Dear HIFA colleagues,
This is an exciting opportunity for community-based organisations worldwide that use WHO guidelines and tools.
Grants are available up to $20,000 per grant.
The emphasis on use of WHO guidelines and tools strongly aligns with HIFA's remit.
HIFA itself is not eligible, but if YOU would like to apply, please consider the possibility of including HIFA in your project plan.
How can HIFA support your project? HIFA can support your work by inclusion of a dedicated HIFA Spotlight. This would enable a focused 7-day discussion on the HIFA forums exploring your key priorities. Partnering with HIFA would raise the visibility of your work and would extend the reach of your engagement and consultation. For example, HIFA could help you tap into the experience and expertise of our 20,000 members in 180 countries. www.hifa.org/spotlights
If you would like to explore collaboration with HIFA, please contact neil@hifa.org
Best wishes, Neil
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Shifting Power through Action and Reciprocal Knowledge Exchange (SPARK)
17 September 2026 Call for proposals
SPARK — Shifting Power through Action and Reciprocal Knowledge Exchange — is a grant program launched by the WHO/IBP Network designed to put communities at the centre of sexual reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and rights work. SPARK invests directly in youth-led, women-led, and indigenous-led community-based organizations that are reimagining how WHO guidelines and tools are disseminated, adapted, and applied in real-world settings. This is not a call for organizations to implement someone else's agenda. It is an invitation to lead. We want to learn from you: How are you using evidence-based guidance? How are you innovating? How are you shifting power to ensure communities, not institutions, drive the agenda for sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health in your setting?
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are seeking proposals from youth-led, women-led, or indigenous-led community-based organizations that are:
Applying WHO guidelines and tools in innovative, locally grounded ways
Integrating sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health into sectors beyond traditional health programming, with particular interest in initiatives at the intersection of sexual and reproductive health and rights and:
Maternal Health
Climate
Workforce / Livelihoods/Poverty reduction
Education
Faith-based initiatives
Shifting power within their programming by meaningfully involving community members in design, decision-making, and evaluation, not just delivery
Documenting and sharing innovative approaches so that lessons can strengthen the broader IBP Network and inform how WHO guidance is used at the community level and gaps that remain.
WHO CAN APPLY
We strongly encourage applications from:
Youth-led, Women-led, or Indigenous-led organizations
Community-based organisations working directly with the populations they serve
Organisations that have been operating for at least 2 years
Organisations with implementation experience using at least one WHO guideline, tool or product previously
Priority will be given to organizations that are new to WHO/IBP Network funding mechanisms and that demonstrate strong community accountability and leadership.
GRANT DETAILS
Number of grants: 5–10
Grant amount: Up to USD $20,000 per grant
Timeline: One Year
Geographic reach: We aim to fund at least one organization per WHO region (African Region, Region of the Americas, South-East Asia Region, European Region, Eastern Mediterranean Region, Western Pacific Region)
WHAT GRANTEES WILL RECEIVE
Direct, flexible grant funding to implement their proposed work
Technical support from the WHO/IBP Network and access to relevant WHO SRMNCAH guidelines and tools
Connection to IBP's global Communities of Practice for peer exchange and learning
WHO Guidelines CoP
Adolescent CoP
Women’s Health CoP
Powershifting CoP
Opportunities to document and showcase their work to a global SRMNCAH audience
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
Applicants should submit an initial concept note of no more than 500 words that includes:
Organizational overview — who you are, how long you have been operating, your community base, prior implementation experience and familiarity with WHO guidelines and tools, and your leadership structure (demonstrating youth, women, and/or indigenous leadership)
Proposed activity — what you plan to do, including which WHO SRMNCAH guideline(s) or tool(s) you will use or adapt, and which sector(s) of integration you are focusing on (health, maternal health, climate, workforce, education, faith, or other)
Power-shifting approach — how your proposed work centers community voice and decision-making
Budget — a proposed budget of up to $20,000
Timeline — proposed implementation timeline and key milestones
Documentation and learning plan — how you will capture and share what you learn with your community and with the IBP Network
Shortlisted applicants may be requested to submit a more formal proposal, including financial statements, one letter of support, and WHO requirements for working with non-state actors.
HOW TO APPLY
Link to submit here. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCqry5p0ONwXR7zHP9Fk2WfKqR7ZYl...
Applications may be submitted in English, French, or Spanish.
Deadline: 9 October 2026
Submit any questions to:
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org