Hormonal IUD Introduction & Scale-Up COF
The Hormonal IUD Introduction & Scale-Up Catalytic Opportunity Fund (COF) is a flexible pool of funds to support catalytic activities that advance government-led introduction and scale-up of quality hormonal intrauterine device (H-IUD). The Hormonal IUD COF is administered by CHAI and stewarded by the Hormonal IUD Access Group.
The goals of the COF are to catalyze scale-up of H-IUDs through activities that enable increased efficiency and/or effectiveness of product introduction OR activities that are critical to achieve a successful product introduction.
The H-IUD COF supports a broad range of activities to enable the effective introduction and scale-up of H-IUD encompassing national planning and pre-introduction preparatory work and implementation efforts that catalyze product introduction and scale-up.
Announcements & Submission Deadlines
Application Deadline: The upcoming H-IUD COF application deadline for Cycles 11 is Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM WAT
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 H-IUD EOI for Cycle 11 is now OPEN (linked here) and must be submitted by Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM WAT.
The COF Team will review EOIs and contact all applicants within one week of the deadline, either regarding eligibility questions or with confirmation to proceed in the COF Portal.
Application Materials (NEW Nov 2025): The H-IUD Application Narrative and Application Budget have been refreshed. All Cycle 11 (January 2026) applicants must use “Version November 2025” templates to be eligible for funding. We encourage prospective applicants to consult the refreshed materials, including the COF Overview and Scoring Rubric, ahead of developing a proposal to ensure that all new requirements have been reviewed and reflected in their submissions.
Upcoming Webinar: Join us for an informational webinar to provide an overview of the H-IUD COF scope, highlight recent updates, and walk prospective applicants through the application process on Wednesday, November 19 at 9:00 AM EDT. Register here.
Eligibility and Requirements
Project must be implemented in a low- or lower-middle-income country (as designated by the World Bank country classifications by income level for 2024-2025)
Already have made the decision to introduce hormonal IUD with country governments opting to introduce the product.
Be supported by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and must include an endorsement letter from the national Ministry of Health (MOH) from the relevant stakeholder who is guiding H-IUD introduction and implementation.
Demonstrate alignment with government priorities and build towards sustainable government-led, processes and systems to ensure sustainability. Applicants must identify a Ministry of Health (MOH) representative to serve as their project sponsor.
Demonstrate a clear funding need and that alternative funding sources are not available to support the proposed work
Demonstrate the work will catalyze scale-up per the definition of “catalytic” defined as activities that enable increased efficiency and/or effectiveness of product introduction OR activities that are critical to achieve a successful product introduction.
Implementing timeframes will require no more than 12 months
Funding ceiling per application is a maximum of USD $250,000
Activities must support the public sector. Private not-for-profit or commercial sector work is ineligible at this time.
Funds may only be granted to NGOs, private not-for-profit/faith-based entities, and social marketing organizations. Commercial entities and government agencies are ineligible for funding.
Introduction efforts must focus on quality-assured H-IUD products.
Projects that are focused on pilot projects designed to help the government make a decision whether to introduce hormonal IUD are not eligible.
For more details on the H-IUD COF and Scoring Rubric that we use to assess applications, please see here: H-IUD COF Overview.
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Eligible countries without a costed national plan for H-IUDs can apply for pre-introduction activities if the government has decided to pursue national introduction of quality-assured H-IUD
Countries eligible for COF funding must have already decided to introduce the quality-assured H-IUD. Pilot projects designed to help the government make the decision to introduce H-IUD are not eligible.
Eligible activities include supporting government planning or preparation for government-led introduction of the H-IUD. Activities may include:
Development of H-IUD Costed Introduction Plan
Development of H-IUD scale-up gap analyses and resource mobilization
Development or update of clinical guidelines and training curricula
Integration of H-IUD into HMIS/LMIS systems
Updates to FP quantification and forecasting tools and processes to include H-IUD
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Strong government interest indicated by a completed Costed Introduction Plan
Local regulatory approval or written commitment to pursue an importation waiver by the project start date
National family planning guidelines, clinical protocols, and/or essential medicines lists (EML) must include H-IUD
Initial H-IUD order(s) quantified and/or placed. If any of your project activities relies on H-IUD, applicants must demonstrate an understanding of the stock situation in country and how commodity needs will be met to execute on the project. If supply security risks are present, applicants should describe plans to mitigate these risks.
Projects proposing health care provider trainings must include post-training support activities (e.g., mentorship, supportive supervision) or evidence of how this intervention will take place during the grant period through another source
Projects proposing health care provider trainings must include demand generation activities or demonstrate how these will be implemented during the grant period
Submission Information
Applications are reviewed on competitive application cycle. Prospective applicants are required to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI), which will undergo a screening process. Applicants deemed eligible will be invited to submit a full application through the COF Portal, our grant management system, by the deadline published on this website.
NEW Nov 2025 | The H-IUD Application Narrative and Application Budget have been refreshed. All Cycle 11 (January 2026) applicants must use “Version November 2025” templates to be eligible for funding.
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Pre-Introduction Applications
1. Application Narrative in Word document format (EN)
2. Project Budget for the proposed activities (EN)
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 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.
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Introduction and Scale-Up Applications
1. Application Narrative in Word document format (EN)
2. Project Budget for the proposed activities (EN)
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 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. Hormonal IUD costed national plan
5. Clinical guidelines and/or EML that show inclusion of H-IUD
6. National government family planning or contraceptive supply plan for hormonal IUD (inclusive of estimated consumption from forecast and planned or funded orders)
The intent of this requirement is to understand the H-IUD supply security situation in the country. Please engage in meaningful coordination with MOH and partners to get a comprehensive H-IUD supply security situation in the country and use insights to inform your project approach prior to application submission.
7. National quantification that includes H-IUD
8. Latest resource mapping
9. Latest gap analysis
The intent requirement 8-9 is to understand the local funding gaps against the plan and validate the funding need. Please engage in meaningful coordination with MOH and partners to harmonize resources and understand resource needs prior to application submission.
Resources
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.
For more resources and information on best practices for HIUD introduction and scale-up, visit the HIUD Access Portal: https://www.hormonaliud.org/