion of the selection process, except for the selected proposals, where information associated with the applicants’ names may be published by the World Bank and kept for longer. The World Bank may also collect additional information which will be used to produce statistics and aggregated analysis, but such information will be kept in an anonymized format. The World Bank will process your details in accordance with the Call for Proposals and with the Privacy Notice for the World Bank webpages. By submitting a proposal, you agree to the World Bank’s use of your proposal details and processing of your personal data as part of the application process. The World Bank may also publish the applicant’s name in the official page of the Call for Proposals.
ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES AND REGIONAL ENTITIES
All countries and territories that are eligible to receive financing from the International Development Association (IDA) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) are eligible to apply for project funding from the Pandemic Fund (Eligible Countries).
For the purpose of the 2nd Call for Proposals, the 16 countries and territories that were awarded single-country grants under the first CfP are not eligible to receive single-country grants under the second CfP. These include: Burkina Faso, Kingdom of Bhutan, Republic of Cabo Verde, Kingdom of Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of India, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, Republic of Paraguay, Republic of Suriname, Togolese Republic, West Bank and Gaza, Republic of Yemen and the Republic of Zambia. However, these countries/territories may be included in “multi-country” or “Regional Entity” proposals. Countries/territories that were part of successful multi-country grants and/or covered under successful Regional Entity proposals in the first CfP are eligible to apply for both single- country and multi-country grants in the second CfP.
Regional Entities or platforms that are specialized technical institutions established by the governments of one or more eligible countries to support their public health initiatives and strengthen pandemic PPR capacity. Regional development communities or economic organizations may also be considered. Some examples of Regional Entities include the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and West African Health Organization (WAHO). Other regional bodies such as regional development communities or economic organizations may also be considered (e.g., Southern African Development Community (SADC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)). Regional arms of a global organization, generally consisting of Member States grouped within a geographical region of that global organization, would typically not be eligible.
IMPLEMENTING ENTITIES
The Pandemic Fund channels its financing to support project implementation through Implementing Entities that have been approved to date by the Board. Each proposal must identify at least one Implementing Entity from among the thirteen currently approved Implementing Entities (IEs): African Development Bank; Asian Development Bank; Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; European Investment Bank; Inter-American Development Bank; International Finance Corporation; World Bank; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; UNICEF; World Health Organization; the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Please note that for the 2nd CfP, only proposals implemented through IEs that have been approved/accredited by the Pandemic Fund’s Governing Board and have signed a Financial Procedures Agreement (FPA) by the deadline (May 17, 2024) will be eligible to be evaluated by the TAP for the 2nd Call for Proposals. As of November 20, 2024, only the following twelve (12) currently approved Implementing Entities have signed a Financial Procedures Agreement: Asian Development Bank; Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; European Investment Bank; Inter-American Development Bank; International Finance Corporation; World Bank; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; UNICEF; World Health Organization; the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
