Capacity Building for Public Health Supply Chain Management: Training and Technical Assistance for National Health Programs

This Global Fund call for proposals aims to address systemic weaknesses in public health supply chains critical to combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The focus is on capacity building: providing training, mentorship, and technical assistance to national health programs and their partners. The opportunity is open to a wide range of eligible organizations, from government agencies to civil society and private sector, provided they have a track record in supply chain management. The funding supports activities such as developing training curricula, conducting workshops, deploying e-learning platforms, strengthening logistics management information systems (LMIS), and improving storage and distribution infrastructure. The Global Fund expects proposals to be evidence-based, with a clear theory of change linking training inputs to reduced stockouts and improved health outcomes. A significant emphasis is placed on gender equity, ensuring that training modules address barriers faced by women and girls as health workers and consumers. The call also requires that activities be sustainable after the grant closes, through integration into national policies and local institutional strengthening. The maximum grant size is USD 500,000, with a project duration of up to 36 months. Given the 2026 deadline, there is ample time for thorough needs assessments and stakeholder engagement. This overview presents an opportunity for organizations to not only win funding but also to contribute to global health security and universal health coverage. GSLI stands ready to support with its portfolio of relevant short courses that can be embedded into the project's training components, adding credibility and scalability. This initiative emerges at a time when supply chains are under unprecedented stress due to climate change, conflicts, and pandemics. The Global Fund recognizes that building in-country capacity is more sustainable than relying on external technical assistance. The call therefore prioritizes local training institutions and the use of local language materials. It encourages proposals that involve community health workers in supply chain management, especially for malaria diagnostics and treatments. The digitization component is critical: proposals should include investment in electronic logistics systems that provide real-time data on stock levels, expiry dates, and consumption patterns. Moreover, the call aligns with the Global Fund's commitment to carbon footprint reduction, so applicants could propose green logistics solutions like solar-powered cold rooms. Another important aspect is the integration of supply chains: to avoid parallel systems, the Global Fund encourages strengthening the public sector supply chain for all health products, not just HIV/TB/malaria commodities. This means collaborating with ministries of health and finance to improve overall system governance. For organizations new to Global Fund, this call provides a lower-entry point as Technical Assistance grants are managed separately from country allocation funding. However, coordination with Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) is recommended to ensure alignment with national strategic plans. Overall, this opportunity represents a significant investment in health systems resilience and requires a comprehensive, well-designed proposal."

Strategic Overview

This Global Fund call for proposals aims to address systemic weaknesses in public health supply chains critical to combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The focus is on capacity building: providing training, mentorship, and technical assistance to national health programs and their partners. The opportunity is open to a wide range of eligible organizations, from government agencies to civil society and private sector, provided they have a track record in supply chain management. The funding supports activities such as developing training curricula, conducting workshops, deploying e-learning platforms, strengthening logistics management information systems (LMIS), and improving storage and distribution infrastructure. The Global Fund expects proposals to be evidence-based, with a clear theory of change linking training inputs to reduced stockouts and improved health outcomes. A significant emphasis is placed on gender equity, ensuring that training modules address barriers faced by women and girls as health workers and consumers. The call also requires that activities be sustainable after the grant closes, through integration into national policies and local institutional strengthening. The maximum grant size is USD 500,000, with a project duration of up to 36 months. Given the 2026 deadline, there is ample time for thorough needs assessments and stakeholder engagement. This overview presents an opportunity for organizations to not only win funding but also to contribute to global health security and universal health coverage. GSLI stands ready to support with its portfolio of relevant short courses that can be embedded into the project's training components, adding credibility and scalability. This initiative emerges at a time when supply chains are under unprecedented stress due to climate change, conflicts, and pandemics. The Global Fund recognizes that building in-country capacity is more sustainable than relying on external technical assistance. The call therefore prioritizes local training institutions and the use of local language materials. It encourages proposals that involve community health workers in supply chain management, especially for malaria diagnostics and treatments. The digitization component is critical: proposals should include investment in electronic logistics systems that provide real-time data on stock levels, expiry dates, and consumption patterns. Moreover, the call aligns with the Global Fund's commitment to carbon footprint reduction, so applicants could propose green logistics solutions like solar-powered cold rooms. Another important aspect is the integration of supply chains: to avoid parallel systems, the Global Fund encourages strengthening the public sector supply chain for all health products, not just HIV/TB/malaria commodities. This means collaborating with ministries of health and finance to improve overall system governance. For organizations new to Global Fund, this call provides a lower-entry point as Technical Assistance grants are managed separately from country allocation funding. However, coordination with Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) is recommended to ensure alignment with national strategic plans. Overall, this opportunity represents a significant investment in health systems resilience and requires a comprehensive, well-designed proposal."

Who is it For?

This opportunity is primarily designed for national health programs and implementing entities in Global Fund-eligible countries, particularly those classified as low-income or lower-middle-income. Eligible applicants include ministries of health, national disease control programs (e.g., for malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS), and public health agencies. Additionally, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and private sector firms with a proven track record in supply chain management are eligible. The Global Fund encourages multi-stakeholder consortia that include community-based organizations to ensure grassroots reach. Entities must be legally registered in the country of implementation and demonstrate financial management capacity (e.g., via prior audits). For-profit entities may apply if not-for-profit service delivery is the core focus. Organizations must comply with Global Fund's due diligence requirements, including anti-terrorism and anti-corruption checks. Applicants should have a minimum of three years' experience in public health supply chain or related technical assistance. Special consideration is given to organizations that propose to strengthen local capacity, foster gender equality, and integrate climate-resilient practices. Women-led and youth-led organizations are encouraged to apply. The scope covers both single-country and multi-country proposals, with emphasis on fragile and conflict-affected states. Applicants must demonstrate ability to manage sub-grants or partnerships, if applicable. The funding requires co-financing or in-kind contributions where possible (at least 10% of total budget).

Priorities

The Global Fund's investment priorities for this call center on strengthening the 'last mile' of supply chains to ensure that health commodities reach end-users with quality and timeliness. Key performance indicators include percentage reduction in stockouts of essential medicines, improvement in logistics management information system (LMIS) data accuracy, and increase in trained supply chain personnel at district levels. The Global Fund emphasizes the integration of HIV, TB, and malaria supply chains with national health logistics systems to reduce fragmentation. Digital transformation is a high priority: applicants should propose use of electronic logistics information systems (eLMIS), barcoding, or drone delivery pilots. Sustainability is crucial; thus, proposals must include a 'transition plan' showing how capacity will be maintained after grant end. Gender-responsive supply chain is a cross-cutting priority: data must be sex-disaggregated, and interventions should address gender barriers to access. Another priority is pandemic preparedness: supply chain strengthening should include constructs for emergency response (e.g., buffer stocks, rapid deployment teams). The Global Fund favors applicants that align with national health strategies and engage in multi-sectoral coordination (e.g., health, finance, planning ministries). Additionally, the call expects investment in human resources: not just initial training but continuous professional development and e-learning platforms. Performance-based financing (PBF) elements are encouraged. The donor also expects environmental sustainability: reducing carbon footprint of logistics (e.g., optimizing routes, solar-powered cold chains).

Eligibility

Eligibility extends to non-profit organizations, government entities, and for-profit firms (if non-profit operations) in Global Fund-eligible countries. Full eligibility details require a financial audit within the last two years, demonstrating sound fiscal management. Registered legal status is required, with bylaws and anti-corruption policies in place. A minimum of three years' experience in public health supply chain or technical assistance is mandatory. For consortia, a lead applicant must serve as the principal point of contact and fiduciary. Each partner must meet separate due diligence criteria. The call specifically excludes: entities on sanctions lists, those with conflicts of interest, and organizations involved in tobacco or arms industries. For spatial audit: activities must occur within the applicant's country(ies). Cross-border proposals are allowed if justified (e.g., regional procurement hubs). The deadline for submission is August 1, 2026, with a maximum project duration of 36 months. Budget ceiling: USD 500,000 per proposal (subject to change). Co-financing of at least 10% is expected. Organization must have physical office or presence in the target country. Past performance with Global Fund grants will be reviewed; negative performance may disqualify. Additionally, the organization must have a functional safeguarding policy for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH). Eligible countries are those on the Global Fund's list of eligible countries (typically low-income, lower-middle-income, and some upper-middle-income with high disease burden). Proposals from fragile states should include risk mitigation for conflict-related disruptions.

Path to Success

To secure this grant, follow a strategic roadmap integrating GSLI training: Step 1 – Assess and align: Conduct a rapid needs assessment of your supply chain capacity using Global Fund's own assessment tools (e.g., the Supply Chain Self-Assessment). Identify critical gaps and align your proposal with donor priorities. Enroll key personnel in GSLI's Procurement & Supply Chain short course to boost technical expertise in warehousing, LMIS, and demand planning. Step 2 – Design a phased implementation: Structure your proposal into 3 phases: (a) Baseline mapping and gap analysis (Months 1-3) – include stakeholder mapping and gender analysis; (b) Core capacity building (Months 4-24) – deliver structured training (leveraging GSLI's courses as modular content), mentorship, and technology implementation; (c) Sustainability and transition (Months 25-36) – embed skills transfer and institutionalize M&E systems. Step 3 – Strengthen M&E and financial compliance: Enroll finance and M&E staff in GSLI's Monitoring & Evaluation and Financial Management for NGOs courses to ensure robust indicator tracking and fund accountability. Use the Global Fund's Performance Framework to define KPIs. Step 4 – Submit a competitive proposal: develop a strong narrative linking your capacity gaps to the training interventions, emphasizing how GSLI courses provide standardized, evidence-based content. Attach alumni testimonials. For the cross-selling strategy, explicitly mention that GSLI capacity-building courses will be integrated into your project plan. For example, in the budget, allocate for GSLI online course licenses (e.g., 50 staff for Procurement & Supply Chain and 30 for M&E). This demonstrates sustainability as GSLI courses are accessible on-demand. Also highlight GSLI's certification to bolster credibility. Finally, include a letter of intent from GSLI confirming partnership. Ensure all timelines align with the 2026 deadline; start preparations 12 months in advance.

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Deadline: 2026-08-01

Persona: General

Urgency: Normal