Description of Funding Sources of Malaria Prevention and Elimination Program

Introduction

One of the public RFPs funding sources for the proposed malaria prevention and elimination program is the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC is tasked with managing about $3.1 billion in United States Government financial investments aimed at improving global health as well as protecting the protect the United States citizens from health and security threats that cross international borders (CDC, 2017). On the other hand, an example of private RFP involved in malaria eradication in Africa is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Both CDC and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation RFPs were accessed through online Google search.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Appropriateness for the Intervention

CDC is an appropriate funding source for malaria prevention and elimination program because of two key reasons. First, CDC has a Global Health Funding program aimed at reducing malaria mortality and significantly decreasing malaria morbidity and subsequent elimination of the disease (CDC, 2018). Specifically, CDC is an important stakeholder in the proposed program because of the United States government's resolve, under President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), to work with PMI-supported countries and partners to eradicate malaria (PMI, 2018). It is also worth noting that Kenya and Tanzania are among the PMI-supported countries. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is an appropriate funding source for the proposed program because it is currently involved in funding similar programs in Africa (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2018).Self-Assessment of Strengths and Limitations of Grant Seeking Process

I think I am well-placed to how to complete the RFP and FOA for seeking grants because of my grant writing skills. One of my important traits is that I comprehend the relevance of data. Because I am data driven, I am capable of using historical data to corroborate what is currently known about the disease and why the funding is needed. Additionally, I understand the future data (such as prevalence and mortality) that will be required to be tracked, gathered, and documented to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

Another key strength that will help me in developing the RFP and FOA is that I am detail-oriented. I understand that in a world of competition and scarcity of resources, being detailed-oriented is needed to secure a grant. Despite the strengths identified above, I have some weakness which will be ameliorated by seeking external assistance during the grant writing process. One of my major weaknesses in grant writing is that I am uncomfortable with budgeting and numbers. Because of this, I will seek the help of an expert in budgeting either from the organization offering the funding or from the community to help me in the budgeting process.

Areas that I Would Seek Guidance to Improve Grant-Seeking Skills Because of my weakness in the budgeting process, I need to seek advice on how to make a budget. This help will be sought from experts in the community or those from budget specialists working for the funder. I would also like to find guidance in program monitoring and evaluation. This will help me in assessing the impact of the intervention at different stages of the program. Additionally, program monitoring and evaluation skills will be useful in determining the efficacy of the interventions and seeking ways of improving the program as it goes on with the aim of ensuring that it meets its goals and objectives.

Challenges in Seeking Guidance

Most of the times, novice grant writers seek direct and indirect support from colleagues who have experience in grant writing as well as from library administrators (Kraus, 2015). However, grant writing is a tedious and time-consuming process (Kanji, 2015; Lawrence & Seifert, 2017; Lock, 2015) Because the crucial part of grant writing is time, one of the challenges in seeking guidance from colleagues and librarians is that they might not have enough time to assist in the writing of the grant. Kraus (2015) further reiterated that if the university has a policy for release time during grant writing, then the grant writer should seek time of the university duties to devote time to the writing of the grant. Consequently, in instances where the university does not have such policies writing of the grant can be slowed down or even hampered.

References

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2018). Malaria strategy overview. Retrieved from https://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Health/Malaria

CDC (2017). Global health funding. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/globalhealthfunding.htm

CDC (2018). Malaria. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/malaria/index.html

Kanji, S. (2015). Turning your research idea into a proposal worth funding. The Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 68(6). https://doi.org/10.4212/cjhp.v68i6.1502

Kraus, P. L. (2015). A primer on grant writing for foundation support for first-time grant writers in academic libraries: challenges and opportunities. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal), 1313. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1313

Lawrence, B. & Seifert, D. (2017). Entrepreneurs need funding: winning grants, competitions, proposals. Retrieved from https://marketbrief.edweek.org/the-startup-blog/entrepreneurs-need-funding-winning-grants-competitions-proposals/

Lock, H. (2015). How to apply for research funding: 10 tips for academics. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/may/10/how-to-apply-for-research-funding-10-tips-for-academics

PMI (2018). President's malaria initiative strategy 2015-2020. https://www.pmi.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/pmi-reports/pmi_strategy_2015-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=24