Aidsfonds has announced the upcoming launch of the ActHIVate Fund Request for Proposals, a new funding opportunity designed to strengthen community-led HIV responses for men who have sex with men (MSM) and trans communities in countries and settings where access to healthcare remains highly restricted.

With a total of €2 million available in the first funding round, the ActHIVate Fund will provide flexible support to established MSM- and trans-led community organisations delivering HIV-related healthcare, conducting strategic advocacy, and working to integrate inclusive services into existing health systems.

The first full Request for Proposals is scheduled to open on 21 September 2026, with applications due by 25 October 2026.

The funding will cover an implementation period of approximately one year and nine months, from April 2027 to December 2028, and Aidsfonds expects to award funding to up to 20 organisations.

About the ActHIVate Fund

The ActHIVate Fund has been developed in response to increasing challenges faced by community-led organisations working with MSM and trans communities.

MSM and trans people continue to experience disproportionately high levels of HIV infection in many parts of the world. At the same time, they can face significant barriers when attempting to access healthcare, including stigma, discrimination, criminalisation, hostile political environments and limited availability of inclusive health services.

For many years, community-led organisations and peer outreach initiatives have played a critical role in addressing these challenges. These organisations have helped communities access HIV prevention, testing, treatment linkages, follow-up support and other essential health services while also advocating for human rights and more inclusive healthcare systems.

However, the organisations providing these services are increasingly operating under financial and political pressure.

The ActHIVate Fund has therefore been created to provide flexible and accessible funding to organisations that are already doing this critical work and need resources to maintain services, strengthen their organisations and advocate for sustainable changes within health systems.

Why the ActHIVate Fund Is Needed

The global HIV response has entered a challenging period as international development funding has declined and several major funding streams have experienced significant disruptions.

According to information provided by Aidsfonds, official development assistance from OECD Development Assistance Committee members decreased by 23.1%, representing the largest single-year decline recorded.

Funding disruptions have also had a direct effect on HIV services.

Cuts and changes affecting PEPFAR-supported programmes have particularly affected prevention and community-based HIV services. Aidsfonds cites findings from amfAR’s PEPFAR Pulse Study indicating that prevention investment declined sharply, with 51% less funding available and 43% of service providers forced to stop providing at least one prevention service.

The funding crisis has also contributed to the closure of health facilities and the discontinuation of HIV programme components. According to Aidsfonds, at least 1,700 health facilities have closed, while 73% of service providers have discontinued at least one component of their HIV programmes.

These changes can disproportionately affect key populations, including MSM and trans people, who may already experience significant difficulties accessing mainstream health services.

The ActHIVate Fund seeks to help address this situation by supporting organisations that are embedded within the affected communities and have the experience and relationships necessary to provide services effectively.

Objective of the ActHIVate Fund

The central objective of ActHIVate is to support community-led HIV responses for MSM and trans communities in restrictive and criminalised environments.

The fund will focus on three major areas:

1. Community-led HIV-related healthcare service delivery
2. Strategic advocacy
3. Integration of MSM- and trans-friendly services into existing health systems

The programme is not intended simply to provide short-term emergency funding.

Instead, it aims to support organisations in addressing immediate health needs while also generating evidence and strengthening approaches that can influence healthcare systems over the longer term.

Successful applicants are therefore expected to demonstrate how their community-led work can contribute to stronger, more inclusive and sustainable HIV and healthcare responses.

How the ActHIVate Fund Was Developed

The fund was developed through extensive consultations with representatives of MSM and trans communities.

These consultations highlighted the urgent need for funding that is:

• Flexible
• Accessible
• Responsive to community needs
• Capable of sustaining essential HIV-related services
• Supportive of advocacy and human rights efforts
• Suitable for organisations working in difficult or restrictive environments

Community representatives emphasised that organisations already working within these communities understand their needs and are often best positioned to deliver effective services.

As a result, ActHIVate places community organisations at the centre of both implementation and decision-making.

What Activities Can the ActHIVate Grant Support?

The ActHIVate Fund has a broad scope covering HIV services, advocacy and organisational strengthening.

1. Community-Led HIV Service Delivery

Funding can support community-led HIV-related healthcare services, including:

• HIV prevention
• Linkages to HIV treatment
• Follow-up support
• Other allied health services that are particularly important to MSM and trans communities in the applicant’s context

Applicants should demonstrate a clear understanding of the health needs of the communities they serve and explain how their proposed activities will address barriers to accessing appropriate services.

2. Building Evidence for Advocacy

Organisations can use their service-delivery experience to build evidence that can strengthen their advocacy efforts.

This may involve documenting:

• Service gaps
• Community healthcare needs
• Barriers to accessing healthcare
• Experiences of MSM and trans communities
• Lessons learned from community-led service delivery

The evidence generated should contribute to advocacy for policy and health-system improvements.

3. Advocacy for Better Healthcare Access

The fund can support advocacy aimed at reducing barriers preventing MSM and trans communities from accessing HIV and other essential health services.

This may include efforts to:

• Promote more inclusive healthcare policies
• Address discriminatory barriers
• Improve access to HIV services
• Advocate for more responsive healthcare systems
• Strengthen recognition of the healthcare needs of MSM and trans communities

4. Integration of Inclusive Services Into Health Systems

Another important area of ActHIVate is advocacy for better integration of MSM- and trans-friendly services into existing healthcare systems and policies.

The long-term objective is to demonstrate approaches that can influence and strengthen mainstream health responses rather than operating entirely outside existing systems.

5. Organisational Core Strengthening

ActHIVate recognises that organisations require more than project-specific funding to remain effective.

The fund can therefore provide support for core organisational strengthening, enabling organisations to build their capacity to undertake critical HIV service delivery and advocacy work.

This flexible approach recognises that strong community organisations require adequate organisational resources to sustain their work and respond effectively to changing circumstances.

Intersectionality and Other Key Populations

ActHIVate recognises that MSM and trans communities are not homogeneous groups and that individuals may experience multiple vulnerabilities simultaneously.

The fund specifically recognises the intersection between MSM and trans communities and other key populations.

For example, proposed work may take into account the experiences of:

• MSM and trans people who are sex workers
• MSM and trans people who use drugs
• Other community members facing overlapping barriers to HIV prevention, treatment and healthcare

Applicants should consider the realities of the communities they serve and demonstrate how their proposed work responds to the specific context in which they operate.

Activities That Are Outside the Scope of the Fund

Although the ActHIVate Fund covers a range of HIV, advocacy and organisational activities, certain activities are specifically excluded.

Multi-Country or Regional Projects

The fund does not support multi-country or regional projects that engage more than one country.

The grant is intended to support work within the individual country of implementation described in the application.

Large-Scale Health-System Improvements

The fund does not cover large-scale health-system infrastructure or technology projects such as:

• Establishing health information technology systems
• Clinical software
• Digital databases
• Laboratory systems
• Projects exclusively focused on community-led monitoring
• Managing or building supply chains
• Facilitating task shifting

Procurement of Health Products

Grant funding cannot be used for the procurement of:

• Medicines
• Vaccines
• PrEP
• ART

Applicants should ensure that their proposed budgets do not rely on the grant to purchase these products.

Conference Attendance and Hosting

The fund does not support:

• Attendance at conferences
• Hosting conferences

Large Capital Purchases

Large capital expenditures are outside the scope of the fund.

Examples include:

• Buildings
• Large equipment
• Facilities

Research Without a Clear Advocacy or Service-Delivery Purpose

Research activities are not eligible where they do not have a clear connection to either:

• Advocacy
• Service delivery

Applicants should demonstrate how any research-related component directly contributes to their HIV services or advocacy objectives.

Who Can Apply for the ActHIVate Fund?

The primary applicants are registered local community organisations led by MSM and trans community members.

Organisations must have substantial demonstrated experience in relevant areas.

Eligible organisations should be able to demonstrate experience in:

• Providing critical HIV services to MSM and trans communities
• Conducting advocacy relating to MSM and trans health and rights
• Engaging with local and/or national governments
• Engaging with health systems
• Addressing healthcare barriers affecting MSM and trans communities

Can Unregistered Organisations Apply?

Yes.

Unregistered organisations can also apply if they already have an established fiscal host.

This provides an opportunity for community organisations that may not have formal legal registration but have an appropriate fiscal-hosting arrangement in place.

Applicants should carefully review the full Request for Proposals once it is released because the complete eligibility criteria and detailed requirements will be provided at that stage.

Eligible Countries and Regions

The first ActHIVate Fund call will support organisations operating in:

Uganda

Ugandan community-led organisations meeting the programme’s requirements can apply.

Nigeria

Nigerian MSM- and trans-led community organisations that meet the eligibility requirements can also apply.

Eastern Europe and Central Asia

The fund will cover selected countries in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region.

The specific eligible countries should be confirmed in the full Request for Proposals.

Southwest Asia and North Africa

The fund will also operate in selected countries in the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region.

Applicants should consult the full RFP when it is released for the definitive country list.

Important Country Restriction

The grant supports work within one country of implementation.

Multi-country or regional projects involving more than one country are outside the scope of this funding opportunity.

How Much Funding Is Available?

The first ActHIVate Fund Request for Proposals has a total funding envelope of:

€2,000,000

The funding will cover an implementation period running from:

April 2027 to December 2028

This represents approximately one year and nine months of implementation.

Aidsfonds expects that up to 20 applications will receive funding.

The exact amount available to each successful organisation and the detailed budget requirements will be specified in the full Request for Proposals.

Community-Led Decision-Making

A significant feature of the ActHIVate Fund is its approach to decision-making.

Aidsfonds states that communities should play a central role in decisions about funding and investment because community members have direct knowledge of the challenges they face and the approaches that work in their contexts.

Grant decisions will therefore be made by an ActHIVate Grantmaking Committee.

The committee will consist of external members who are community leaders and experts from the regions and communities covered by the Request for Proposals.

The aim is to develop a balanced portfolio of funded organisations based on factors such as:

• Objectives
• Countries and regions
• Populations
• Budgets

This community-centred approach is intended to ensure that funding decisions reflect the realities and priorities of the communities the programme seeks to support.

ActHIVate Fund Application Timeline

Applicants should take note of the following important dates:

Application Stage	Date
Full Request for Proposals published and grants portal opens	21 September 2026
Full proposal submission deadline	25 October 2026
Funding decision	Mid-December 2026
Implementation begins	March/April 2027
Funding period	April 2027 – December 2028

Application Deadline

The deadline for submitting the full proposal is:

25 October 2026

Organisations interested in applying should begin preparing early rather than waiting until the application portal opens.

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What Should Potential Applicants Prepare?

Because the complete RFP has not yet been released, applicants should wait for the official requirements before finalising their applications.

However, based on the announced scope of the fund, prospective applicants can begin organising information about the following areas.

1. Organisational Information

Applicants can prepare information about:

• Registration status
• Leadership structure
• Community ownership and leadership
• Fiscal host arrangements, where applicable
• Organisational experience and capacity

2. Previous Experience

Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate previous experience in:

• HIV service-delivery programmes
• Prevention activities
• Treatment linkages
• Follow-up services
• Advocacy initiatives
• Government engagement
• Health-system engagement

3. Communities Served

Applicants should clearly understand and be able to describe:

• The MSM communities they serve
• The trans communities they serve
• Intersectional populations within their communities
• Specific healthcare barriers in their local context

4. Proposed Activities

Applicants should consider how their proposed project will address relevant areas such as:

• HIV service delivery
• Strategic advocacy
• Evidence generation linked to advocacy or services
• Integration of inclusive services into health systems
• Organisational strengthening

5. Expected Impact

Applicants should consider how their proposed project will:

• Improve access to healthcare
• Strengthen community-led HIV responses
• Generate useful evidence for advocacy
• Reduce barriers to HIV and health services
• Improve integration of inclusive services into health systems
• Contribute to longer-term health-system change

6. Budget Planning

Applicants should prepare realistic budgets covering eligible activities and organisational strengthening needs while ensuring that proposed expenditures comply with the fund’s restrictions.

Applicants should ensure that their plans do not include activities specifically listed as out of scope.

Q&A Session

Aidsfonds has indicated that a Q&A session will become available only after the full Request for Proposals is published.

Organisations with questions about detailed eligibility requirements, budgets, application procedures or other technical aspects should consult the full RFP and accompanying Q&A materials once they are released.

Why This Grant Opportunity Matters

The ActHIVate Fund represents an important funding opportunity for community-led organisations working at the intersection of HIV, healthcare access and human rights.

MSM and trans-led organisations often have direct relationships with communities that mainstream healthcare systems struggle to reach. Their peer-led approaches can help individuals overcome stigma, discrimination, fear and other barriers that may prevent them from seeking HIV prevention, testing, treatment or other health services.

At the same time, these organisations are operating in an increasingly difficult funding environment.

By providing flexible funding that combines service delivery, advocacy and organisational strengthening, ActHIVate aims to support organisations not only in responding to immediate healthcare needs but also in building stronger systems for the future.

Conclusion

The ActHIVate Fund is a major new grant opportunity from Aidsfonds designed to strengthen HIV responses led by and for MSM and trans communities in restrictive and criminalised settings.

With €2 million available in the first funding round, the fund will support up to 20 organisations working in Uganda, Nigeria and selected countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and Southwest Asia and North Africa.

The programme places particular emphasis on three interconnected areas: community-led HIV service delivery, strategic advocacy, and the integration of MSM- and trans-friendly services into existing health systems. It also provides support for organisational core strengthening, recognising that sustainable community-led responses require strong organisations and flexible resources.

Eligible organisations should have substantial experience serving MSM and trans communities, delivering HIV-related services, conducting advocacy and engaging with governments or health systems. Unregistered organisations may also be eligible where they have an established fiscal host.

The full Request for Proposals and grants portal are scheduled to open on 21 September 2026, while the full proposal submission deadline is 25 October 2026.

Prospective applicants should use the period before the launch to review their organisational experience, proposed activities, evidence, partnerships and budgets so they are prepared to respond when the complete requirements become available.

The ActHIVate Fund ultimately seeks to ensure that community-led organisations have the resources needed to continue providing essential HIV services today while helping create more inclusive and sustainable healthcare systems for MSM and trans communities in the future.