Deadline: 25 January 2012
Open to: Applicant organizations must be individual non‐profit organizations, for‐profit companies or other recognized institutions that can successfully execute the activities in their technical area.
Grant: Up to $2,000,000 per project
Description
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has issued a Request for Proposals for its new grant program called “Discover New Ways to Achieve Healthy Growth” under the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative. The goal of this opportunity is to elucidate new pathways or mechanisms that will directly inform the development of interventions for the prevention of impaired growth, i.e. stunting and wasting, and the associated impaired cognitive development during the first 1,000 days following conception in the developing world. The program seeks to address the challenge of lack of new research needed to address the underlying biological mechanisms and pathways associated with growth restriction, stunting, and wasting during the first 1,000 days following conception (-9 to 24 months).
Research efforts relevant to informing future interventions for treating or preventing growth restriction, stunting, or wasting may include the investigation of pathways or mechanisms: a) involved with the acquisition or metabolism of essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, or other nutrients; b) controlled by hormones or influenced by autonomic functions; c) induced by pathogens or immunological activity; or d) environmental toxins. The Discover New Ways to Achieve Healthy Growth program will address three developmental segments or age groups:
1) prenatal, including preconception factors as well as those during fetal development,
2) infants from birth to 6 months of age, and
3) infants from 6 to 24 months of age.
Grant
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is willing to fund up to a total of $15 Million for research activities to uncover new pathways or mechanisms that will directly inform the development of interventions for the prevention of impaired growth during the first 1,000 days following conception in the developing world as part of this program. Proposals for funding are eligible for up to $2,000,000 total cost per project in funding. Individual program budgets should be representative of the scope and magnitude of the proposed studies. The proposal should clearly identify decision points and endpoints that will fit within the proposed budget and time frame of 36 to 48 months. A Hard Milestone at 24 months will separate Part 1: Exploration and Mechanistic Understanding, and Part 2: Mechanism and Relevance to an Intervention.
Eligibility
Applicant organizations must be individual non‐profit organizations, for‐profit companies or other recognized institutions that can successfully execute the activities in their technical area.
How to apply?
A Letter of Inquiry (LOI) in response to this RFP should be submitted no later than January 25, 2012 10:00 AM PST. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (which may subsequently be referred to as ‘the Gates Foundation’ or ‘the foundation’) will evaluate the LOIs and applicants who have projects of further interest to the Gates Foundation will be invited in March 2012 to submit a full proposal in April 2012. These time periods are subject to change. All applicants will be notified by email in a timely manner of any change to the dates for notification and proposal deadline. Instructions on the preparation of full proposals will be provided to selected applicants.
Steps to Apply for a Grant
- Create an account: The first time you visit the grant application portal, Unison, you will need to create an account (click here to apply). After you enter your information, a temporary password will be emailed to you. Return to the Unison homepage to personalize your password and complete your account profile.
- Log into Unison Portal: After you complete your account profile, you may access the grant application by logging into Unison.
- Download the LOI instructions: The instructions provide directions regarding the format and content of your LOI. You can download the instructions after you create your account and log into the portal.
- Complete the LOI application form (can be downloaded here). The LOI Application includes questions regarding the purpose, framework, approach, assumptions, and budget of your project.
- Submit your LOI: After you have completed the LOI application form, you will be asked to attach this form to your application. You will be able to review your LOI, make any changes, and save it prior to submitting it to the foundation. You can save the application and return to it later through Unison by logging in any time before the submission deadline with your email address and password. Returning users please visit this website. Once you have logged into the RFP opportunity, the application will appear in “My Open LOIs and Grant Applications”
Please note: Do not mail a duplicate hard copy of your LOI, and the Foundation cannot accept additional attachments such as brochures, videos, etc. All applicants are encouraged to use the application portal Unison for the most rapid response to your application. If you cannot submit your LOI online, please send email at grandchallenges@gatesfoundation.org and you will be contacted.
Once you’ve submitted your LOI, you will receive a confirmation that it has been received. If your LOI is selected, you will be notified by staff and invited to submit a grant proposal for further review. A request for a full proposal does not guarantee funding.
In order to download the complete brochure with rules and guidelines for this grant, please click here.
Contacts
In case of any questions, please visit Frequently Asked Questions or contact the representatives via phone to 206 709 3400 or via email to grandchallenges@gatesfoundation.org.