The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) has launched the Global Fund 2026 call to finance civil society initiatives that complement the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The call supports initiatives that strengthen health systems, improve access to services for vulnerable communities, promote community leadership and advance health equity, gender equality and human rights. Projects must align with the Global Fund’s 2023–2028 strategy and complement existing interventions rather than duplicate activities already funded by the Global Fund.

The call has a total budget of €15 million and is implemented through a public competitive funding procedure.

Funding and Support

• Total programme budget: €15 million
• Funding per project: €1 million to €3 million
• Project duration: 36 months
• Minimum co-financing: 7% of the total project cost, provided in cash by the lead applicant using its own resources and/or other funding sources
• Funding type: Non-repayable grant contribution

Purpose and Objectives

The overall objective is to contribute to ending AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 and the Global Fund’s strategy.

Proposals must address one or more of the following objectives:

• Strengthen integrated, people-centred health systems to improve impact, resilience and sustainability.
• Strengthen the engagement and leadership of communities most affected by the three diseases.
• Advance health equity, gender equality and human rights.

Priority Areas

Projects may include activities that:

• Improve access to quality HIV/AIDS prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
• Strengthen tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including responses to drug-resistant tuberculosis.
• Improve malaria prevention and treatment.
• Strengthen community health systems, laboratory services, health information systems and health supply chains.
• Support community-led advocacy, inclusive decision-making and partnerships with affected communities.
• Address gender-related and human rights barriers to accessing health services.
• Improve services for vulnerable and underserved populations, including adolescent girls and young women and other key and vulnerable populations.

Gender equality must be integrated into project design, with dedicated results and indicators or specific actions supported by an appropriate budget.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible lead applicants

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that meet the requirements of Article 26 of Italian Law No. 125/2014 and are registered on the relevant AICS list as at the publication date of the call, 30 September 2026.

Eligible organisations may apply individually or lead a Temporary Association of Purpose (ATS) comprising eligible CSOs registered on the AICS list.

Applicants must also meet the call’s administrative, legal, tax and financial requirements and demonstrate the operational capacity to implement activities in the proposed country or countries.

Partnership requirement

Every initiative must include at least one local civil society organisation that contributes specific value to the project and supports the achievement of its objectives. Partnerships with relevant local institutional authorities are also encouraged.

Projects must complement existing Global Fund investments, avoid duplication with ongoing interventions and align with the relevant country’s policies and Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM).

Important: This is not an unrestricted international grant for any organisation to lead. The lead applicant must meet the AICS registration requirements. Organisations outside that eligible group should confirm whether they can participate as partners.

Geographic Scope

Projects must be implemented in one or more of these 17 eligible African countries:

Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Sudan, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.

Important Dates

• Call published: 30 September 2026
• Deadline for clarification requests: 11 December 2026
• Application deadline: 12 January 2027 at 13:00 Italian time

Clarification requests may be submitted only by organisations that meet the call’s eligibility requirements.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted through the SISTAKE digital application platform following registration or accreditation.

Applicants must complete the project proposal using the prescribed forms and upload the required supporting documentation, including:

• Participation application.
• Assessment by the relevant diplomatic representation.
• Declaration of operational capacity in each proposed intervention country.
• Support letter from the relevant Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM).
• Project summary in English.
• Project document, financial plan and project timetable.
• Other prescribed documents, including an ATS letter of intent where applicable.

The application and associated procedural documentation must be prepared in Italian, except for the project summary, which must be in English.

Contact Information

Organisation: Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)
Responsible office: Office IV – Human Development
Responsible for the procedure: Dr Fiorella Imperiale
Clarification enquiries: faq.gf2026@aics.gov.it
SISTAKE technical support: helpdesk.sistake@aics.gov.it

Industry / Sector

Global health, public health, healthcare delivery, community health systems and international development cooperation.

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