PEPFAR Small Grants Program, Capacity Building and Coordination for Community-Led Monitoring | DOS MSU PEPFARCLMCB FY24

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS MSU PEPFARCLMCB FY24

The U.S. Embassy Maseru Special Projects Office (Department of State, U.S. Mission to Lesotho) is offering a grant opportunity under PEPFAR to fund one organization to serve as the capacity building and coordination lead for the PEPFAR Small Grants Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) Program in Lesotho. The core idea behind CLM is that local community-based organizations, civil society groups, networks of key populations, and people living with HIV regularly collect both quantitative and qualitative information about HIV services from the perspective of clients. That feedback is then used to push for practical fixes at health facilities and within HIV programs. The program aligns with the PEPFAR Country Operational Plan and requires an explicit focus on key populations, meaning these groups must be included in monitoring activities even if they are not the only focus. Key populations specified include men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and people in prisons or other enclosed settings.

This award is designed to strengthen and coordinate the work of roughly 10 local civil society organizations (CSOs) that will receive smaller CLM sub-grants (generally at 20,000 USD or less each) to carry out community-led monitoring across all districts of Lesotho. Each district-level effort is expected to cover as many health facilities as possible while coordinating with other partners implementing CLM-related work, so that monitoring is comprehensive and not duplicated. A major operational feature of the program is routine facility- and community-based data collection on a quarterly schedule, followed by structured sharing of findings with relevant stakeholders to drive action. CLM is framed as a practical tool for identifying persistent barriers to effective HIV prevention, treatment, and care, and for improving client outcomes and service quality at the site level.

The organization funded under this opportunity would function as the backbone support and coordination hub for those smaller CLM grantees. The scope of work emphasizes hands-on capacity building and structured coordination rather than simply running CLM directly. Key responsibilities include conducting capacity assessments to understand each grantee's technical CLM abilities and overall organizational capacity; designing and delivering CLM training on data collection, analysis, and reporting; and providing ongoing technical assistance tailored to customized capacity-building plans. The coordinating organization is also expected to consolidate CLM results across grantees, convene national-level stakeholder feedback meetings, and track follow-through on agreed action plans and advocacy priorities. Another important requirement is to support triangulation, meaning CLM findings should be compared and aligned with PEPFAR data streams and other national data sources where relevant, so that community feedback is connected to broader program performance data. The coordinator must also liaise with other technical assistance partners, leverage existing resources, prevent duplication of monitored facilities, and ensure timely reporting from each grantee, culminating in consolidated reporting to PEPFAR via the Embassy Special Projects Office.

Funding is offered as a grant with an award ceiling of 50,000 USD, and the notice indicates one expected award. The project is expected to be completed within a 12-month timeframe, and proposals are judged heavily on whether the plan is realistic, clearly explained, and deliverable within that period. Applicants should be prepared to show they can manage multi-partner coordination across districts, provide structured technical support, and maintain disciplined reporting and stakeholder engagement routines. Although the program’s broader public health aim is HIV epidemic control, the day-to-day success of this grant is measured by whether the CLM grantees can consistently collect usable data, share it in credible forums, and translate findings into concrete service improvements and advocacy outcomes, particularly for key populations who often face barriers to care.

Eligibility and compliance requirements include that organizations must not be listed on the Excluded Parties List System in the System for Award Management (SAM), consistent with debarment and suspension rules under 2 CFR 180 and related Executive Orders. Organizations (except individuals) must register in SAM.gov, which is free but must be renewed annually, and registration is required to receive an award. This effectively means applicants need to have the basic administrative readiness for U.S. government assistance awards, including compliance and documentation standards.

The application package is fairly structured and must include completed and signed federal forms SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B, along with a cover page that clearly identifies the organization, project title, target districts/locations, and a primary point of contact. A table of contents is required, and the proposal narrative must be detailed enough that someone unfamiliar with CLM can still understand exactly what the applicant intends to do. At minimum, the narrative should cover the applicant organization background, program goals and objectives, strategic approach and tools, planned activities, expected measurable results, a schedule and timeline, key personnel, and a monitoring and evaluation plan. The M and E narrative is specifically limited to two pages. The budget must be submitted in U.S. dollars and also estimated in Maloti using an exchange rate of 1 USD = 16 Maloti, and the request must not exceed 50,000 USD; a detailed budget justification is required to explain and defend each cost line item. Required attachments also include one-page CVs/resumes for key personnel with role descriptions, the organization’s constitution, a list of committee or board members with names and addresses, and bank account details for the project account (bank name, account name, account number, and whether it is savings or checking).

Applications were accepted during the stated window of March 1, 2023 through April 28, 2023, submitted either by email to grantsmaseru@state.gov or delivered to the U.S. Embassy Maseru Special Projects Office at 254 Kingsway, P.O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho. After initial eligibility screening by the Special Projects Office, applications are scored by a review panel using an 80-point rubric. The scoring categories prioritize responsiveness to the notice, the strength of the technical proposal, the feasibility of the implementation plan, and the quality of the monitoring and evaluation plan, alongside budget reasonableness and related experience. Shortlisted applicants may be interviewed and could be asked to host a site visit, after which a final internal review panel selects the awardee and notifies unsuccessful applicants.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Lesotho in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "PEPFAR Small Grants Program, Capacity Building and Coordination for Community-Led Monitoring" 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 Mar 01, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 28, 2023. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for DOS MSU PEPFARCLMCB FY24

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