In a bid to respond more effectively to the diverse range of contexts where its grants are implemented, the Global Fund follows a differentiated approach framework.  

Differentiation is carried out based on multiple factors including disease burden and income level of a country, epidemiologic and other socio-political contextual dimensions; financing gaps; fiscal space; absorptive capacity; risk; and where and how the Global Fund with partners can have the most catalytic impact. 

Requirements, reviews and approvals of grants are differentiated based on the following portfolio categories, and other factors such as challenging operating environments (COE) and transitioning countries (Refer to the 2023 – 2025 Portfolio Categorization on Page 5 of the Global Fund Operational Policy Manual): 

• Focused countries (smaller portfolios, lower disease burden, lower ‘mission risk’ – i.e. less critical to the GF’s ‘mission’): all countries with a current total country allocation under US$ 75 million, plus most regional grants. 

• Core countries (larger portfolios, higher disease burden, higher risk): countries with a current allocation between $75 million and $400 million. 

• High-impact countries (very large portfolios, ‘mission critical’ disease burden): includes countries with a current allocation of $400 million or more. 

The differentiated approach has policy and operational implications, including but not limited to the following: 1) application/access to funding; 2) reporting, including frequency of Progress Update and Disbursement Request (PU/DR) submissions; 3) frequency of disbursements; 4) timing/frequency of reprogramming submissions; and 5) flexibilities on budget adjustments.