The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Zambia is offering funding for the Community Led Monitoring (CLM) program, aimed at improving the quality of HIV care through community feedback. This program seeks to identify gaps and barriers in service delivery by collecting feedback from recipients of care, including key populations, adolescent girls and young women, persons with disabilities, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Feedback collected by trained community members will be used to strengthen and address persistent challenges in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders. The program involves feedback collection, monitoring progress, and providing actionable recommendations to enhance HIV service outcomes.

The program requires applicants to implement CLM activities across all provinces in Zambia, ensuring diverse PLHIV constituencies are represented. Activities include monthly reporting of feedback collected from recipients of care, quarterly programmatic and financial reports, and participation in review meetings with government, community, and implementing partners. Successful grantees must demonstrate their capacity to collect and analyze feedback from both rural and urban settings, covering low- and high-volume health facilities. Feedback will be collected in two phases: the first phase establishes a baseline, and the second phase demonstrates changes in service quality.

The program’s funding totals $1,150,000 USD, with up to 10 awards anticipated at a maximum of $115,000 per award. The performance period runs for 11 months, from May 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, civil society organizations, and public or private educational institutions registered in Zambia. Organizations must have experience implementing programs with a minimum funding threshold of $25,000, an established presence in the province they are applying for, and prior experience in similar initiatives. Applicants can apply for multiple provinces but will be awarded for only one. Registration with SAM.gov and Grants.gov is required.

Applications must include mandatory forms, a proposal summary, a detailed methodology for feedback collection and monitoring, key personnel information, letters of support, and a detailed budget narrative. The proposal should describe plans to engage all PLHIV constituencies, mechanisms for training field staff, and processes for monitoring program performance. Submissions must demonstrate organizational capacity, experience managing international funding, and strong collaboration with stakeholders like NAC, MOH, and USG agencies.

Applications will be evaluated based on criteria such as the quality and feasibility of CLM implementation, organizational capacity, experience with international funding, budget clarity, methodology for monitoring, and collaboration history. Proposals will be reviewed by a technical panel, and successful applicants will be notified within 60 days of the February 17, 2025, deadline. Questions regarding the program will be accepted until January 20, 2025, and answers will be posted by February 3, 2025, on the PEPFAR Zambia webpage. All applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.

Successful awardees will be required to submit regular programmatic and financial reports as part of the agreement, and funding will be contingent on meeting reporting deadlines. Administrative requirements include compliance with U.S. federal policies and branding guidelines as outlined in the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions. Renewal of funding beyond the initial period will be contingent on performance and availability of funds.