DMPA-SC Scale-Up

This DMPA-SC Scale-Up Catalytic Opportunity Fund (COF) is a flexible pool of funds to support catalytic activities that advance introduction and scale-up of DMPA-SC self-injection. The DMPA-SC COF is administered by CHAI and stewarded by the Injectables Access Collaborative.

The goals of the COF are to deepen access to DMPA-SC self-injection within public-sector channels; expand access to DMPA-SC self-injection through pharmacies and/or drug shops in large private sector markets; introduce DMPA-SC self-injection in new countries.

Announcements & Submission Deadlines

We are pleased to share the upcoming DMPA-SC COF application deadlines for Cycles 9 and 10.

  • Cycle 9 DMPA-SC: Applications due Tuesday, July 1 by 5:00 PM WAT

  • Cycle 10 DMPA-SC:  Applications due Thursday, September 25 by 5:00 PM WAT

NEW: Required Expression of Interest (EOI): All prospective applicants must submit a short Expression of Interest (EOI) form prior to the submission deadline. Applicants who do not submit an EOI on time will be ineligible to apply.

The EOI for Cycle 10 is now OPEN and must be submitted by Monday, September 1 at 5:00 PM WAT. The EOI can be accessed here.

The COF Team will review EOIs and follow up with prospective applicants within one week of the EOI deadline if we identify potential eligibility concerns. If you do not hear from the COF Team during this period, you may proceed with submitting your application.

Updated Application Materials: All Cycle 9 applicants must use the refreshed application templates, labeled "Version May 2025." Submissions using outdated materials will not be considered. Please download the latest templates below. French application materials will be posted directly on the website shortly.

Goals

Applicants must select one of the following goals for their project. Eligible countries vary for each goal. Applicants from countries eligible under Goals 1 and 2 may include both public sector and private sector scale-up activities within a single application, as needed.

  • Eligible countries: Benin, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Togo, Uganda, Zambia

  • Activities to activate and scale DMPA-SC self-injection access through the nonprofit and commercial sectors should be complementary to deepening public sector access and demand.

    Eligible countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda

  • Eligible countries: Bangladesh, India, South Africa

Eligibility and Requirements

  • Be implemented in an eligible country and aligned with Goal 1, 2, or 3.

  • Demonstrate alignment with national DMPA-SC introduction plan.

  • Must be supported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and include an endorsement letter from the MOH from the relevant stakeholder who is guiding DMPA-SC introduction and implementation.

  • Demonstrate there is sufficient DMPA-SC stock available in the country and/or in the process of arriving in the country to support achieve the intended outcomes of the proposed project.

  • If any of your project activities rely on DMPA-SC, you must demonstrate an understanding of the stock situation in the country and how commodity needs will be met in order to execute on project. If supply security risks are present, applicants should describe plans to mitigate these risks.

  • Demonstrate a clear funding need and that alternative funding sources are not available to support the proposed work.

  • Demonstrate how the proposed work will increase the number of DMPA-SC self-injection (SI) users in the short-term.

  • Implementing timeframes will require no more than 9 months

  • Funding ceiling per application is a maximum of USD $250,000

  • Time-bound, cost-efficient, catalytic family planning system-strengthening activities that integrate DMPA-SC SI are eligible if COF criteria are met and ability to accelerate access to SI is demonstrated.

  • Applications that propose DMPA-SC or self-injection (SI) pilots must be for the purposes of demonstrating high-potential, innovation distribution models aimed at expanding access to SI.

    These pilots should focus on generating evidence to support policy change or operational implementation. Applications focused on piloting DMPA-SC/SI will not be considered if their purpose is to inform decisions about product introduction in a country or channel. Focus on influencing policy change should address clear, tangible policy barriers to increasing easy access to DMPA-SC/SI and should make a strong case for how advocacy activities will lead to an increase in the number of DMPA-SC/SI users long-term.

For more details on the DMPA-SC COF and scoring rubrics that we use to assess applications, please see here: DMPA-SC COF Overview

Submission Information

Applications are reviewed on competitive application cycle. Interested applicants should submit the materials listed here to the COF Team at COF@clintonhealthaccess.org before the stipulated deadline published on this website. 

In order to apply for DMPA-SC COF funds, applicants should submit the following:

  1. Application Narrative in Word document format (EN, FR)

  2. Project Budget for the proposed activities (EN, FR)

  3. Letter of recommendation, or defined informal equivalent, from the National Ministry of Health

    The intent behind this requirement is to ensure alignment of proposed projects to government plans and priorities. As you seek MOH endorsement, please engage in meaningful national coordination with key government stakeholders and partners in-country to align on needs and project approaches prior to submission to avoid misalignment with government priorities and duplication of efforts.

  4. National government family planning or contraceptive supply plan for DMPA-SC if your project necessitates commodity availability.

    The intent of this requirement is to understand the DMPA-SC supply security situation in the country and confirm adequate supply availability. Please engage in meaningful coordination with MOH and partners to get a comprehensive DMPA-SC supply security status for the country and use these insights to inform your project approach prior to application submission.

Resources

COF Project Directory

Interested in the projects and organizations supported by the COF? Click on the COF Project Directory for a list of past and current COF award recipients. This register includes project descriptions and points of contact. Please refer to this to ensure no duplication with existing or past awards, prompt local coordination with other partners, and build off of past work as relevant.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • A: Eligible applicants (eg NGO, non-profit, social marketing organization, MOH) vary by COF funding stream. NGOs, non-profit, SMOs, and private sector companies are eligible for the COF. Suppliers are not eligible for the COF.

    Applications implemented in part, or in full, by local partners are welcome.

  • A: Applicants must be able to provide audited financial statements and satisfactorily complete a financial due diligence assessment.

  • A: The maximum funding amount was decided based on our experience managing the first COF funding stream of DMPA-SC Scale-up where we found it was sufficient for all grants given the short-term and catalytic focus.

  • A: The requirement of a MOH letter should reflect the national/federal MOH for the most part with the intention of ensuring government-led, sustainable product introduction that is aligned to national priorities and plans. Depending on the country context, in some unique cases the COF will accept a subnational MOH endorsement letter for work proposed in that subnational geography for countries with a very large population and a decentralized health system (e.g. India, Nigeria, DRC). For all countries, if applicants are proposing national level work, you must have a national MOH letter to demonstrate alignment with central government priorities.

  • The COF only accepts one application per partner, per cycle, per country, per product. For example, a partner cannot submit two applications within the same product funding stream in the same focal country; only 1 application can be considered in a given cycle. A partner operating in multiple geographies may submit applications for different countries, or across different product funding streams.

  • A: Yes, we encourage applicants to apply in future grant cycles. If we have provided feedback on your proposal, we strongly encourage applicants to review the feedback and update their proposal before resubmitting in the next funding cycle.

  • A: CHAI serves as the strategic steward of funds and administrator of the COF. While CHAI disburses funds to sub-grantees, CHAI is not the donor. The COF operates as a pooled donor funding mechanism with multiple donors, meaning that different grants within the COF are funded by various donors. As of December 2024, the various COFs are supported by donors BMGF, FCDO, CIFF, and MSD for Mothers.

  • A: Yes, organizations are eligible to submit new applications to the COF even if another COF award is currently active.

    However, the COF is designed to fund time-bound, catalytic projects, so applications should consider the following: whether the proposed activities are timely and whether they address a specific need or critical gap. As always, continued MOH endorsement is essential. We recommend sharing any available preliminary results from the ongoing project to support a new application. The application should clarify whether the new project will build on previous work or introduce a new scope. We encourage organizations to put forth applications that clearly demonstrate the urgency and impact of their proposed activities. The COF's Scoring Rubric provides insights into how Reviewers evaluate applications.

  • A: There are typically multiple grants available per cycle.

  • A: Applications must reflect an understanding of the MOH priorities and plans for DMPA-SC introduction. The connection between proposed activities and the government plan should come through throughout the application.

  • A: For-profit social enterprises are eligible for the COF but must support work that supports the one of the 3 DMPA-SC COF goals.

  • A: Yes, you may apply for multiple products under a single COF application package as long as they support COF eligible SRH products (H-IUD, DMPA-SC, and MA combipack). You may use one application narrative and budget for single submission. We recommend completing the product COF applications  that best represents the “majority” focus of your application. For example, if your project approach is to rollout DMPA-SC and HIUD in the public sector and majority of activities will focus on HIUD with integration of DMPA-SC where possible, you can apply to the HIUD COF.

     

    Although there are strong similarities in the COF criteria, application materials, processes across product funding streams, there are unique eligibility requirements that are by product-specific. Thus, applications should review COF criteria and eligibility for each product and know that reviewers will assess for eligibility for both.

     

    Lastly, we require your endorsement letter from government to indicate desire to introduce all relevant products in your proposal. For example, for an application with a proposed dual DMPA-SC and HIUD rollout, the MOH letter should indicate government desire to introduce both DMPA-SC and HIUD.

  • A: Yes, you can apply for multiple products under a single application. There is not one combined Application Narrative for both, please use the application for whichever product has greater emphasis in the activities. We request that applicants submit required materials (e.g. endorsement letter) for both.