October 23, 2025

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR RAPID RESPONSE FUND NOW OPEN 

Food and Nutrition

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator is pleased to announce an Open Call for the Food Policy Rapid Response Fund (RRF). Please read all sections below carefully to establish your organization’s eligibility.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, November 10, 2025 23:59 EST

OVERVIEW OF THE OPEN CALL

The purpose of the Food Policy RRF is to support the adoption of evidence-informed legislative or regulatory policies that reduce the demand for ultra-processed foods (UPF) and sweetened beverages (SBs) and/or increase access to nutritious, healthy food. RRF grants may also be used: to block harmful policies that are compromised by conflict of interest and set negative policy precedents; to protect existing evidence-informed policies that are under clear threat of reversal; or to improve existing policies through the enactment of new regulatory measures.-(The specific policy areas eligible for this Open Call are indicated below).

The Food Policy RRF grants will support one-year advocacy campaigns that respond to existing food policy opportunities and demonstrate significant chances for success within that timeframe. RRF grant recipients will receive not only financial support, but also strategic and technical support based on needs as they execute their policy advocacy campaigns to achieve healthy food policy wins.

The RRF is funded by the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), an initiative of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, and in close collaboration with other partners of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Food Policy Program.

FUNDING & DURATION

Grants will be awarded for up to $200,000 USD for a maximum duration of 12 months (one year).
Applicants should demonstrate capacity to manage the requested budget amount, and the budget should be consistent with the body of work proposed.

ELIBILITY CRITERIA

Scope of Concept Note

Concept Notes must focus on ONE of the five policy areas indicated below or they will NOT be eligible for this Call:

AREA 1: Fiscal policies that disincentivize the consumption of ultra-processed foods and/or sweetened beverages (for example excise taxes); AND/OR incentivize access to healthy foods and/or beverages (i.e. subsidies, ringfencing excise tax revenue for healthy food and beverage programs);
AREA 2: Front-of-package warning labeling (FOPWL);
AREA 3: Comprehensive restrictions on the marketing of sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods;
AREA 4: Procurement and related policies that prohibit the sale and provision of ultra-processed foods and sweetened beverages in public institutions and environments, while ensuring offer of healthy foods and beverages. Priority will be given to school settings, but other public settings may be considered.
AREA 5: Government adoption of National Food Based Dietary Guidelines and/or a Nutrient Profile Model that meets the most protective standards to discourage consumption of processed and ultra-processed products excessive in nutrients and ingredients of concern.

The Concept Note must meet the following criteria:

Focused on mandatory policy, such as legislation or regulation; or the national adoption of Food Based Dietary Guidelines and/or a Nutrient Profile Model.
National in scope with the possibility of having broader regional or global impact; subnational policies may be considered if the policy is novel and has potential to protect a large population and impact national policy;
Informed by scientific evidence free from conflict of interest. Evidence informed improvements to current best practice policy designs are encouraged assuming they are based on strong rationales, on lessons learned from other countries, and serve to ‘push the envelope’ towards more protective measures.
Concept Notes that do NOT have the express objective of policy adoption or protection will NOT be eligible, for example, proposals that have the primary objective of carrying out research, policy evaluation, or implementing a nutrition education program, etc. are not eligible.
Finally, applicants should note that grant funds cannot be used to support or oppose candidates for elected office.

ORGANIZATIONAL ELEGIBILITY

Applicant organizations must be civil society organizations or other non-governmental and not-for-profit entities that are legally registered within their countries. Government entities and/or for-profit entities are NOT eligible.
Applicant organizations must be able to legally receive foreign funding.
Applicant organizations must be based in low- and middle-income countries.
Applicant organizations should have demonstrated experience in carrying out advocacy campaigns for policy change AND experience in managing the requested grant amount.
Joint applications will be given preference if organizations can demonstrate their complementary roles. We recommend a maximum of three co-applicants to minimize administrative burden on the primary applicant. One Concept Note should be submitted listing all applicants.
Applicant organizations that currently receive or have received funding, within the last five years from any manufacturer or wholesaler of tobacco, or within the last three years from any manufacturer or wholesaler of ultra-processed foods, sweetened beverages or any entity that represents the interests of these industries, are NOT eligible.

COUNTRY ELEGIBILITY

NOT ELIGIBLE: Applicant organizations based in any of the Food Policy Program’s priority countries (Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Barbados, Jamaica, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana) are NOT eligible.
For applicant organizations from Ethiopia, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, China, Philippines and Thailand (priority countries of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Cardiovascular Health Program) ONLY project proposals focused on AREA 1 (Fiscal Policies) will be accepted.

EVALUATION CRITERIA & SELECTION PROCESS

Concept Notes will be assessed according to the following criteria:

Clearly within scope of one of the five policy areas, and the RRF purpose and eligibility criteria listed above;
Robust and feasible policy proposal and work plan;
Potential of policy proposal to generate new evidence on what works to improve diets;
Alignment between proposed work and the requested budget;
Alignment of proposal with scientific evidence;
Epidemiological situation that justifies the high potential impact of the policy goal to protect public health;
Evidence of existing political will and political opportunity to achieve policy goal;
Feasibility of achieving concrete progress on policy goal within the grant period;
Strength of organization(s) (i.e. advocacy experience, institutional capacity);
Strength of organization(s) with regard to subject-area knowledge.

All Concept Notes will be evaluated by a committee of reviewers, comprised of food policy experts. Invitations for a full proposal will be issued if Concept Notes are approved. Due to the volume of Concept Note applications, we regret that we cannot inform all applicants of the status of their application. If you have not received an email response by January 15, 2026, please contact us at the email address below to inquire about the status of your application.

HOW TO APPLY

All applicants should fill out the Concept Note application on the online platform located HERE.
Please ensure all fields are complete and submit no later than Monday, November 10th at 11:59 pm EST.
A Word version of the Concept Note application is HERE if you wish to draft your responses before submitting them to the online platform.
For general questions regarding eligibility or the application process, please contact healthyfoodpolicy@tobaccofreekids.org. All Concept Notes must be submitted in English. We acknowledge that English may not be your first language; we encourage you to focus on the content and ideas guiding your submission, whereas language or grammar imperfections will not affect the evaluation of your application.