PEPFAR Botswana - Community Led Monitoring (CLM) Program | PEPFARGAB 21 CLMGR 001 AF 111320

Opportunity Information: Apply for PEPFARGAB 21 CLMGR 001 AF 111320

The PEPFAR Botswana Community Led Monitoring (CLM) Program is a grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Embassy in Gaborone through the PEPFAR Botswana Coordination Office. It funds local civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations in Botswana to run community-led monitoring efforts that strengthen HIV and broader health service delivery. The program sits within PEPFAR support to the Government of Botswana, with the larger aim of helping the country reach and sustain HIV epidemic control by improving prevention, care, and treatment through approaches that are evidence-based and centered on client experience. At its core, the opportunity is about making sure health and HIV services are actually available, reachable, and high quality from the perspective of the people who use them.

The main objective is to create a practical feedback loop where clients and beneficiaries can report what is working and what is not at different points in their service journey. That feedback is meant to surface persistent barriers to service uptake, continuity of care, and retention, and then drive realistic solutions that communities themselves help design and push forward. Rather than treating monitoring as an external audit, the model emphasizes organized community participation, routine data collection, and structured problem-solving between community members and the health system. The expectation is that listening to clients in a consistent, organized way will lead to service improvements such as better treatment literacy, fewer access hurdles, and stronger uptake of prevention and treatment services.

Grant recipients are expected to establish, train, and support district-level networks of monitoring groups made up of clients and beneficiary representatives. These monitors should reflect the people most affected by HIV services and health access challenges, including people living with HIV, people living with disabilities, members of key populations, and youth groups including adolescent girls and young women. The opportunity also highlights involvement of groups or champions commonly used in PEPFAR programming such as DREAMS ambassadors, PrEP ambassadors, and ART champions. Monitoring groups are expected to be diverse, inclusive, and balanced by gender and age, so the feedback reflects the full range of client experiences and not only the loudest voices.

The monitoring work is expected to generate both quantitative and qualitative information using standardized tools. In practice, this means monitors gather structured observations and client input, then grantees help consolidate and analyze it to identify patterns, bottlenecks, and feasible corrective actions. Findings are meant to be synthesized in ways that are useful at multiple levels of the system: at the local level (community and facility), district level, and national level. A key program feature is collaborative review of findings with community representatives, service providers, and facility managers to encourage direct dialogue, agree on follow-up steps, and track whether corrective actions are implemented and actually improve uptake and client-centeredness.

Geographically, the program is planned to cover 20 of Botswana's 27 districts: Bobirwa, Boteti, Francistown, Gaborone, Good Hope, Kasane, Kgatleng, Kweneng East, Lobatse, Mabutsane, Mahalapye, Moshupa, Ngamiland, North East, Palapye, Selebe Phikwe, Serowe, South East, Southern, and Tutume. The exact scope within districts is flexible and should be determined with the monitoring groups, the grantee, and PEPFAR/PCO. Monitoring could focus only on PEPFAR-supported facilities and community sites, or it could expand to all facilities in a district, depending on what makes sense locally and what communities prioritize.

The required deliverables are clearly defined. Grantees must form and train monitoring groups for each district they cover, manage data collection and analysis, and support the formulation, implementation, and tracking of follow-up actions meant to improve service uptake at local and district levels. They must also submit quarterly financial and activity reports, participate in quarterly meetings with PEPFAR, community, government, and other stakeholders to discuss progress and results, and participate in national advocacy activities when relevant. Taken together, these deliverables show the program is not only about collecting complaints, but also about documenting evidence, negotiating solutions with the health system, and demonstrating follow-through.

The period of performance listed for the award runs from March 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021, with proposed activities required to be completed no later than September 30, 2021, and an anticipated program start date of January 1, 2021. The opportunity indicates an award ceiling of USD 100,000 and anticipates making about 10 awards, meaning multiple organizations may be funded, potentially covering different districts or approaches under the same overall CLM framework.

Eligibility is limited to local organizations that are registered as not-for-profit entities with the Government of Botswana, and applicants must provide proof of registration. Applicants also need prior experience successfully implementing programs with funding of at least 40,000 (the solicitation treats this as a minimum experience threshold), and they may submit only one proposal for one CLM award, although that single award can cover multiple districts. Because this is a U.S. government-related grant process, applicants are also expected to register on Grants.gov, which includes obtaining a DUNS number, registering in SAM.gov, and designating an Authorized Organization Representative, noting that SAM registration must be renewed annually.

Application requirements are fairly specific and compliance-oriented. Submissions must be in English, with budgets in U.S. dollars using an exchange assumption of USD 1 to BWP 11 (as of November 2020). Pages must be numbered, formatted for 8.5 x 11 paper, prepared in Microsoft Word style settings (1.15 spacing, 12-point Times New Roman, 1-inch margins), and ultimately submitted as PDFs. The proposal narrative is capped at 15 pages and the budget narrative at 3 pages. Mandatory federal forms include SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B, and the application package must also include a summary cover sheet and a proposal that explains the CLM approach in a way that would be understandable even to readers unfamiliar with community-led monitoring.

Content expectations for the proposal are detailed. Applicants should include a proposal summary with objectives, districts, and expected outcomes; an organizational background that demonstrates capacity and past experience (including any previous U.S. government grants and examples of programs above 40,000); measurable goals and objectives achievable within the grant period; a strategic approach describing how monitoring groups will be formed, what tools will be used, which services will be prioritized, how data will be collected and analyzed, and how follow-up actions will be identified and tracked. Applicants must also provide a workplan timeline, identify key personnel (including leadership, program management, and finance roles) with time allocations, and describe partners or sub-awardees and their responsibilities. A monitoring and evaluation plan is required to show how implementation will be tracked and how progress toward goals will be assessed during the grant. A detailed budget justification must accompany the SF-424A to explain each cost line.

Required attachments include proof of registration in Botswana, CVs or resumes of key personnel, letters of support from partners when applicable, and three reference letters, including at least one reference from a donor that provided funding of 40,000 or more. Questions about the solicitation were directed to PEPFARBotswana@state.gov, with a question deadline of December 4, 2020 and answers planned by December 15, 2020 via the PEPFAR Botswana website or a virtual bidding conference. Applications were due December 31, 2020, submitted electronically through Grants.gov, with an email submission option only if Grants.gov submission was not possible. The selection process uses a technical review panel and scored evaluation criteria emphasizing the quality and feasibility of the CLM idea, planning and ability to achieve objectives, organizational capacity and experience, budget and financial management capacity, and collaboration and sustainability, with applicants to be notified of results within 30 days after the deadline.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Botswana in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "PEPFAR Botswana - Community Led Monitoring (CLM) Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.029.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 16, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 31, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for PEPFARGAB 21 CLMGR 001 AF 111320

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