Global Fund will
proceed with sixth round of grants

The board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria on Friday voted to proceed with a sixth round of annual grants, despite some concerns over nearly $1 billion in funding needed to fulfill this year's grant pledges. "There was a strong agreement that given the commitments made to reach global health targets, and given the urgent needs out there, it would be ethically impossible to not launch round six," Global Fund spokesman Jon Liden told Reuters. The total dollar amount of sixth-round grants will depend on project proposals submitted to the Global Fund by August 3. Grant approvals will be decided in November.

As of March, the Global Fund had distributed about half of the $4.9 billion it pledged in its fifth round of grants, but still needs about $1 billion to fully fund all of its grants for the year. (The Advocate)