Breakthrough Innovations to Significantly Reduce the Cost of Severe Acute Malnutrition Treatment Grand Challenges Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Eligibility

Who is eligible for grants?
We welcome applications from universities and research institutes, nongovernmental organizations with strong technical capacity, for-profit entities / private sector companies (subject to global access requirements), and consortia combining scientific, manufacturing, and implementation expertise. Consortia led by or including LMIC-based organizations are strongly encouraged.

Individuals and organizations classified as individuals for U.S. tax purposes are not eligible to receive an award from the foundation as part of this initiative.

Upon registration, applicants must provide information about the tax status of their organization as different terms and conditions may apply. 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 foundation may request additional information regarding your tax status. For information about tax statuses, you may check with your own advisors and review information provided on the Internal Revenue Service web site at: www.irs.gov.

Are there requirements for the Principal Investigator (PI)?
There are no specific degree requirements, but the PI must demonstrate relevant expertise and experience.

Can organizations submit more than one proposal?
Yes. Each proposal must have a different PI and a unique email address. A PI may collaborate on multiple submissions and can apply to multiple open RFPs.

Are local partners required?
Not required, but partnerships with organizations based in low- and middle-income countries are strongly encouraged.

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?
For any of the Focus Areas we will consider proposals under two funding options. Please consider which is most relevant to your proposal.

• Option A: We will consider several proposals for awards of up to $500,000 USD for each project, with a grant term of up to 18 months. Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work proposed.
• Option B: We will consider several proposals for awards of up to $1,500,000 USD for each project, with a grant term of up to 36 months. Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work proposed.

Indirect costs should be included in the budget and should not exceed 10-15% of the total award (subject to the Gates Foundation's indirect cost policy).

Intellectual Property and Confidentiality

How can applicants protect their ideas and ensure confidentiality when sharing concepts in proposals?
When submitting materials to the Foundation please keep in mind that because we have a focus on achieving charitable outcomes, we view information that we obtain through our grantmaking as a public good. Subject to the Gates Foundation’s Privacy & Cookies Notice, the Foundation may also share information you provide to us (either orally or in writing) with third parties, including external reviewers, consultants, contingent workers, key partners and co-funders. You should assume that nothing will be kept confidential and should not include any information in the proposal, budget, supplemental materials, or reports that you consider proprietary.

Who owns Intellectual Property in funded projects? 
Grantees retain ownership of intellectual property (IP) developed through foundation-funded grants. The foundation does, however, require that grant outputs be made widely available to the intended beneficiaries. You can read more here: Gates Foundation Global Access and IP Policy

Scope of the RFP

What types of solutions are in scope?
Solutions that significantly reduce the cost of treating severe acute malnutrition (SAM), including innovations in:

• Service delivery (e.g., community-based models, task shifting)
• Treatment protocols
• Supply chain and logistics
• Inpatient and outpatient care

Are decentralized or community-based delivery models supported?
Yes. These approaches are encouraged.

Can proposals address multiple parts of the treatment pathway?
Yes. Proposals may combine innovations across multiple areas.

Can proposals be tested across different settings (e.g., urban vs. rural)?
Yes. Proposals can include and compare different implementation contexts.

Can proposals use locally available foods to treat SAM?
No. This RFP is limited to treatment using RUTF and established therapeutic commodities.

Can proposals focus on reducing the cost of RUTF itself or local production of therapeutic foods?
No. Those topics are covered under a separate Grand Challenges RFP.

What types of projects will not be funded?
This RFP does not support:

• Preclinical or animal studies
• Small efficacy-only trials
• Routine program expansion without innovation
• Proposals that do not demonstrate meaningful cost reduction

Cost Reduction Expectations

What level of cost reduction is expected?
Proposals should aim for approximately 20–30% reduction in treatment cost. Smaller reductions are unlikely to be competitive.

Should cost reduction be measured per child or at the program level?
Either is acceptable. Applicants must clearly define their cost benchmark and assumptions.

Can cost-sharing or co-payment models be included?
Yes, if applicants address feasibility, sustainability, and how such models could be adopted in practice.

Evidence and Evaluation

Is prior pilot or proof-of-concept data required?
No, but proposals must include a clear and credible rationale for why the solution is expected to work.

What kind of evidence should be included?
Proposals should be grounded in programmatic or implementation-relevant evidence (e.g., modeling, prior experience, or pilot data where available).

Are community-based evaluations allowed?
Yes, including evaluations conducted at scale.

Outcomes and Metrics

What outcomes should proposals measure?
Cost-effectiveness is central (e.g., cost per treated child or improved efficiency). Applicants should clearly define their metrics and assumptions.

Should proposals consider relapse or long-term recovery?
Yes. Sustained recovery and relapse prevention are important and should be clearly addressed in proposed metrics.

Implementation and Funding

Does the funding cover implementation or only research?
Funding can cover both implementation and associated research or evaluation components.

Can proposals be context-specific?
Yes, but proposals should demonstrate some broader applicability beyond a single highly specific setting.

Sustainability and Scale

Do proposals need to address sustainability and adoption?
Yes. Applicants should describe how their solution could be adopted and sustained within real-world systems.

Can capacity building or technology transfer be included?
Yes, but it should support sustainability and not be the primary focus of the proposal.

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]