REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) AN ORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN TOBACCO CONTROL CIVIL SOCIETY IN AFRICA 

 

Objective

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Tobacco Control Team is looking to invest in an organization that will advance evidence-based tobacco control policy in Africa through support to African civil society organizations (CSOs). This organization would serve as a strategic grant maker, capacity builder, and effectively coordinate with others working in tobacco control on the continent.

 

Background

Tobacco use is the world’s leading cause of preventable death. Each year, nearly 6.3 million people die prematurely from tobacco-related diseases. If current trends continue, tobacco will cause 8 million deaths a year by 2030—80% of them in developing countries.

As incomes rise for a growing African population, tobacco use could double in the coming years if strong tobacco control measures are not implemented. Although most governments in Africa have committed to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), tobacco control remains a lower priority than other health challenges and governments often lack data on tobacco-related health issues. Given that the tobacco epidemic in Africa is at a relatively early stage, now is a critical time to invest in campaigns and research to support policies that can prevent a large-scale epidemic.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Tobacco Control Program aims to prevent the initiation of new smokers, decrease overall tobacco use and reduce exposure of the most vulnerable people to secondhand smoke in Asia and Africa. We frame our work around three initiatives:

 

1. Drive and support the implementation and enforcement of evidence-based tobacco control policies; 
2. Change knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of the public and decision-makers through social marketing campaigns; 
3. Build the evidence base both through global and locally based research, with a focus on data to action. 

Civil society has always played an important role in the tobacco control movement in Africa and we seek to continue this momentum. CSOs were a driving force in the movement of African countries to sign the world’s first global public health treaty – the FCTC, and continue to play a key role in supporting accountability to that treaty and in protecting the health of Africans. African CSO expertise in local policy, advocacy, and research is indispensable to the tobacco control agenda. Now is an important time to continue our investment in CSOs and expand their capacity so they can continue to advance evidence- based policy change on the continent.

Guidelines

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will continue to invest in tobacco control civil society in Africa. With this investment, we are looking to grant to an organization that will:

• Make strategic sub-grants in line with national tobacco control plans and in coordination with other grant makers and tobacco control partners in Africa 
• Support CSO development of strong strategic plans that adapt to changing conditions 
• Respond to the business development needs of CSOs, providing financial and management
  guidance with the long-term objective of self-sustainability 
• Recognize, support, and grow strong leadership in the tobacco control CSO space 
• Work in coordination with other entities working in tobacco control in Africa; maintain open
  communication and collaborate when necessary 
• Promote knowledge sharing across grantees and partners
  Qualifications:
  The selected grantee organization will have: 

 

• Proven ability to lead a diverse group of partners or organizations across countries in Africa

• Grant making experience in Africa 
• Strong strategic ability, particularly in relation to advocacy 
• Policy and advocacy experience in Africa 
• Capacity building experience 
• Ideally be based in Africa; if headquartered elsewhere, the organization must have a strong
  presence and offices in Africa
  Tobacco control expertise is preferred but not required as a tobacco control expert could be hired as part of the investment.

  Duration of grant: 3 years, starting in 2014

  Location: The grantee organization will support work in 5-10 countries in Africa, so must have the ability to effectively oversee work in multiple countries 

  APPLICATIONS 

• Please submit your qualifications no later than November 8, 2013, to jean.duffy@gatesfoundation.org.

  **This is not a request for a full proposal or detailed implementation plan. At this time, we are
  requesting only your organization’s qualifications to manage this project.**

  Your application must: 

 

• Not exceed 3 pages in total 
• Provide name, title, and contact information for the primary contact at your organization 
• Include the location of all your offices in Africa; also indicate where leadership for this project
  would be based 
• Explain why your organization has the capabilities, expertise and commitment to achieve the
  objective and guidelines stated above 
• Explain how this initiative fits into your organization’s mission and strategy 
• Highlight: 
• –  Grant-making experience in Africa; include strategic focus of the grant-making as well as total grant-making budget 
• –  Commitment and expertise in building the leadership, management, technical, financial and knowledge capacity of civil society organizations focusing on policy change and advocacy for African development and/or health priorities 
• –  Expertise in African policy issues and successful track record of your work in the region 
• –  Ability to strategically identify priorities and partners to achieve long-term policy goals 
• –  If applicable, your expertise and experience in tobacco control in Africa 

  Include in Appendix:

• • – Organizational budget for the past 2 years
    – Total number of employees
    – List of current active grants with a 1-2 sentence project description, grant amount and
    location of work for each – Last annual report

    Questions
    All communication relating to the RFQ, including questions and clarifications, should be submitted via email to: jean.duffy@gatesfoundation.org.

    Evaluation
    Applications will be reviewed by a team of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation staff. You will be notified by November 30, 2013, if your organization has been selected for further consideration.