Call for Applications: SAFEStart+ Project Small Grants 2026 (Uganda)

Deadline: 30-Jun-2026

The International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa, in partnership with PATH and the World Hepatitis Alliance, has launched the SAFEStart+ Project Small Grants Scheme in Uganda. The scheme supports community-led organizations working to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis. Selected organizations will receive grants ranging from US$5,000 to US$10,000 for a one-year implementation period.

Overview

The SAFEStart+ Project Small Grants Scheme supports community-led organizations in Uganda to strengthen local action for the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis.

The initiative is led by the International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa in partnership with PATH and the World Hepatitis Alliance.

The grant aims to strengthen community structures, improve demand for EVT services, support advocacy and accountability, and amplify community voices in health policy and programming.

Purpose of the Small Grants Scheme

The purpose of the small grants scheme is to support community-led interventions that contribute to the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis in Uganda.

The initiative helps communities participate meaningfully in prevention, service demand, monitoring, advocacy, and decision-making processes.

It is designed to ensure that affected communities are not only beneficiaries of health programmes but also active leaders in shaping and improving EVT services.

Key Focus Areas

The scheme focuses on community-led interventions, elimination of vertical transmission, HIV, Hepatitis B, Syphilis, maternal and child health, community structures, capacity development, demand generation, antenatal care, testing and treatment services, stigma reduction, misinformation prevention, advocacy, accountability, community-led monitoring, evidence generation, policy influence, and community participation in decision-making.

What Is Elimination of Vertical Transmission?

Elimination of vertical transmission refers to preventing the transmission of infections from a pregnant person to a child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

In this opportunity, EVT focuses on three infections:

• HIV
• Hepatitis B
• Syphilis

Community-led interventions can help improve awareness, increase service uptake, reduce stigma, strengthen monitoring, and support families to access prevention, testing, treatment, and care services.

What the Grant Supports

The SAFEStart+ Small Grants Scheme supports community-led organizations implementing activities that strengthen EVT responses.

Supported activities may include:

• Strengthening community structures and networks
• Supporting community platforms
• Improving community-led monitoring systems
• Training community members and peer advocates
• Building knowledge on EVT
• Strengthening advocacy and accountability skills
• Generating demand for antenatal care services
• Promoting testing and treatment services
• Addressing stigma and misinformation
• Collecting and using community-led monitoring evidence
• Tracking service availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality
• Facilitating dialogue with decision-makers and duty bearers
• Amplifying community voices in policy and programme decisions

Applicants must address at least three identified workstreams in their technical proposals.

Funding Amount

Selected organizations will receive grants ranging from US$5,000 to US$10,000.

The funding will support a one-year implementation period.

Applicants should prepare a realistic budget that matches the proposed activities, workstreams, target communities, and expected results.

Project Duration

The implementation period is one year.

Organizations should design activities that can be delivered within this timeframe while creating sustainable community-led systems and stronger links with health services.

Priority Workstreams

Applicants are required to address at least three workstreams in their technical proposals.

Relevant workstreams include:

• Strengthening community structures
• Capacity development for community members and peer advocates
• Demand generation for EVT services
• Advocacy and accountability
• Generation and use of community-led monitoring evidence
• Amplifying community voices in policy and programme decision-making

A strong proposal should show how the selected workstreams connect and reinforce one another.

Strengthening Community Structures

The scheme supports activities that reinforce community groups, networks, and platforms.

This may include:

• Strengthening community-led organizations
• Supporting peer networks
• Improving community reporting systems
• Building local coordination platforms
• Enhancing community ownership of EVT responses
• Creating stronger links between community groups and health systems

Strong community structures help sustain action beyond the grant period.

Capacity Development

The programme supports training and capacity development for community members and peer advocates.

Capacity-building activities may focus on:

• EVT knowledge
• HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis prevention
• Maternal and child health
• Community-led monitoring
• Advocacy skills
• Data collection and reporting
• Peer education
• Supervision and referral pathways
• Engagement with formal health systems

The goal is to equip community actors with the knowledge and tools needed to support effective EVT responses.

Demand Generation for EVT Services

Organizations may undertake activities that increase demand for EVT services.

These may include:

• Awareness campaigns
• Community dialogues
• Promotion of antenatal care
• Promotion of HIV testing
• Promotion of Hepatitis B testing
• Promotion of Syphilis testing
• Linkage to treatment and care
• Addressing stigma
• Countering misinformation
• Encouraging early and regular service use

Demand generation should be designed around community realities, barriers, and trusted communication channels.

Advocacy and Accountability

The scheme supports advocacy and accountability efforts that use evidence and lived experience to influence change.

Activities may include:

• Community scorecards
• Service quality tracking
• Dialogue with health authorities
• Engagement with decision-makers
• Participation in national and sub-national platforms
• Policy advocacy
• Community testimony and storytelling
• Monitoring commitments related to EVT services

Advocacy should aim to improve services, strengthen accountability, and accelerate progress toward elimination of vertical transmission.

Community-Led Monitoring

Community-led monitoring is a key component of the small grants scheme.

Organizations may track whether EVT services are:

• Available
• Accessible
• Affordable
• Acceptable
• High quality
• Responsive to community needs

The evidence generated should be used to support advocacy, improve service delivery, and inform policy and programme decisions.

Who Is Eligible?

Eligible applicants include community-led organizations operating at national or sub-national levels in Uganda.

Organizations should have an existing focus on at least one of the following areas:

• Elimination of vertical transmission
• Community-led monitoring
• Maternal and child health
• HIV programming
• Hepatitis B programming
• Syphilis programming
• Community health advocacy
• Health rights and accountability

Applicants should demonstrate experience in community engagement and community-led intervention delivery.

Organizational Requirements

Applicants should demonstrate:

• Proven community engagement experience
• Advocacy experience
• Experience implementing community-led interventions
• Capacity to strengthen community ownership
• Meaningful participation of affected communities
• Ability to conduct training and supervision
• Linkages with formal health systems
• Capacity to implement activities over one year
• Registration or a clearly defined informal structure where applicable

Priority will be given to community-led organizations operating in priority regions and districts.

Priority Applicants

Priority will be given to organizations led by or serving affected communities.

This includes organizations led by:

• Women
• Young people
• People affected by HIV
• Communities affected by Hepatitis B
• Communities affected by Syphilis
• Community advocates
• Peer networks
• Priority district or regional groups

The scheme values leadership by people closest to the issues being addressed.

Why It Matters

Vertical transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis can be prevented when communities have access to accurate information, testing, treatment, antenatal care, and responsive health systems.

Community-led organizations play a critical role in reaching people who may face stigma, misinformation, service barriers, or limited access to care.

This grant matters because it strengthens local leadership, community monitoring, advocacy, and service demand. It helps ensure that community voices influence policies and programmes designed to eliminate vertical transmission in Uganda.

How to Apply

Applicants should prepare a technical and financial proposal that clearly explains the selected workstreams, planned activities, target communities, budget, and expected results.

Step 1: Confirm Organizational Eligibility

Applicants should confirm that they are community-led organizations operating in Uganda at national or sub-national level.

They should also confirm their focus on EVT, maternal and child health, HIV, Hepatitis B, Syphilis, community-led monitoring, or related health advocacy.

Step 2: Select at Least Three Workstreams

Each applicant must address at least three identified workstreams.

The proposal should clearly explain which workstreams are selected and why they are relevant to the target community.

Step 3: Define the Community Need

The proposal should describe the local challenges affecting EVT services.

This may include:

• Low awareness of EVT
• Stigma and misinformation
• Poor antenatal care attendance
• Limited testing and treatment uptake
• Weak referral pathways
• Poor service quality
• Lack of community monitoring evidence
• Limited community voice in decision-making

Step 4: Design Community-Led Activities

Applicants should describe practical activities led by communities.

Activities may include training peer advocates, running awareness campaigns, conducting community-led monitoring, documenting service barriers, facilitating dialogues with duty bearers, and participating in policy platforms.

Step 5: Explain Community Participation

The proposal should show how affected communities will be meaningfully involved.

This may include participation in planning, implementation, monitoring, advocacy, supervision, and evaluation.

Step 6: Prepare the Monitoring and Evidence Plan

Applicants should explain how they will generate and use community-led monitoring evidence.

The plan should describe indicators, data collection methods, reporting processes, feedback loops, and how evidence will be used for advocacy and service improvement.

Step 7: Prepare the Budget

Applicants may request between US$5,000 and US$10,000.

The budget should be realistic, activity-based, and aligned with the one-year implementation period.

Step 8: Submit the Application

Applicants should submit a complete proposal with technical details, budget information, organizational profile, selected workstreams, and evidence of community-led experience.

A strong application should clearly show how the project will contribute to the elimination of vertical transmission in Uganda.

Selection Considerations

Applications are likely to be assessed based on relevance, community leadership, feasibility, and potential impact.

Key assessment areas may include:

• Alignment with EVT priorities
• Focus on HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis
• Selection of at least three workstreams
• Community-led approach
• Experience in community engagement
• Advocacy and accountability capacity
• Ability to generate and use monitoring evidence
• Links with formal health systems
• Inclusion of women, young people, and affected communities
• Feasibility of the one-year workplan
• Realistic budget within US$5,000 to US$10,000
• Potential to influence policy and programme decisions

Tips for a Strong Application

Applicants should:

• Clearly identify at least three workstreams
• Show strong community leadership
• Focus on practical EVT service barriers
• Include women, young people, and affected communities
• Demonstrate links with health facilities or formal health systems
• Use lived experience and community evidence
• Include a clear monitoring and advocacy plan
• Explain how activities will reduce stigma and misinformation
• Present a realistic one-year workplan
• Prepare a simple, clear, and activity-based budget
• Show how results will support policy or programme decisions

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Common mistakes include:

• Addressing fewer than three workstreams
• Submitting a proposal without a clear EVT focus
• Treating communities only as beneficiaries rather than leaders
• Providing weak evidence of community engagement
• Not explaining links with health systems
• Missing advocacy or accountability components
• Not showing how monitoring evidence will be used
• Ignoring stigma and misinformation barriers
• Providing an unrealistic one-year plan
• Requesting funding outside the US$5,000 to US$10,000 range
• Not demonstrating community ownership

FAQ

1. What is the SAFEStart+ Project Small Grants Scheme?

It is a small grants initiative supporting community-led organizations in Uganda to contribute to the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis.

2. Who is implementing the initiative?

The initiative is led by the International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa in partnership with PATH and the World Hepatitis Alliance.

3. How much funding is available?

Selected organizations will receive grants ranging from US$5,000 to US$10,000.

4. What is the implementation period?

The implementation period is one year.

5. Who can apply?

Community-led organizations operating at national or sub-national levels in Uganda may apply, especially those working on EVT, community-led monitoring, maternal and child health, HIV, Hepatitis B, or Syphilis programming.

6. What must proposals include?

Applicants must address at least three identified workstreams, such as community structure strengthening, capacity development, demand generation, advocacy and accountability, community-led monitoring evidence, and community voice in decision-making.

7. Which organizations will receive priority?

Priority will be given to community-led organizations operating in priority regions and districts, as well as organizations led by women, young people, and affected communities.

Conclusion

The SAFEStart+ Project Small Grants Scheme offers important support to community-led organizations working to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis in Uganda. With grants of US$5,000 to US$10,000 for one year, the initiative strengthens community structures, capacity development, demand generation, advocacy, accountability, and community-led monitoring. Applicants should submit proposals that address at least three workstreams, demonstrate strong community ownership, and show how their activities will improve EVT services, influence decision-making, and amplify the voices of women, young people, and affected communities.

For more information, visit WHA.