Updated on 12 June
Every year the IPPF Board decides on a new theme for the Consortium Channel under the Strategic Fund. You can read more about this year’s Request for Proposals here. Below is a list of the frequently asked questions about the channel and the specific theme.
Q: When is the deadline?
The deadline for expression of interest is 14th May 2024. The deadline for submission of final proposals to the consortium channel is 28th June 2024.
Q: How do we define a ‘region’ in the context of the grant?
A: The term region refers to IPPF region: Africa Region, Americas and Caribbean Region, Arab World REgion, EASt & Southeast Asia and Oceania Region, European Network, South Asia Region.
Q: Will the consortium need to implement in more than two regions, or just have members from more than two regions?
A: Both. The consortium must have partners from more than two regions, and should implement in more than two regions also.
Q: Do we have to address all of the Priority Objectives?
A: The applications have to address as many of the seven priority objectives as possible. However, the consortium must work towards and contribute to a minimum of three such objectives at national level (required), and, where possible, at regional or global levels. [this was updated on 12 June]
Q: Can we apply in any of the IPPF languages?
A: Yes, applications will be professionally translated.
Q: Who should form the Consortium? Is it the lead or the Secretariat?
A: It is the responsibility of the prospective consortium lead to build the consortium, and to facilitate the development of the proposal. Where requested, the Secretariat can help to reach out to other regions, MAs or national sex workers organizations and networks. Please get in touch with your AOC.
Q: Is there a limit on the number of consortia that can apply?
A: There is no limit, but only one grant will be awarded in 2024.
Q: How do we know that we are considered eligible to lead the consortium?
A: The RFP specifies the criteria. You have to be an MA, your last two audits must be unqualified and your annual turnover must be equal to or larger than the annual budget of the consortium.
If you do not fulfil these criteria, you should not submit your application as it will be disqualified.
Q: Can an MA join more than one consortium?
A: There are no restrictions on how many consortia an MA can join. However, they would have to declare and navigate the conflict of interest. Other partners might not be comfortable with their inclusion.
Q: Can you lead a consortium and also join other consortia?
A: This is not recommended. It is likely that your consortium partners and the reviewing teams would not take your leadership seriously, if you do not believe in it yourself.
Q: Are you eligible for the consortium channel If you already receive funding under Stream 2?
A: There are no set limits to how many channels an MA can access under stream 2.
Q: As the lead, are there any limitations to what expenses you may cover in the budget?
A: You can only include 10% overheads. The rest must be salaries and activity costs directly attributable to the programme and its outcomes.
Q: How flexible is the funding: across the two years, across regions involved, in terms of type of activities?
A: The limitations are specified in the RFP. Beyond these, the funding is flexible.
Q: How should sex workers organizations be involved in the Proposal?
A: The proposals should include one or more sex worker-led organizations at national levels for each country covered by the Consortium (required) and one regional or global sex worker-led network (optional) . In countries without sex worker-led organizations, the partnerships should be established with organizations with reputable experience working with sex workers at local/national level. Partnerships with sex worker-led organizations should be mutually agreed and budgeted and include clear MoUs between national Consortium members and sex worker-led organizations.
Q: Do consortium partners need to know each other / have collaborated before?
A: No. One of the objectives for the Consortium Channel is to bring the federation together to deliver on our shared mission. You do not need to have collaborated directly to join together in a consortium.
Q: In the Request for Proposals, you have indicated five co-applicants. Is this to be understood as a limit of five co-applicants or may we add more?
A: There is no upper limit to the number of co-applicants. You should consider the budget implications, however.
Q: Can the consortium lead also have a technical or implementing role?
A: Yes, they can. They should however be sure to budget for their management role, which requires a lot of effort.
Q: Can we submit a consortium of mostly high-income countries?
No, that would not be in the spirit of the channel. MAs from High-income countries are fully eligible to lead or to be part of a consortium, but the funding should prioritise high-need countries, and/or the context of the annual theme.
Q: Which official data source is used to classify countries as low-income and middle-income? Some countries are classified differently across various rankings.
A: The classification is done by the World Bank, which it is what is used for the official OECD-DAC eligibility.
Q: Regarding the consortium lead, the call specifies that their annual turnover must equal or exceed the annual budget of the consortium. Could you please provide the exchange rate used for converting local currency to USD?
A: Please use the rate from the 2024 Business Plan update form.
Q: Is the “budget of the consortium” referring to the combined annual budget of the five consortium members or to the annual budget of the call, i.e., USD 1.4M annually?
A: The Consortium Lead needs to have an annual budget commensurate to one year of the full consortium budget, i.e. 1.4m. The lead will ultimately be responsible for the financial management of this amount, and it needs to be clear that they are able to manage a similar amount.
Q:Are there any specific back-donors for this RFT?
No. This funded from the pool of IPPF core/designated funding.
Q: Will the AoCs be informed about the countries that have submitted Expressions of Interest?
A: The MAs/CPs applying to lead a consortium will be informed of the full list of IPPF affiliates that have expressed an interest in being part of a consortium. It is not the task of the AOC to create the consortium. That is the role of the prospective lead. The AOC is expected to provide support, access and information.
Q: What is the specific timeframe allocated for project implementation within the two-year project period?
A: The implementation will commence once the first tranche of funding is released. The consortium lead will spend August to November 2024 preparing the budget and work plans with its partners, and there will also be a specific training conducted in this period. This will not be part of the implementation. The costs of the training will be covered outside of the budget.