Global Fund Reporting
PUDR, dual track financing, and Global Fund's results framework.
The Global Fund is one of the largest multilateral health financing mechanisms, providing funding for programmes to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in more than 100 countries. Understanding its operating model, the concept of "Dual Track Financing," and its grant architecture is essential for writing credible Global Fund reports.
The Global Fund Operating Model
Dual Track Financing
The Global Fund requires that each country has both a:
- Principal Recipient (PR) — A national entity (Ministry of Health, national NGO, or UN agency) that receives funds directly and manages programme implementation
- Sub-Recipient (SR) — An implementing organisation that receives funds from the PR to carry out programme activities
As an implementing organisation, you are likely a Sub-Recipient (SR) or potentially a Sub-Sub-Recipient (SSR). Your reporting obligations flow up to the PR, who aggregates and reports to the Global Fund.
Funding Model Phases
Global Fund grants operate in Allocation-based Funding cycles (formerly "new funding model"):
- Allocation — Country receives a grant allocation based on disease burden and absorptive capacity
- Grant Making — PR and SRs develop the grant documentation (including the Performance Framework)
- Implementation — Programme delivery with regular reporting
- Refinements — Periodic grant restructuring as needed
- External Evaluation — OIG (Office of the Inspector General) and LFA reviews
Global Fund Grant Architecture
Key Documents
- Funding Request — The proposal submitted to the Global Fund (developed by the Country Coordinating Mechanism)
- Grant Confirmation — The formal grant agreement
- Performance Framework — The logframe with indicators, baselines, and targets
- Budget — Detailed costed work plan
- Health Product Management Plan — For procurement of health products
- Risk Assessment and Management Plan — Risk mitigation measures
Your reports must reference the Performance Framework indicators and targets exactly.
Global Fund Reporting Requirements
Progress Updates and Disbursement Requests (PUDR)
The standard Global Fund report is the Progress Update and Disbursement Request (PUDR), submitted every quarter (or as specified in the grant confirmation).
The PUDR has two parts:
Part 1: Progress Update — Narrative and indicator performance Part 2: Disbursement Request — Funds requested for the next period
PUDR Structure
- Executive Summary
- Performance Overview — Dashboard of key indicators
- Narrative by Programme Area — By disease or thematic area
- Cross-Cutting Issues — Health systems strengthening, human rights, gender
- Programme Financial Overview — Expenditure vs. budget
- Risk Management Update — Status of identified risks
- Annexes — Indicator data tables, PR/SR reports, assessments
Annual Review
In addition to quarterly PUDRs, Global Fund requires an Annual Review that provides:
- Full-year performance assessment against the Performance Framework
- Analysis of spending against planned budget
- Assessment of risk management measures
- Grant Rating (PR ratings: A1, A2, B1, B2, C)
Global Fund Indicators
The Global Fund uses a set of core indicators aligned to global disease programme guidance:
HIV/AIDS Indicators
- PLHIV — Number of people living with HIV
- TX_NEW — Number of people newly initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART)
- PMTCT_EID — Prevention of mother-to-child transmission / early infant diagnosis
- KP_PREV — Coverage of prevention programmes for key populations
TB Indicators
- TX_SUCCESS — Treatment success rate for confirmed bacteriologically-positive TB
- DS_TB_NOTIFICATION — Number of notified TB cases (all forms)
- DR_TB_DETECTION — Number of laboratory-confirmed multidrug-resistant TB cases
Malaria Indicators
- Tested — Number of suspected malaria cases tested
- Positive — Number of confirmed malaria cases
- Treated — Number of confirmed malaria cases treated
- ITN — Number of insecticide-treated nets distributed
Disaggregation
Global Fund disaggregation requirements include:
- Sex (mandatory for all indicators)
- Age (0–4, 5–14, 15+, and as programme requires)
- Key population status (for HIV: sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, prisoners, transgender persons)
- Geographic level (region, district)
Global Fund-Specific Reporting Themes
1. Health Systems Strengthening (HSS)
Global Fund increasingly links disease-specific funding to health systems strengthening:
- Lab capacity and quality assurance
- Supply chain management (PSM)
- Data systems and health management information systems (HMIS)
- Human resources for health
Report specifically on HSS investments and their contribution to programme outcomes.
2. Key Populations (KP)
For HIV programmes, reporting on key populations is mandatory and audited:
- Describe the specific KP outreach activities conducted
- Report KP-specific indicators (KP_PREV, KP_MAT, etc.)
- Note any barriers to KP access and actions taken
- Disaggregate by KP type (never aggregate KP data with general population)
3. Gender
Global Fund has a Gender Equality Strategy. Reports must:
- Analyse programme outcomes disaggregated by sex
- Describe gender-specific barriers and actions taken
- Report on programmes addressing gender-based violence (GBV)
- Include sex-disaggregated data for all indicators where relevant
4. Human Rights
Global Fund's human rights policy requires:
- Reporting on human rights barriers to access
- Programmes for key populations and vulnerable groups
- Legal literacy and access to justice activities
- Elimination of stigma and discrimination activities
5. Health Product Management
If your grant includes health product procurement:
- PAAR — Procurement Agent Activity Report (submitted by the PA)
- Quantification accuracy and supply plan adherence
- Stock-outs — Any commodity stock-outs and their duration
- Expiry management — Actions to prevent wastage from expiry
Global Fund Financial Reporting
Expenditure Reporting
Global Fund requires budget vs. expenditure reporting by:
- Cost category (human resources, health products, indirect costs, etc.)
- Programme area (HIV, TB, malaria, HSS)
- Budget line (as specified in the grant budget)
Absorption and Disbursement
Global Fund assesses:
- Absorption rate — Expenditure / Budget (should be above 80% per quarter for most grants)
- Disbursement request justification — Must explain why funds are needed for next period
Grant Rating
The PR receives a grant rating based on performance:
| Rating | Description |
|---|---|
| A1 | Exceeds expectations |
| A2 | Meets expectations |
| B1 | Adequate performance |
| B2 | Inadequate but demonstrating progress |
| C | Unacceptable performance |
Your SR reports feed into this rating. Late, incomplete, or inaccurate SR reports can affect the PR's grant rating.
The Local Fund Agent (LFA)
The Local Fund Agent (LFA) is an independent consulting firm contracted by the Global Fund to:
- Verify PR/SR progress data
- Conduct data quality assessments
- Review financial reports and disbursement requests
- Provide independent assessment of grant performance
LFA reviews happen on-site. Your organisation may be visited by the LFA during the grant period. Always be prepared to show source documents for all reported data.
Common Global Fund Reporting Mistakes
- Inconsistent indicator definitions — Global Fund indicator definitions are very specific; minor differences in definition can cause data mismatches
- Missing KP disaggregation — Global Fund auditors scrutinise key population data
- Over-reporting — Never report commodities distributed unless you have proof of actual distribution
- Late PUDRs — Global Fund has strict deadlines; late submissions affect grant ratings
- Budget/expenditure mismatch — Expenditure must match the approved budget structure exactly
- Missing HSS reporting — Health systems investments must be reported as separate programme areas
Next: Read GCF Reporting for guidance on Green Climate Fund funding.