E-DRUG: OSI Access to Essential Medicines Grant Competition
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In an effort to build local capacity surrounding access to medicines
issues, OSI’s Public Health Program is issuing the attached request for
proposals. Grants for up to $75,000, renewable for up to three years,
will be awarded to local NGOs with a mandate and demonstrated capacity
to advance policy and civil society engagement related to access to
medicines in Brazil, India, Kenya, Malaysia, South Africa, and Thailand.
Interested organizations should submit an application no later than
Monday, July 16, 2007. We would appreciate your assistance in
forwarding this to your networks.
Please direct any questions to Jane Li at jli@sorosny.org.
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Open Society Institute Public Health Program
Access to Essential Medicines Grant Competition
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - due July 16, 2007
Introduction
Despite advances in medical science, safe and affordable medicines
remain inaccessible in many developing countries. According to the
World Health Organization, 30% of the world’s population lacks access to
essential medicines—estimated at between 1.3 and 2.1 billion people.
Current procurement mechanisms, lack of transparency, intellectual
property protections, and legal restrictions constitute major barriers
to needed medications in many parts of the world. The human cost of
these policies is enormous with developing countries showing an average
life expectancy of 14 years less than that for developed countries.
The creation of the World Health Organization Commission on Intellectual
Property Rights, Innovation, and Public Health in 2003 and subsequent
Intergovernmental Working Group on Intellectual Property, Innovation and
Health recognizes this urgency and signals increased global interest in
access issues and innovation for neglected diseases. Civil society
engagement and the voices of the global South are crucial for a genuine
shift in framework. Currently, there are a handful of Southern
organizations carrying out cutting-edge access to medicines work in
their home countries. However, budget and staffing constraints limit
their participation in international and regional arenas and their
ability to increase public awareness and advocacy at the national level.
In an effort to strengthen needed capacity, the Open Society Institute
Public Health and Information Programs are seeking applications from
qualified organizations interested in receiving institutional support
for their work on access to essential medicines.
Project Summary
Funding is available for organizations with a mandate and demonstrated
capacity to advance policy and civil society engagement related to
access to medicines. Funding for access to medicines work will be
unrestricted and can be used for salaries, overhead, and projects of the
applicants’ choosing. Requests of up to $75,000 annually will be
considered. OSI anticipates renewing this support for a three year
period.
If requested, technical assistance will be offered throughout the length
of the grant period. OSI may further sponsor seminars and meetings for
grantees to share lessons learned.
Who Should Apply
Legally registered NGOs based in one of the following countries:
Brazil, India, Kenya, Malaysia, South Africa, and Thailand.
How to Apply
Interested organizations should submit an application no later than
Monday, July 16, 2007. All applications must be completed in English.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Submission of applications by email is preferred, but materials sent by
fax or mail will also be accepted. Applications should be submitted to
OSI’s Access to Medicines project in New York:
By email: jli@sorosny.org
By fax: +1 (646) 557 2550
By mail: Open Society Institute
ATTN: Jane Li
400 West 59th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10019
USA
Selection process
A grant selection committee consisting of global and regional experts
and advocates will review applications and recommend a list of
semi-finalists. Applicants will be notified of first-round results no
later than August 13, 2007. Applicants will be notified of final
selection results no later than September 14, 2007.
Please direct questions to Jane Li at jli@sorosny.org
Application instructions
This grant application consists of 6 parts:
• Part 1. Contact information
• Part 2. Detailed Proposal
• Part 3. Technical Assistance
• Part 4. Institutional Information
• Part 5. CVs
• Part 6. Budget
Part 1. Contact information
Name of NGO submitting application
NGO contact person (name and title)*
Street address
City
Postal code
Country
Phone number of contact person
Fax number of contact person
E-mail address of contact person
Other collaborating institutions (list all other institutions)
Total funding requested from OSI
Other funding for AEM work at NGO
Total budget of NGO
*Each NGO must designate a contact person who will manage grant funds
and communication with OSI.
Part 2. Proposal (no more than 10 pages)
Please provide a detailed description of your organization’s goals,
projects, outcomes, and needs that includes the following information:
• Organizational mission, rationale, and access to medicines mandate
Provide an overall statement of purpose for your organization and why
your work is relevant to your local context and the aims of this
project; discuss the major challenges to obtaining access to medicines
in your country.
• Previous accomplishments on access to medicines issues
Describe two previously completed AEM projects that are representative
of your organization’s goals, partners, and method of operation.
• Potential future work to build upon previous activity
Describe the work your organization would undertake if provided with
unrestricted institutional support, including ongoing research and
advocacy, special projects, proposed campaigns, and institutional
growth. How do you intend to impact change on AEM policy issues? With
what organizations do you intend to collaborate on these projects?
• Organizational vision and growth
Describe your organization’s long-term goals and the resources and other
factors needed to reach those goals.
Part 3. Technical Assistance
Identify specific kinds of technical assistance (e.g. governance and
management, strategic planning, research and documentation, monitoring,
media use, advocacy in international and regional fora) that would allow
your organization to build on its previous accomplishments. Please be
as detailed and specific as possible.
Part 4. CVs
Include CVs for key project implementers listed in the budget.
Part 5. Institutional Information
Please attach an official letter certifying that your NGO is registered
in your country.
Part 6. Budget
• Budgets should not exceed $75,000. Funding will be proportional to
the local exchange rate and the budget of the organization.
• Please provide your 2007 budget for AEM work.
• Outline how you propose to utilize OSI core funding. The funding is
unrestricted and can be used for salaries, overhead, and projects of the
applicants’ choosing.
• Please provide financial statements for your NGO from the past two years.
Please include and describe any institutional and/or project-based
funding your organization is currently receiving or expects to receive
in the next year. Please specify if funding is provided from the
pharmaceutical industry, trade associations, or other corporate sources.
The Open Society Institute
The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a private operating and grantmaking
foundation based in New York City that serves as a hub of the Open
Society Network, a group of autonomous foundations and organizations in
over 50 countries. This network implements a range of initiatives that
aim to promote open society by shaping government policy and supporting
education, media, public health and human and women’s rights, as well as
social, legal and economic reform.
Background information on the Open Society Institute (OSI) can be found
at www.soros.org.
The Access to Medicines Project
The Access to Medicines project supports efforts to increase access to
essential medicines to developing countries and marginalized
populations. Work has focused on three key areas: transparency and
monitoring of the pharmaceutical industry; procurement mechanisms, and
intellectual property. The project promotes civil society engagement
with these issues and actively supports a civil society platform around
the WHO Working Group on innovation for neglected diseases. The project
works closely with OSI’s palliative care and harm reduction initiatives.
This project is located within OSI’s Public Health Program. Additional
information on the Public Health Program can be found at
www.soros.org/health.
The Information Program
The Information Program aims to enhance the ability to access, exchange,
and produce knowledge and information for key open society
constituencies and disadvantaged groups, especially in the poorer parts
of the world. It further supports the use of new tools and techniques
to empower civil society in national, regional, and global arenas.
More information can be found at:
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/information.