Deadline: 01-Jun-2026
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) is inviting civil society organizations (CSOs) from low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia to apply for the third cohort of the CSO Budget Advocacy Accelerator. The 10-month programme focuses on strengthening advocacy, budget engagement, and domestic financing strategies for noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention and injury prevention initiatives.
Selected organizations will receive mentorship, training, peer learning opportunities, and seed funding of up to $10,000 to implement advocacy capstone projects related to health financing and public health policy.
Overview of the CSO Budget Advocacy Accelerator
The CSO Budget Advocacy Accelerator is a capacity-strengthening programme designed to help civil society organizations improve their skills in public health financing advocacy and government budget engagement.
The initiative focuses on increasing sustainable domestic financing for:
- Noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention
- Injury prevention
- Public health systems strengthening
The programme combines webinars, mentorship, workshops, and practical advocacy assignments to strengthen the advocacy and policy engagement capacity of participating organizations.
Key Focus Areas
The Accelerator supports advocacy related to:
- Heart disease prevention
- Cancer prevention
- Diabetes prevention
- Chronic respiratory diseases
- Tobacco control
- Cardiovascular health
- Road safety
- Drowning prevention
- School meal and food systems policies
- Domestic resource mobilization
- Health financing reforms
- Public financial management
- Health systems strengthening
Additional themes include:
- Strategic communications
- Coalition building
- Government engagement
- Accountability mechanisms
- Sustainable public health financing
Programme Structure
The 10-month programme includes:
- 9–10 virtual webinars
- 1–2 in-person workshops
- Mentorship and coaching
- Peer learning and exchange
- Practical advocacy assignments
- Capstone advocacy project development
All programme activities will be conducted in English.
Learning Topics
Participants will receive training on:
- Budget advocacy strategies
- Landscape assessments
- Stakeholder mapping
- Power analysis
- Policy objective development
- Public financial management systems
- Budget cycle analysis
- Government expenditure monitoring
- Legal aspects of health financing
- Media engagement and communications
Each organization will also receive support from GHAI mentors and health financing experts.
Capstone Advocacy Project
Selected CSOs will design and implement a capstone advocacy project focused on improving financing for NCD prevention and related public health priorities.
Capstone projects should demonstrate:
- Government engagement
- Alignment with national health priorities
- Sustainable advocacy strategies
- Policy or financing impact potential
Each selected organization will receive:
- Seed Funding: Up to $10,000
Who is Eligible?
Eligible applicants include legally registered civil society organizations from low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia.
Organizations must:
- Have at least 3 years of experience in NCD-related programming
- Demonstrate experience in policy advocacy or public health
- Be eligible to receive foreign funding
- Submit a recent advocacy work sample from the past 24 months
- Nominate two staff representatives for full programme participation
Preferred Applicants
Preference will be given to organizations with:
- Budget advocacy experience
- Policy advocacy experience
- Active government relationships
- Experience in national or subnational campaigns
- Clear budget advocacy opportunities for capstone projects
Why the Programme Matters
Noncommunicable diseases are among the leading causes of death globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
However, many countries continue to face challenges such as:
- Limited public health financing
- Weak budget accountability systems
- Insufficient domestic resource mobilization
- Limited advocacy capacity among civil society organizations
The Accelerator helps CSOs strengthen their ability to influence health financing decisions and advocate for sustainable investments in NCD prevention and public health systems.
How the Programme Works
The programme combines training, mentorship, and practical advocacy implementation.
Programme Process
- Selection of eligible CSOs
- Participation in webinars and workshops
- Mentorship and advocacy coaching
- Development of advocacy strategies
- Design of capstone projects
- Implementation of advocacy activities
- Monitoring and reporting of advocacy outcomes
Tips for a Strong Application
Organizations should:
- Demonstrate clear experience in NCD or public health advocacy
- Identify realistic health financing or budget advocacy opportunities
- Highlight government engagement experience
- Provide strong examples of prior advocacy work
- Show organizational commitment to long-term advocacy efforts
- Nominate experienced staff capable of active programme participation
Strong applications usually include:
- Clear advocacy goals
- Evidence of policy engagement
- Strong stakeholder relationships
- Realistic and achievable advocacy strategies
- Potential for sustainable policy impact
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the GHAI CSO Budget Advocacy Accelerator?
It is a 10-month capacity-building programme supporting CSOs working on health financing and NCD prevention advocacy.
Who can apply?
Legally registered CSOs from low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia can apply.
What health areas does the programme focus on?
The programme focuses on noncommunicable diseases, injury prevention, tobacco control, cardiovascular health, and health financing advocacy.
How long is the programme?
The Accelerator runs for 10 months.
Is funding provided?
Yes, selected organizations receive seed funding of up to $10,000 for capstone advocacy projects.
What language will the programme use?
All webinars, workshops, and programme activities will be conducted in English.
What experience is required?
Applicants must have at least three years of experience in NCD-related programming and public health or policy advocacy.
Conclusion
The GHAI CSO Budget Advocacy Accelerator 2026 provides an important opportunity for civil society organizations in Africa and Asia to strengthen their advocacy capacity around health financing and noncommunicable disease prevention. Through mentorship, practical learning, peer exchange, and seed funding, the programme aims to build stronger advocacy movements that can influence public health financing decisions and improve long-term investments in NCD prevention and health systems strengthening.
For more information, visit Global Health Advocacy Incubator.