The Health Reform Support (HRS) implemented by Deloitte with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is accepting concepts for the Reconnecting People to Care (RPC) Grant Program. Entities with successful concept papers will be individually invited to complete a full application.

The RPC program aims to restore and build local health system capacity. RPC grantees will both implement capacity building interventions from the HRS Knowledge Hub and propose innovative, supplemental programs to achieve large-scale, sustainable healthcare system recovery and stability in target Ukrainian regions. The HRS Knowledge Hub is a collection of over five years of information, best practices, trainings, and activities gathered by HRS team members in close partnership with representatives from government entities, healthcare facilities, universities, NGOs, hospitals, and international organizations. The RPC Program will leverage this wealth of knowledge to further reform and transform Ukraine’s healthcare system.

RPC concepts should include two things:

1) The applicant’s ability to implement the some or all the pre-designated Knowledge Hub Activities (see below). Identify examples of past performance in previous interventions to show demonstrated capacity to conduct cascade trainings, reach within oblast for potential facilities, etc.; and

2)  Innovative, supplemental activity(s) supported by a clear local need. Clearly articulate the proposed program coverage areas, including the target region, hromadas, and specific healthcare facilities.

HRS Knowledge Hub-Supported Activities (~60% proposed program budget):

• Interventions, already piloted and ready for implementation, including strengthening the role and capacity of PHC providers to expand services related to TB, HIV, non-communicable diseases, palliative care, immunization, and services for disabled persons
• Reconnect vulnerable populations to healthcare at PHC and SHC facilities through a multidisciplinary approach at the community level
• Capacity Building for healthcare providers, including skills related to: facility management, digital literacy, brief medical intervention, financial management, and expanding medical services provided at the facility through medical training
• Disseminate the best practices and developed approached by HRS under healthcare system transformational activities to scale up best practices to other communities/oblasts.

Additional Proposed Innovative Supplemental Activities/Programs  (~40% proposed program budget)

• Tailored solutions to unique and specific community needs and gaps in services
  • Situational analysis
  • Local health system recovery activities
  • Community level activities
• Improve patients’ healthcare seeking behavior and improve self-management skills
• Support regional health care systems to restore basic health services that were interrupted during the war at the facility level
• Address new and emerging life-saving health care needs in the communities to ensure the availability and accessibility of services.

Program Features

• Period of Performance:  December 2023 - December 2024
• First Concepts Reviewed on September 22, 2023. HRS will continue accepting and reviewing concepts beyond Sept. 22, with priority given to early applicants.
• Individual Award Amounts (see eligibility below)
  1. Maximum USD 1,000,000.00 for Ukrainian and International Entities
  2. Maximum USD 250,000.00 for U.S. Entities (see eligibility below)

• Target Oblasts/Regions: Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kherson
  Applicant should only cover one (1) target region. The program will award 1-2 grants per region.

Target program coveragE (per award)

• Min. 2 districts/rayons in 1 target region/oblast and 5 communities/hromadas per region
• Cover 100% of primary HCFs in proposed communities
• Min. 40% communities’ population covered
• Min. 200,000 people covered

Eligibility

Grant support is planned for representatives of civil society (including non-governmental academic institutions, analytical centers and/or professional associations), patient organizations and human rights groups, health care institutions, and community-level organizations operating in the above-mentioned target oblasts.  Full information on the conditions of the competition, eligibility criteria for participants, allowed activities, possible application formats and deadlines and evaluation criteria for submitted applications can be found in the full announcement in Ukrainian (https://www.prostir.ua/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OGAP-Restoration_HRS_3.23.2023_approvedukr.pdf) about the Open Grant Application Program of which RPC is a sub-program.

How to apply

Grant concepts and applications can be submitted online through the grant portal (https://dgrants.fluxx.io). Only concepts that meet the minimum requirements will be able to form the basis of full grant applications.  Grant concepts/applications are accepted on a rolling basis with priority given to concepts received before Sept. 22, 2023. The technical evaluation committee will meet bi-weekly, or more frequently as needed, to review submitted concepts. Concepts/applications can be submitted in Ukrainian.

For additional details, you can view our capacity building webinar focused on writing great concept notes (https://fex.net/uk/s/3m8se8r).

Any questions regarding the Program or work with the Fluxx Portal should be sent to our shared inbox (grant@hrs.net.ua). Phone calls are not accepted.