Pandemic Fund Second Call for Proposals Frequently Asked Questions

The application deadline is May 17, 2024 at 23:59 EDT (23:59 UCT-4).  Applications will not be accepted after this time. 

The Pandemic Fund Application portal will open on March 5th, 2024 and close on May 17th, 2024. During this time applicants can submit their proposals. Please watch the tutorial video for a step-by-step walk through of the process.  

There is no Expression of Interest for the 2nd Call for Proposals. 

There are three types of proposals that will be accepted, which include:  

  1. 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. 
     
  2. 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. 
     
  3. 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 than a multi-country proposal because the primary grant beneficiary is a Regional Entity, and not countries. 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.

Any country/territory that is eligible to receive funding from IBRD and/or IDA is eligible, in principle, to receive funding from the Pandemic Fund. Please review those on the web page listed under the headers “IDA”, “Blend” and “IBRD”.  

It may be noted, however, that the 16 countries/territories that were awarded single-country grants under the first CfP are not eligible to receive single-country grants under the second CfP including: 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 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. 

Funding proposals (referred to hereafter as “proposals”) may be submitted by: 

  1. An Eligible Country, groups of Eligible Countries, or a Regional Entity or Entities (as defined below), working with one or more IEs (as defined below); or  
     
  2. IEs (as defined below), working with a group of Eligible Countries or with a Regional Entity or Entities (as defined below), for multi-country or Regional Entity proposals.  

 

Single-country proposals must be submitted by the potential applicant country with the IE(s) clearly identified. Such proposals must be accompanied by a cover letter signed by (a) a representative of the Ministry of Finance, a representative of the Ministry of Health, and other relevant Ministry/Department/entity from the applicant(s) and (b) representatives of the identified IEs, and where possible, other delivery partners, acknowledging co-ownership, co-creation, and commitment.
 

Multi-country proposals may be submitted by one of the potential applicant countries or an IE, as long as the proposal demonstrates that it has been co-created and that there is co-ownership amongst all parties. Such proposals must be accompanied by a cover letter signed by (a) a representative from each country’s Ministry of Finance, a representative from each country’s Ministry of Health, and other relevant Ministry/Department/entity from the applicants and (b) representatives of the identified IEs, and where possible, other delivery partners, acknowledging co-ownership, co-creation, and commitment. 
 

Regional Entity proposals may be submitted by either a Regional Entity applicant or an IE as long as the proposal demonstrates that it has been co-created and that there is co-ownership amongst all parties. The proposal must be accompanied by a cover letter signed by the representative(s) of the applicant Regional Entity (-ies) and representatives of the identified IEs, and where possible, other delivery partners, acknowledging co-ownership, co-creation, and commitment. 

An example Cover Letter template is available to download in the application portal for convenience, however applicants are not required to follow the template. 

An individual country may submit a maximum of one single-country proposal, but may be included in any number of multi-country proposals.  

There are no limits on the number of multi-country proposals that can be submitted. Furthermore, there are no limits on the number of multi-country proposals that any country may take part in. There are also no limits on the number of proposals an IE may take part in. However, evidence of coordination of, and coherence among single-country and multi-country proposals will be required when a country is involved in several proposals. 

Regional Entities may only submit a maximum of one proposal for the same geographic area (i.e., Regional Entities may submit multiple applications, but they cannot cover the same sub-region). Regional Entities awarded funding in the first CfP are not eligible to submit another proposal that covers the same geographic area that was awarded funding in the first CfP. 

Single-country proposals may request up to US$25 million. Multi-country proposals may request up to US$40 million for any one proposal. Regional Entity proposals may request up to US$40 million for any one proposal. 

You will receive an automated email from the Pandemic Fund through the Survey Monkey Apply platform. Please check your spam folder and allow emails from noreply@mail.smapply.net  

Please reset your password by clicking on the “Forgot your password?” link found on the log-in page. Ensure you are using approved browsers. If issues persist, please submit a Helpdesk ticket.

Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge are supported browsers on laptops/desktops. Please make sure that your browsers are up to date. While you can access the application on mobile devices, we recommend using a laptop or desktop computer. 

Choose one person to initiate the application process. After initiating an application, this person can invite others to collaborate on the application.  This can happen before the collaborators register with Survey Monkey Apply (the platform used for the Pandemic Fund application portal).  Please watch the tutorial video for a step-by-step walk through of the process.  The person who initiated the process must also be the person to click the submit button for the application. This person will be the one who will receive communication on the application’s status from the Pandemic Fund Secretariat. 

If you cannot access the online application, please contact us via the helpdesk or by emailing pandemicfundcfp@worldbank.org. Applications must be submitted on the online application portal to be considered. Please make sure that the person who initiates the application process has access to consistent internet or access to a computer. 

Please note that all applicable fields (unless specified as optional) must be completed.  The entire table does not need to be filled out, but for any row with an asterisk (*) (for example, 1*), all columns in that row must be completed, as well as any additional rows that have been started.  Ensure that you scroll to the right within tables with a horizontal scrollbar to view and complete all required fields.  Further, please check that all fields are filled out with valid values.  Include only numbers (no symbols or separators) in number fields (for example, 1 million 500 thousand USD should be formatted 1500000).  Do not modify auto-calculated numbers.  Phone numbers can only include numbers and the plus (+) sign.  Emails must have a valid address, for example emailaddress@example.com. 

Please submit a Helpdesk ticket or contact us at pandemicfundcfp@worldbank.org.  Include a detailed description of your issue, any relevant attachments/screenshots, and your contact information.  We will respond to you promptly. In addition, the Pandemic Fund Secretariat will host information sessions in March.  

If additional information is requested by the Pandemic Fund, your application will be “reopened” so that you may enter the information into your existing application.  After you have added the requested information, you can click on the submit button to update your proposal. 

 If you have any issues not listed in our FAQ please email us at pandemicfundcfp@worldbank.org and we will contact you shortly to resolve your problem. 

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:

Please follow us on Twitter for the most up-to-date information: @Pandemic_Fund