Accelerating Innovations to Address Heavy Menstrual Bleeding in Women in Low-Resource Settings - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Eligibility

Who is eligible for grants?
This initiative is open to nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, international organizations, government agencies and academic institutions. We particularly encourage applications involving projects led by women or from women-led organizations and applications from institutions based in low- and middle-income countries.

Upon registration, applicants must provide information about the tax status of their organization as different terms and conditions may apply under the applicable tax laws. You should confirm your organization’s tax status with the appropriate advisor or entity within your organization such as your grants or contracts department, finance, or office of sponsored research. The funder may request additional information regarding your tax status. For information about tax statuses, you may check with your own advisors and review information on the applicable tax requirements.

What types of proposals will not be funded?

• Proposals that do not focus on heavy menstrual bleeding. Even if the work is related to gynecological conditions associated with heavy menstrual bleeding, it must directly address heavy menstrual bleeding as the primary concern.
• Proposals focused on infertility or other outcomes unrelated to heavy menstrual bleeding.
• Program implementation or service delivery proposals, such as expanding services, providing surgical services, or training clinical providers.
• Research conducted outside of the designated geographical regions. If you are working outside the specified regions, consider partnering with organizations operating within those regions.

What types of organizations are eligible to apply?

• This RFP is open to nonprofit, for-profit, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), local organizations, and government agencies engaged in research.
• Women-led organizations and those based in low- and middle-income countries are encouraged to apply.
• Collaborations are encouraged, and applicants should identify potential collaborators early in the application process.
• There must be one prime organization as the recipient, which may sub-grant to other collaborating entities.

Can an institution submit more than one project?
Yes, an institution may submit multiple projects; however, each submission must have a distinct principal investigator (PI) with a unique email address.

Can grant funds be used for hiring staff and publishing research?
Yes, grant funds may be used for employing staff and publishing research.
Awardees will receive guidelines on publication policies from the Foundation.

Can proposals address multiple objectives?
Yes, proposals can address one or more objectives outlined in the RFP.

Is there a target age range for participants?
No, as long as participants are of reproductive age and experience heavy menstrual bleeding.

Can applicants submit proposals to multiple Grand Challenges RFPs?
Yes, different RFPs have separate review processes, and applicants are welcome to apply to multiple RFPs.

Will the grant fund both evaluation and intervention implementation for randomized clinical trials?
The grant will fund what fits within the budget. For example, in a clinical trial, the budget may cover evaluation but not full intervention implementation. Proposals should ensure that the scope of work can be completed within the allocated $150,000 USD.

Is there a preference for one broad collaborative application versus multiple discrete applications?
No specific preference; proposals will be evaluated based on quality, feasibility, innovation, and scalability.

Are participants under the age of 18 acceptable?
Yes, if they are of reproductive age and experience heavy menstrual bleeding. Ethical approval is required, and applicants must comply with country-specific research ethics guidelines.

Will modeling and evaluation of already collected data be funded? 
Yes, if the analysis contributes to understanding the burden, distribution, and epidemiology of heavy menstrual bleeding.

Can the grant be supplemented with additional external funding? 
Yes, provided that the portion for which you seek funding through this RFP directly addresses one of the RFP’s objectives and fits within the budget.

What are the geographic considerations for this RFP? 
The principal investigator (PI) can be from any country, but the research must be conducted in and applicable to Sub-Saharan Africa, India, or Pakistan. Funding must go to research based in these strategic focus countries, but collaborations beyond these regions are allowed.

What documents need to be submitted along with the proposal? 
Applicants must complete the online portal, answer required questions, and upload a proposal and budget. Specific details and supporting documents are available on the RFP website.

What are the ethical approval requirements?
Ethical approval is required as per institutional and national guidelines. Each PI is responsible for obtaining ethics board approval in their respective country.

Does the RFP support research on cultural and religious barriers to treatment?
Yes, research on barriers to accessing clinical care due to cultural or religious beliefs falls under the objective of improving access to treatment.

What are the qualifications required for the PI?

• There are no specific degree or title requirements.
• PIs must demonstrate sufficient expertise, background, and training relevant to their proposed research.
• Both academic and non-academic (e.g., NGO-based) PIs are eligible to apply.

Does the RFP consider menstrual health education as a pathway to early diagnosis and treatment?

• Proposals must align with the objectives of the RFP.
• Proposals focused on increasing awareness of heavy menstrual bleeding as a means of improving access to treatment may be considered.
• Applicants should carefully review the objectives to ensure alignment before submitting.

For more details, please refer to the official RFP documentation and supporting materials available on the Foundation's website.

Application Process

What must my application include? 
Please refer to the Application Instructions document.

Am I able to edit my proposal once submitted? 
Yes, you may edit your proposal up until the specified deadline.

What amount of indirect cost is available? 
Details of the foundation indirect cost policy guidelines can be found here: Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy

Review Process

How does the review process work? 
Please refer to the Rules and Guidelines document.

Can I get a list of potential reviewers who might be assigned to my application? 
No. We do not make public the roster of reviewers.

Can I request that my application not be reviewed by a specific individual? 
No. However, we will ask reviewers to self-identify conflicts of interest and will not assign reviewers with conflicts.

Will I receive specific feedback on my application if it is not selected? 
Due to the rapid proposal and review timelines applicable to this RFP, applicants with proposals that are not selected for award may receive a notification of decline without specific feedback.

Award Information

Are grant awards made directly to individuals? 
No. All awards are made to the organization where the individual holds their primary appointment. Institutions must agree to the terms and conditions governing each grant award prior to award activation.

How much money will each grant provide? 
We will consider proposals for awards of up to 150,000 USD for each project, with a grant term of up to 2 years. Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work proposed. Indirect costs will be considered and should be included in the budget for a maximum of 15% of the total award (subject to the Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy).

Technical Support

I forgot my password. How do I reset my password? 
You can request to update your password within the application site. If you continue to have issues, please reach out to [email protected].

How will I know if my application was submitted? 
Once an application is submitted, an email confirmation will be sent.

I'm having trouble uploading my application file. What should I do? 
If you are having issues submitting your application, we would encourage you to submit from a different browser. If the issue persists, please email the specifics of your problem to [email protected].

How often do you intend to update the Frequently Asked Questions, and do you plan to provide answers to all questions submitted? 
We will periodically post answers to questions as they are submitted, but do not have a specific schedule. We will provide answers on this page that are of relevance and of general interest to potential applicants. For answers to specific questions that are not covered here, please email [email protected]