SUPPORT TO NGO INITIATIVES

FOR THE PREVENTION OF HIV/AIDS

Project Guidelines

BACKGROUND

Early 2005, ADB and the Government of Sweden established an HIV/AIDS Trust Fund
with an initial commitment of $14.3 million financed by Sweden. The objective of the
Fund is to support ADB Developing Member Countries (DMCs) in designing
comprehensive responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with a focus on areas where
partnership with ADB will be of strategic value.

ADB’s value added in the fight against HIV/AIDS is rooted in its capacity to finance
needed investments and its long-established policy dialogue with governments and
national planning agencies. This relationship facilitates advocacy for Government’s
leadership and commitment, and a multi-sectoral approach to addressing the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. In addition, ADB plays an important role in documenting and disseminating
good practices worth replicating and being incorporated into national and regional
programs.

ADB recently approved an $8.6 million Regional Technical Assistance (RETA) grant, to
be financed by the HIV/AIDS Trust Fund. The RETA comprises 11 subprojects that will
expand upon ADB's existing work on HIV/AIDS to identify effective and evidence-based
responses to the AIDS epidemic, with priority given to areas and communities that are
especially poor, vulnerable or affected by HIV/AIDS. The RETA will support: (i) studies
on the economic and social impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the country, regional
and community level; (ii) pilot HIV/AIDS interventions, which are community driven, with
careful evaluation and identification of good practices, for possible replication and
scaling-up; (iii) the development and dissemination of tools and evidence based
guidelines for effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care; and (iv) HIV/AIDS training
program and modules for ADB staff.

The NGO Initiatives for the Prevention of HIV/AIDs (hereinafter referred to as the NGO
Project) is one of the 11 subprojects set up to fight HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the NGO Project is to contribute to the development and implementation
of effective and evidence-based responses to the AIDS epidemic at country and regional
levels. Specifically, the NGO Project aims to identify, document and support the role of
NGOs in effective outreach and delivery of essential HIV/AIDs services to the poor,
vulnerable and high-risk groups.

These project guidelines establish the terms and conditions by which the NGO Project
shall be implemented by the NGO and Civil Society Center of ADB.

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FUNDING INFORMATION

Under the RETA, a sum of US$ 1.5 million has been earmarked for the NGO Project, for
activities to be implemented between 2006 and 2009. The NGO Project will finance a
series of initiatives developed and implemented by NGOs.

The NGO Project will award grants up to US$ 50,000 or less for a single initiative. Only
in exceptional cases will proposals in excess of US$ 50,000 be considered. The
maximum duration for implementation of an initiative is two years.

Applications will be approved and funded in two batches, with a possible third batch if
funds remain available.

TIME LINE FOR APPLICATIONS

First Batch
30 September 2006 - Application Deadline
30 November 2006 - Anticipated notification of decision
31 January 2007 - Anticipated start date

Second Batch
31 May 2007 - Application Deadline
31 July 2007 - Anticipated notification of decision
30 September 2007 - Anticipated start date

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The NGO Project will only support NGO initiatives implemented in the following ADB
developing member countries (DMCs): Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Cambodia, China, People’s Republic of, Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Hong Kong,
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Korea, Republic of, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Republic of the,
Micronesia, Federated States of, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, Republic
of Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri
Lanka, Taipei, China, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,
Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of.

NGOs eligible for funding should:

5 Be legally constituted and registered in an ADB developing member country, as

required by local laws
5 Have by-laws which give the NGO legal capacity to accept the funding to be
provided under the NGO Project
5 Have accounts that are audited annually by independent public auditors
5 Demonstrate their institutional capacity to implement the proposed initiative in terms
of expertise, experience, and available staff
5 Present a proposal with clear-cut outcomes that can be achieved in a limited amount
of time
5 Guarantee strict monitoring and evaluation of the proposed initiative, with clear
indicators and targets, and

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5 Have adequate resources to complement financing by the NGO Project. (Matching
financing may be given in cash and/or in kind – e.g., administrative support, in terms
of staff time, access to office technology, etc.)

Proposed NGO initiatives eligible for funding include areas of activities that:

5 aim to strengthen the capacity of community based organizations and/or local NGOs
involved in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and/or treatment of vulnerable and high-risk
groups;
5 pilot test innovative approaches and/or modalities aimed at addressing the
constraints and needs of vulnerable and high-risk groups;
5 contribute to strengthening ADB-NGO-Government partnerships for HIV/AIDS
prevention, care, and/or treatment;
5 associate people living with HIV/AIDS in the design, implementation and monitoring
of the impact of the proposed activities;
5 aim at reporting evidence of effective HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and /or treatment to
enable replication and expansion/up-scaling of activities to other countries and or
region; or
5 enhance capacity of NGOs in quality monitoring and evaluation of HIV/AIDs
prevention, care, and/or treatment programs.

RESTRICTIONS

Funding under the NGO Project shall not be granted for: (i) general and administrative
expenditures of NGOs, other than those specific to the approved initiative; (ii) investment
in physical infrastructure (construction, land property and durable equipment); and (iv)
proposals where there is a real or perceived conflict of interest.

SELECTION CRITERIA

For an initiative to be considered, it must meet the eligibility requirements described

above. Since resources available under the NGO Project are limited, selection of
proposals will be based on their relative merit ranking.

In determining this ranking, ADB will consider factors that take into account NGO ability
and ADB relevance:

NGO’s capacity and quality of the proposal:

5 Satisfactory evidence of a strategic approach to HIV/AIDS taken in the proposed

initiative and developed in a participatory manner
5 Feasibility of the proposed initiative to serve as a model for replication and up-scaling
nationally and/or regionally
5 Involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS in designing, implementing and
evaluating the proposed initiative
5 Involvement of vulnerable groups and high-risk groups in designing, implementing
and evaluating the proposed initiative
5 Clarity and originality of the proposed initiative and its objectives
5 Assurance that proposed activities and methods are feasible and appropriate for
meeting the stated objectives

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5 Adequacy of the monitoring and evaluation strategy and tools to measure outcomes
and impact
5 Sufficiency of the proposed initiative design (particularly proposed initiatives that
cover several countries and/or region) to enable comparative analysis of issues,
constraints and models for effective HIV/AIDS response
5 The overall experience and skills of the NGO staff – knowledge of and experience of
the staff with HIV/AIDS programs and activities is appropriate for the proposed
initiative, and likelihood that the staff can complete the proposed initiative within the
required time frame
5 Capacity to work in partnership with other NGOs, government bodies and the private
sector to achieve proposed initiative goals
5 Level of co-financing or in-kind contributions by the NGO
5 Plans for continuation of activities beyond the life of the grant

ADB Relevancy:

5 Relevance of the proposed initiative to ADB country strategy and programs and
national HIV/AIDS efforts
5 Existence of a high-level HIV/AIDS coordinating body with representation of key
stakeholders from all sectors, including people living with HIV/AIDS, in the country of
the proposed initiative

Government’s commitment and support is essential to facilitate replication and

sustainability of successful NGO programs. For this reason, priority will be given to
proposals from countries where there is clear Government support the HIV/AIDS
program specifically by:

5 agreement to use NGOs as implementing agencies;

5 agreement to quick implementation arrangements, including funding for HIV/AIDS
activities provided directly to communities and NGOs;

Applications originating from NGOs that emphasize collaboration between and among
other NGOs (both local and international) are particularly welcomed.

SELECTION PROCESS

Proposals will be invited by the ADB NGO and Civil Society Center (NGOC) through a
notice posted on its website and other vehicles for inviting proposals.

After initial screening by the NGOC, applications will be reviewed and ranked by a
Country-Based Committee established in the country where the initiative is proposed to
be implemented. The Country-Based Committee will be composed of a representative
from the ADB Resident Mission and the UNAIDS Country Coordinator. Proposals from
countries without an ADB Resident Mission, will be screened and ranked by the ADB
officer at headquarters (HQ) responsible for health or social sector projects for the
country concerned.

A final selection of proposals will be made by the ADB-HQ Committee, comprising one
representative each from the NGO and Civil Society Center (NGOC), the HIV/AIDs Unit
and the department and/or sector concerned. The ADB-HQ Committee will be chaired by

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the Director of the Gender, Social Development and Civil Society Division (RSGS) or his
representative.

In accordance with ADB internal approval procedures, the NGOC will inform the
concerned NGO when its proposal is approved, and send the NGO a draft grant
agreement for comment and signature.

If a proposal is declined, the NGOC will communicate the decision and relevant
comments to the proposing NGO.

FOLLOW THESE 4 STEPS TO APPLY

1. Review the NGO Project guidelines and confirm that your proposed initiative meets all
of the eligibility criteria.

2. Read and complete the proposal format.

3. Submit your proposal to the ADB NGOC before the announced deadlines to:

Jennifer Francis
NGO and Civil Society Specialist
NGO and Civil Society Center
6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City
1550 Metro Manila, The Philippines
Tel: (63) 2 6325729
Fax: (63) 2 6362409
Email: jfrancis@adb.org

4. Confirm receipt of your proposal with ADB NGOC.