The Pandemic Fund

Washington, DC, April 1, 2026 — The Pandemic Fund today announced the opening of its Fourth Call for Proposals (CfP), with up to US$244 million available to support countries facing the highest pandemic risks and the greatest gaps in preparedness.

The new funding window will support investments in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR), targeting countries with the greatest capacity gaps, highest risks, and significant socioeconomic challenges that have not previously received single-country grants. Eligible countries were identified based on the Pandemic Fund’s Risk–Need Metric and Methodology, a scientifically grounded framework that ensures resources are directed to those most in need.

The 15 eligible countries—many affected by conflict and fragility—include Afghanistan, Benin, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Guinea, Haiti, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda.

“Gaps in surveillance, laboratory capacity, and health workforce readiness increase the likelihood that outbreaks go undetected or uncontrolled,” said Pandemic Fund Board Co-Chairs Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health of Rwanda, and Dr. Chatib Basri, former Minister of Finance of Indonesia. “Weak preparedness capacity in any one country can create vulnerabilities for all, turning local health gaps into global health security threats. This targeted call is an important step toward ensuring that countries with the greatest needs—and often the least access to financing—are not left behind and have the support required to strengthen these essential systems.”

The window incorporates pre-set grant allocation ceilings for each eligible country. Applications will be accepted over the period from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027. This approach is designed to enhance the predictability of funding, improve the quality of proposals, reduce barriers to access, strengthen alignment with national budgetary processes, and better synchronize with the project cycles of multilateral development banks to maximize co-financing.  

“This new funding window gives the most vulnerable countries a clearer and more reliable path to access support,” said Priya Basu, Executive Head of the Pandemic Fund. “With rolling applications over a one-year period and indicative grant ceilings, it is designed to enable stronger, country-led proposals, better align with national planning, and work in step with multilateral development banks to mobilize greater co-financing for scale and impact.”

The fourth CfP will continue to focus investments in the Fund’s three programmatic priority areas, including disease surveillance, laboratory systems, and the health workforce—critical pillars for early detection, rapid response, and containment of disease outbreaks.

Since its establishment in 2022, the Pandemic Fund has rapidly scaled support for country-led pandemic preparedness, with measurable results already emerging across its portfolio, as highlighted in its latest Progress Report. With a portfolio of US$11.5 billion across its first three funding rounds, the Fund is supporting 128 countries across six regions through 67 projects—strengthening core systems, enhancing cross-border coordination, and advancing multisectoral approaches such as One Health—with strong support from a wide range of partners, including the Fund’s 15 accredited Implementing Entities.