Strengthening the capacity of medical institutions

The Ukraine Rapid Response Fund (URRF) is a five-year programme funded by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) and implemented by IREX.
Its purpose is to respond to the consequences of Russia’s invasion and strengthen Ukraine’s national resilience system, including government institutions, civil society, and civilians.

Programme Objectives

• Rapid and flexible response to mitigate the most severe impacts of hostilities.
• Strengthened coordination among government, local authorities, civil society, and external partners.

Priority under this RFA

IREX intends to support one project aimed at:

• strengthening the capacity of medical institutions to adopt new knowledge;
• facilitating interregional exchange of practices;
• improving project management and fundraising;
• enhancing effective engagement and management of international funding.

Rationale

Many medical facilities at regional and community levels lack access to modern rehabilitation equipment and specialized training.
Advanced technologies and expertise are concentrated in major centres (e.g., Lviv and Kyiv), resulting in unequal access to quality medical services.

Expectations for Applicants

IREX expects the selected civil society organization or consortium to:

• implement targeted capacity-building activities;
• promote best practices and interregional learning;
• improve project management and fundraising to effectively attract and manage international funding.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Registration and Legal Status

• Be legally registered entities in Ukraine.
• Operate in compliance with Ukrainian legislation.
• Not be U.S. or third-country entities (only Ukrainian legal entities are eligible).

2. Operational Context

• Conduct activities in Ukraine.
• Hold non-profit status.

3. Alignment with Programme Objectives

• Proposed projects must align with URRF goals and principles.
• Applications must include clearly defined expected results and indicators linked to project objectives.

4. Partnership and Cooperation

• Formal cooperation with national and/or local medical institutions is required.
• Cooperation must be documented through letters of support, memoranda of understanding, or similar agreements.

5. Political and Geographic Restrictions

• Organizations must not be affiliated with political parties or appointed/elected officials.

6. Compliance Requirements

• The organization must not be suspended or excluded.
• Compliance with U.S. government regulations, including cost and procurement principles, is required.
• Applicants must have or be ready to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

7. Language and Timeline

• Applications may be submitted in Ukrainian or English.
• The proposed implementation period must not exceed the end date specified in the RFA.

Eligible Applicant Types

• Civil society organizations (CSOs), including:

  • public associations;

  • charitable organizations;

  • charitable foundations;

• Consortia of CSOs with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and budget shares.

Key Parameters

• Subject to availability of funds, IREX intends to award one grant of up to USD 60,000.
• Expected implementation period: April 2026 – December 2026.
• One organization or consortium may submit one proposal.

IREX reserves the right to:

• fund any or none of the applications;
• adjust the number, size, and duration of grants;
• make no award under this RFA.

Costs incurred prior to grant award are not reimbursable.

Applicable Regulations

Funding is governed by:

• U.S. Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions;
• 2 CFR 200 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Subparts A–E);
• 2 CFR 600.

Ineligible Costs

Grant funds may not be used for:

• contractors listed as excluded or suspended (SAM.gov);
• activities not directly related to project implementation;
• prior obligations or debts;
• fines or penalties;
• gambling;
• international travel;
• support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other defense units;
• medicines;
• humanitarian aid or one-off goods;
• charitable or political activities;
• religious activities;
• loans;
• alcohol;
• expenses outside the approved project period;
• durable equipment;
• construction or renovation;
• organizations linked to elected officials or political parties;
• activities outside Ukraine;
• scientific research or experiments;
• purchase or lease of land and buildings;
• venture capital or commercial activities;
• individual scholarships;
• gifts or prizes;
• any costs disallowed under 2 CFR 200 Subpart E and FAR 31.2.

1. Strengthening Healthcare Institutions

Projects should focus on:

• building institutional capacity of public medical institutions;
• facilitating interregional exchange of practices;
• improving project management and fundraising;
• enhancing effective engagement and management of international and private funding.

Activities should introduce standardized project management models, including:

• planning, monitoring, and evaluation;
• risk management;
• budgeting and accountability;
• donor and private-sector engagement;
• use of digital monitoring tools.

Results must be meaningful and measurable.

2. Illustrative Activities

Proposals may include:

Development of a selection methodology

• clear and publicly available methodology for selecting participating medical institutions;
• eligibility limited to institutions with prior donor funding experience or those providing rehabilitation services.

Comprehensive training programme

• blended (online/offline) training in project management;
• modules on fundraising, budgeting, proposal development, business engagement, and innovation;
• focus on investment attraction and sustainable financing.

At least 50 representatives from 10 medical institutions are expected to complete the training.

Mentorship support

• support to at least 8 medical institutions;
• development of long-term fundraising strategies;
• preparation of at least one project proposal per supported institution.

At least 70% of participants should assess the training as useful.

3. Additional Measures

• Applicants may propose additional activities aligned with RFA objectives.
• Partnerships are allowed, provided roles and budget allocations are clearly defined.

4. Exit Strategy (Exit Benchmark)

All activities must include:

• a clearly defined exit and transition strategy;
• continuation plan beyond U.S. funding;
• potential financial or non-financial commitments from local authorities;
• timelines for transfer of responsibilities;
• sustainability without ongoing U.S. support after RFA completion.

• Call announcement: 26 February 2026.
• Application deadline: 31 March 2026.
• Submission deadline time: 23:59 Kyiv time.
• Expected implementation period: April 2026 – December 2026.

• All questions regarding the RFA must be submitted in writing no later than the specified deadline.
• Inquiries should be sent to: tender-ua@irex.org.
• The email subject line must include: “URRF RFA Project Management for Medical Institutions.”
• The complete application package must be received by the stated deadline indicated on the RFA cover page.
• Late or incomplete applications may be rejected without review.

Applications are assessed on a 100-point scale across three main categories.

1. Technical Quality — 40 points

Assessment includes:

• alignment with URRF programme objectives;
• sustainability of results beyond the project period;
• expected impact on beneficiaries and target audience coverage;
• a clear exit strategy and measures to institutionalize practices.

2. Past Performance and Organizational Capacity — 30 points

Reviewers consider:

• demonstrated experience implementing similar projects (preferably in cooperation with healthcare institutions);
• staff qualifications and experience aligned with proposed activities;
• experience in developing regulations and partnerships with government institutions;
• capacity to comply with U.S. Department of State financial and compliance requirements.

3. Realism and Cost-Effectiveness — 30 points

Evaluation focuses on:

• justification, allowability, and allocation of proposed costs;
• cost-effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Additional Note

If necessary, IREX may conduct clarifications or negotiations with applicants whose proposals are considered highly competitive.

A complete application must include the following components:

1. UEI number

(or a statement confirming readiness to obtain a UEI prior to grant award).

2. Project Proposal (using the IREX template), including:

• organization information (up to 300 characters including spaces);
• programme description (up to 1,000 characters including spaces);
• description of beneficiaries, expected results, and impact;
• work plan (text and/or table format);
• communication plan;
• monitoring plan;
• risk mitigation plan;
• CVs or brief biographies of key project staff.

3. Budget (using the IREX template).

4. Supporting documents, such as:

• letters of support;
• memoranda of understanding;
• partnership agreements;
• total length not exceeding 20 pages.

Applicants must retain copies of all submitted documents for their records.

Selected finalists are required to complete and pass the Due Diligence Questionnaire prior to the final funding decision.

Reporting requirements are defined in the grant agreement. Reporting templates are provided to grantees. Requirements may include:

1. Periodic Program Reports

• Submitted according to the schedule specified in the grant agreement.
• Include progress updates, identified challenges, corrective actions, and planned activities for the next period.

2. Final Program Report

• Describes achievement of project objectives and tasks.
• Includes key results, lessons learned, challenges and solutions.
• Provides an overview of project sustainability and success stories.

3. Financial Reports

• Submitted according to the schedule outlined in the agreement.
• Type and frequency depend on the grant type, project duration, and funding amount.
• A detailed final financial report is mandatory.

Disbursement of the final tranche is contingent upon receipt and approval of the final programmatic and financial reports by IREX/URRF.