Positive Action Funding Guidance Notes and FAQs
Guidance Notes
Please read this document carefully. It provides guidance on the ViiV Healthcare Positive
Action application process and what you should include in your application.
Please check that your application clearly reflects this guidance.
General
1. Language – the Project Summary form and application form are in English, and
should also be completed in English
2. Address the criteria – please ensure your entry addresses the criteria laid out in
the guidance notes. Applications that do not meet the criteria and objective(s) will
not be progressed.
3. Technical language or jargon – where technical or specialist language is
required, please be sure to define your terms up front. Do not assume the reader
possesses the same level of technical knowledge/understanding as you,
especially with regards to technological concepts/solutions.
4. Acronyms – if you do use acronyms or short-forms, please be sure to spell-out
your terminology to establish the meaning as per point 3. For example: “Positive
Action Challenges (PAC) has presented a new funding opportunity”.
5. State the obvious – while you are extremely familiar with your entry, we are not!
Do not overlook the basics of your application, including what your innovation is,
how and where it will be implemented and why it solves the problem in question.
6. Be concise – the application form fields have a limit of 4,000 characters per
response (unless otherwise indicated) so please be clear and succinct in your
submission. The application questions are designed to extract the key information
we require to assess entries.
7. Check before submitting – we recommend you proof-read your application
before submitting to avoid mistakes and omissions.
Positive Action Funding Round Types and Application Windows
Innovator Grants – Community Based Harm Reduction for People who Inject Drugs
• Applications – 15
th
January 2021 (23:59 GMT) to 12 February 2021 (23:59 GMT).
• Grants of up to £50,000 per year over two years (approximately £100,000 in total
over the two-year period).
• Applications will be reviewed by a technical review committee following closure
of the application window.
Momentum Grants – Two Rounds in 2021
• Round 1 Applications – 26
th
March 2021 (00:01 BST) to 23
rd
April 2021 (23:59 BST)
2021.
• Round 2 Applications – 05
th
July 2021 (00:01 BST) to 30
th
July 2021 (23:59 BST)
• Grants of up to £ 100,000 per year over three years (approximately £300,000 in
total over the three-year period).
Applications will be reviewed by a technical review committee following closure
of the application window.
Flexible Fund 2021 - HIV Prevention
•
Focused on supporting digital HIV prevention campaigns for priority
populations.
•
Grants of up to £75,000 will be awarded over a 12-month period.
•
This call for proposals is for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and/or
community-based organisations (CBOs) based in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
•
Application invited from 3
rd
September 2021 (00:01 BST) to 22
nd
September 2021
(23:59 BST)
All applications must be received by the closing dates outlined above to be considered
for funding.
Specific application deadlines for all funding rounds are available on the ViiV website.
Geography
Geographic focus is outlined in the guidance notes for the relevant funding rounds.
Funding criteria
Who can apply?
Non-governmental and community-based organisations that can deliver change at a
community level through their links with or representation of the communities affected
especially adolescents, young people, gay men and other men who have sex with men,
people who inject drugs, sex workers and transgender men and women.
The Momentum Round 3 2021 is a closed call for proposals with invitation to scalable
projects supporting children and early adolescents 0-14 years old.
New vs. Existing Projects
For Innovator Funding, your project must consist of new work. It can include projects
transferred to a new location (s) and/or include the expansion of a recently evaluated
model or pilot. It may not be a continuation of a previously funded activity/service.
For Momentum funding, your project should consist of scaling up a model that has
shown to be effective in the focus area of the call. It cannot be a pilot project.
Community Focus
Positive Action believes that engaging local communities is critical to addressing the
drivers of health and life inequalities, it therefore seeks to promote community responses
that work at the level of changing beliefs, attitudes and behaviours to improve health and
rights at the community level.
Community engagement, participation and/or leadership are mandatory requirements
for all Positive Action grants: your proposal must demonstrate how your work will
engage, involve empower and benefit affected communities.
Topic Areas
Your application should be specific in describing how the interventions that you want to
implement is going to contribute to addressing the Challenge or thematic area. Full
details are available on the website and platforming the Guidance note.
Positive Action Online Application and Grant Management System
Please submit your application via our CyberGrants online application system.
Please do not email applications to ViiV Healthcare or Positive Action staff members or
Positive Action mailboxes. We will only accept applications via the CyberGrants online
application system. If you have any problems accessing the online system please review
the FAQs in this document and/or contact the Positive Action mailbox i.e.
WW.PositiveAction@viivhealthcare.com
Completing Your Application
The application form requires you to outline the intervention that your organisation is
trying to implement, how you will address the issue, what it is that you are trying to
understand and your capabilities to respond. It will also require completion of a detailed
budget and selection of indicators. Please ensure you complete the application on the
CyberGrants online platform in full and ensure that it meets the detailed application
criteria.
Applications that are not well aligned to our criteria will not be taken further.
We request that applicants maintain the confidentiality of the application, their
credentials and do not disseminate them to any other person outside of their
organisation.
Should your application be successful, the content will be shared with our partner the
Charities Aid Foundation, who will carry out the due diligence verification and eventual
payment. As part of their due diligence verification, they may require additional
information. You will be contacted if this is required. As part of this you will be asked to
sign up to CAF’s terms and conditions.
Charities Aid Foundation undertakes due diligence verification on all the grants made
through the ViiV Healthcare Positive Action Fund and will need to contact you regarding
your application. The data collected in the Application Form will be provided to them.
Please remember to upload all required attachments for CAF, including the completed
letter of declaration, contact details of your trustees, proof of your organisation’s
registered status and a copy of your last set of audited accounts. Details are provided in
the application form.
The Positive Action Application Process
The Positive Action application, review and grant/award process can take up to three
months to complete. The following outlines the review process for Positive Action calls
for proposals for Challenges and Innovator Funding:
1. Positive Action Funding Rounds and themes announced via website
2. Funding Round opens (week 1)
3. Funding Round closes (end of week 4/6)
4. Judging Panel and Technical Review Committee meets (week 6/8)
5. Recommended applications passed to CAF for verification (week 7/9)
6. Additional information and documentation may be requested
7. Final decision and contracting (week 12+)
Timings are indicative.
Multiple Proposals
As a rule, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and/or Community Based
Organisations (CBOs) should not apply for more than one grant in a call for proposals.
However, we may consider applications from the same organisation wanting to
implement in different countries or locations.
1. Financial Eligibility Requirements
The online application system will require you to enter a detailed budget. This should
show spending for each year of the project against lines including any capital costs,
staffing, travel, training, monitoring and evaluation, and communications.
Please download, complete and attach the budget template provided in the application
form.
We do not provide grants of more than 50% of an organisation's total annual revenue
(income) in low- and middle-income countries and 25% of an organisation's total annual
revenue (income) in high income countries1 (or 10% over a 12-month period for US-based
organisations). You will need to provide your current annual income, in GBP, for the last
12months and the most recent 12-month accounting period
You will be required to provide a list of any existing secured funding your organisation
has received or will receive from ViiV Healthcare for any project/work in this last
12months. Please do not include this application in this list.
Please note the following:
The total grant amount cannot account for more than 50% of an organisation’s overall
income for countries in LICS/MICS.
85% of project budgets must be spent in country; and
Overheads over 15% of the total project budget will not be accepted.
Budgets will be strictly adhered to – do not request more than the allowable amount as
you will not be able to submit your application.
We request that all budgets are submitted in Pound Sterling (at the prevailing rate of
exchange). You must include an annual and total budget for your project in Pound
Sterling to be considered for funding.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Please review the Positive Action results framework to ensure that your indicators are
aligned and ensure that you review all displayed mandatory indicators plus appropriate
optional indicators prior to submission. Please note that mandatory indicators are pre-
selected for all funding rounds. Indicators will be finalised with your grant manager if your
application is successful.
You will be required to complete reporting templates (narrative, financial and indicator
reporting) on a six and 12 monthly basis as detailed in the application.
AMPLIFY IMPACT
Positive Action’s strategy will be achieved through grant making augmented by the
AMPLIFY IMPACT approach which is a series of support measures designed to facilitate
joined up impact, ongoing learning and improvement in the achievement of our new
strategy.
You must clearly stipulate on the application form whether you will require Amplify
Impact. Please check for further details in the relevant guidance notes.
AMPLIFY IMPACT will be achieved through:
1
World Bank Country and Lending Groups – World Bank Data Help Desk
a) Accompaniment: support for organisational development and programmatic
technical support. An additional 10% top up of your recommended grant amount is
provided.
b) Skills Connector: GSK/ViiV employees provide advice and short-term, long-
distance, specialised support to grantees. Support will range from 3 hours – 10
days (per year) and will focus on the following broad areas:
- Business Development & Change Management
- Communications (media, messaging and publicity)
- Data Management and Knowledge Transfer (enhancing data value and
distribution
- Information Technology (IT) (networking and infrastructure)
- Representation and Influence (public speaking, effective representation
- Sales and/or Marketing (promoting services, securing clients, raising
money)
Attachments
The only documents to be uploaded are the templates that are provided in the
application portal (budget template; data template; evaluation template; referee
template). Your application should NOT be submitted with any other attachments.
If your application is recommended for Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) verification, you
will be requested by CAF to provide the following documents as part of the verification
process. Please do not upload any of these documents onto the cybergrants system.
• A letter of declaration, printed on your official headed paper and signed by a legal
representative of your organisation
• A list of your trustees with contact details (full name, personal address and date of
birth of trustees
• Proof of your organisation’s registration as a not for profit or charitable organisation
• A copy of your latest audited accounts
• A copy of your governing document
• Proof of bank account
• Annual accounts
If a partnership or consortium is deemed as sub-granting in terms of use of granted
funds, CAF will also need to verify these organisations (depending on relationship or set-
up).
References and Verification
Two references are required. References should have knowledge of your organisation’s
work and should include a named contact with phone number and email. References
must use the template embedded on the application portal and tick the box in the
template confirming that you have their permission to share their personal details with
ViiV Healthcare Positive Action.
Please do not upload any additional documents to support your reference, we will only
accept and review your completed “reference template”.
If your funding is recommended for funding, verification of your organisation’s charitable
status is required before funding is made available. Verification will be undertaken by the
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Please see the FAQs for more details on verification.
FAQs
Eligibility:
Q: What are the funding opportunities under the new Positive Action Strategy?
A: The new Positive Action strategy has two funding streams which are called Community
Strategic Initiatives (CSI) and Breakthrough.
Q. What are the different types of grants?
A. There are two types of grants under the CSI which are Innovator and Momentum.
Innovator grants are up to £ 50K per year, over a two- year period and Momentum grants
are up to £100k per year over a three-year period.
Q. How do I know if I am eligible for a grant?
A. Eligibility criteria is defined at the start of each funding round, which is announced on
the Positive Action Website.
Q. Can I submit a proposal that is not aligned to the funding round?
A. No, you will not be able to submit a proposal that is not aligned to the funding round.
Q. Am I able to submit more than one application per funding round?
A. We request that you submit only one application per organisation per funding round. It
is possible to submit more than one if you are submitting for more than one location or
geography.
Q. Am I able to submit more than one application per funding year?
A. If you meet the eligibility criteria for the different themes, you are permitted to submit
more than one application per funding year.
Q: I already have a grant from Positive Action in 2018 or 2019, do I need to use the
CyberGrants system to Report on my project?
A: No, you are not required to use the CyberGrants system. Please continue to use the
Salesforce system to report on the progress of your project.
Review:
Q. What happens once my application is submitted?
A. Your application will go through an internal review to ensure that you meet the
eligibility criteria and then it will be shared with an independent external review
committee called the Technical Review Committee (TRC) for CSI.
Q. How long does the review process take?
A. The review process takes between 4 - 6 weeks after closure of the funding window.
Q. What happens during the review process?
A. The Positive Action team reviews your proposal for eligibility after which the external
review board reviews it for technical merit. The highest scoring applications are discussed
and the TRC makes a decision to recommend or not recommend for funding. These
recommended applications are then reviewed by the Positive Action Grants and
Donations Committee who recommend or do not recommend for CAF verification.
Q. Do I receive comments or feedback TRC?
A. The TRC is not able to provide detailed comments on your application but does
provide general feedback for consideration.
Q: What happens if my application is not recommended for verification?
A. We have limited funding available and difficult decisions need to be made.
Unfortunately, if you are not recommended for due diligence verification it means that
your application will not be considered further.
Q. If my application is not recommended for due diligence verification, can I resubmit the
application?
A. Unfortunately you are not able to resubmit the application.
Grant Size:
Q. What are the sizes of the different grants?
A. Typically, the Innovator grants are up to £50 000 per year over a two-year period, and
the Momentum grants are up to £100 000 per year over a three-year period.
Q. Can I apply for larger amounts?
A. No, your application will only be considered if it falls within the different ranges defined
on the website.
Q. Can I apply for smaller amounts?
A. Yes, you can apply for grants that are below the amounts stated.
Q. Why are Breakthrough grants only by invitation?
A. Breakthrough investments build on strategic partnerships that have been built over a
period of time and focus on workstreams that may have already started or been initiated.
Reporting:
Q. How often do I need to report?
A. The reporting requirements are the same for Community Strategic Initiatives and
Breakthrough. You are required to submit a 6 monthly narrative report as per the
provided template on CyberGrants and a 12 monthly narrative and financial report.
Q. When do I have to define or select my indicators?
A. You will have an opportunity to select the relevant indicators when you develop your
project proposal. Indicators will be finalised in your first meeting with your grant manager.
Q. Will I have a grant manager?
A. Yes, all grant recipients will be allocated a grant manager who will be assigned to you
as soon as your contract has been signed.
Q. How will I get in touch with my grant manager?
A. Your manager will contact you to set up your first call.
Q. How often do I need to engage with my grant manager?
A. We suggest a minimum of three times per year, any more than this will be up to you
and your grant manager to decide.
Q. What happens if I don’t hear from my grant manager?
A. Please contact the respective Positive Action Manager, information which can be found
on the Positive Action website.
Amplify Impact - Technical assistance (for CSI grants only):
Q. How much funding is available for technical assistance?
A. An amount of up to 10% of your total grant budget can be added onto your grant for
Accompaniment once approved.
Q. How do I access technical assistance?
A. You will need to agree the type of technical assistance (Accompaniment or Skills
Connector) with your grant manager and once agreed you will be able to access
technical assistance from agreed TA providers.
Q. Who is responsible for paying and contracting the TA provider?
A. This is your responsibility and you will be required to report on TA provided during your
6 monthly reports.
Q. Do I have to use the TA allocation?
A. There are no requirements for you to use the allocation. This allocation is only for
technical assistance so it cannot be used for anything else.
Q. Are there other forms of capacity building or technical assistance available?
A. Yes, there are opportunities related to linking and learning events, regional capacity
building events and utilising the skills connector This will be identified within each of the
funding rounds and appropriate budget allocation made. PLEASE NOTE that budget
allocation for technical assistance can only be used for relevant opportunities.
Charities Aid Foundation:
Q. Who are Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)?
A. CAF are a non-profit organisation working with corporate and private clients in the UK
to deliver philanthropic advice and financial services and products to enable giving. You
can read more about CAF here.
Q. What is the nature of the relationship between ViiV Healthcare and CAF?
A. CAF are a separate organisation to ViiV Healthcare, however ViiV Healthcare partner
with CAF in order to make payments to Positive Action Programme grantees. Project
proposals are initially reviewed by both the Positive Action team and an external,
independent Advisory Board. ViiV Healthcare then request that CAF conduct due
diligence checks on the groups selected – a process referred to as “verification”, then
disburse payment once verification is completed successfully. All donations are subject
to ViiV I Healthcare’s instruction and CAF’s subsequent approval.
Q. Why do CAF need to carry out this process?
A. CAF needs to ensure that all ViiV Healthcare’s grants are used for charitable purposes
as defined under the UK Charities Act. This includes ensuring that beneficiaries have
charitable aims and objectives and that those funds will be used charitably even if the
organisation ceases to exist. Whilst the global definitions and requirements of “charitable”
differ from one country to another, CAF must review each organisation in accordance
with UK Tax and Charity Laws.
As the funds will come from CAF, they need to ensure that all grants meet agreed
guidance from the UK Government’s Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC
require CAF to obtain confirmation on how donations are used and as a result CAF will
ask for a combined receipt and report for each donation made. Where larger levels of
support are made CAF will ask grantees to provide independently audited financial
reports detailing how the funds were used charitably.
CAF’s due diligence verification process is undertaken to:
• Minimise risk
• Comply with UK law
• Prevent money laundering
• Prevent terrorist financing and other criminal activity (i.e., anti-bribery and
corruption)
• Ensure funds are being used charitably as intended
• Ensure residual assets will be used for charitable purposes if the organisation is
dissolved
Q. How will CAF carry out this process?
A. Your submitted application will initially be reviewed by the Positive Action team and an
external, independent review Board. If successful, your application will then be shared
with CAF to carry out their due diligence.
Q. What information will CAF need?
A. CAF will review your application and may then request you to submit an additional, due
diligence focused application form through the online portal. This form will ask you to
upload copies of the following documents that have been translated into English:
• A copy of your organisation’s governing document e.g. Statutes, Trust Deed,
Constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association, Articles of Incorporation or
By-laws etc.
• A governing document’ is simply an official document which states the aims of
your organisation and how it operates. In every case CAF would expect to see the
aims/ objectives of the organisation and a dissolution clause in this (i.e. what
happens to assets if the organisation is closed down). Depending on the
organisation, the governing document also usually includes details about how
many trustees/ board members they have, the powers of the organisation and
states that they are not for profit.
• All organisations should have a governing document and they are usually referred
to as: Statutes, Trust Deed, Constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association,
Articles of Incorporation or By-laws.
• A copy of your organisation’s most recent annual report and audited accounts.
• Proof of your organisation’s tax exemption and/or proof of registration as a charity
or not for profit.
• If the funds are destined for a specific project, details of the project are required, a
list of Trustees including names, date of birth and home addresses.
Once you’ve submitted the additional questions and documents, CAF’s experts will
review the documentation and provide a decision. Occasionally it may be necessary for
CAF to ask for further clarification from your organisation before a decision is made – they
will contact you via the email address quoted in your application so please monitor your
emails closely to ensure that you can respond promptly to any requests and we can
make payment to you as soon as possible.
CAF verifies an organisation based on all information presented. Key elements of the
process focused on the size of the donation, the country in which your organisation /
project is located, and the purpose of the donation.
Q. Why does CAF need information about Trustees, including dates of birth?
A. CAF’s due diligence verification checks may include requesting the full details of
trustees and persons controlling the operations of the organisation. In the UK as a
financial services provider, CAF are required to follow ‘know your customer’ legislation
and guidance. This means that they need full names and date of births to effectively
demonstrate that they have carried out the required due diligence verification on them.
Dates of birth are required in order to clarify an individual’s identity. All information
supplied to CAF is treated as strictly confidential and is not shared or passed on to any
other parties. For more information on CAF’s data privacy policy please see here:
https://www.cafonline.org/privacy.
Q. How long will the verification process take?
A. CAF allows a maximum of 12 weeks for the recipient organisation to complete and
return the information needed. Once CAF has been sent this, they can normally make a
decision within a couple of days.
Q. I’ve received funds through CAF before, will the process be different?
A. CAF need to undertake the same levels of due diligence verification for every donation
requested but if you’ve been paid by them before, they can often do this without further
contact with your organisation. However, periodically CAF will be required to request
updated information on your organisation. In this instance they will ask you to re-submit
some details through the online portal.
Where you have received previous funding from CAF, you will also need to ensure that
your organisation has returned the receipt from the previous payment and any other
accompanying reports requested.
Q. What is meant by re-granting?
A. ‘Re granting’ is where your organisation is not controlling the entirety of the funds
provided, and are passing a portion of those funds on to another organisation.
The reasons CAF needs to understand and verify everyone who may control the use of
the funds is detailed in the guidance here which is prepared by the Charity Commission of
England and Wales, one of CAF’s regulators.
Paying for a service (e.g. building works or consultancy services) is not considered as re-
granting as your organisation remains in control of the funds.
