Global Nurse Capacity Building Program | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Global Nurse Capacity Building Program (NCBP)?

The Global Nurse Capacity Building Program (NCBP) was a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) cooperative agreement funded under the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Its purpose was to strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce as a core strategy to improve HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment outcomes in low-resource settings.

What problem was NCBP designed to address?

NCBP was designed to address system-level gaps in how nurses and midwives are educated, supported, and positioned to lead HIV responses and broader health responses. Rather than focusing mainly on short-term trainings, the program emphasized lasting improvements to education systems, mentorship, leadership, and country-owned nursing and midwifery capacity.

Which agency and funding stream supported this opportunity?

The opportunity was administered by HRSA and funded under PEPFAR, with funds described as managed through the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) at PEPFAR headquarters in Washington, DC.

What type of funding opportunity was this (grant type/instrument)?

This opportunity was discretionary funding using a cooperative agreement instrument. A cooperative agreement indicates the federal government anticipated substantial involvement in guiding or collaborating on the work, rather than operating as a hands-off grant.

What was the project period for NCBP?

The project period was set for April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2017.

How many awards were anticipated?

The funding opportunity anticipated making one award.

What was the expected annual funding level?

The FOA anticipated an estimated funding range of about $6.5 million to $8.5 million per year for the first three years (subject to available funds), followed by a reduced level of about $500,000 per year for the final two years.

Why was funding much higher in the first three years than in the last two years?

The early, larger investment was largely dedicated to a major sub-component called the Nursing Educational Partnership Initiative (NEPI), which focused on strengthening pre-service nursing education (the training pipeline before nurses enter the workforce). The final two years were projected at a much lower annual funding level.

What is NEPI (Nursing Educational Partnership Initiative)?

NEPI was a major sub-component of NCBP centered on pre-service nursing education. It focused on strengthening the pipeline of new nurses and midwives by improving education quality, relevance, and institutional capacity in supported countries.

How much of the early funding was expected to support NEPI?

Of the $6.5 to $8.5 million per year anticipated in years one through three, roughly $6 to $8 million was expected to support NEPI activities.

Was there funding reserved for nursing capacity building beyond NEPI?

Yes. Separately, $500,000 per year across all five years was reserved for a more general nursing capacity building effort that blended pre-service and in-service approaches, including mentoring and leadership strengthening, with the practical aim of expanding nurses ability to deliver high-quality HIV care and treatment.

Did the program focus only on HIV trainings?

No. While HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment outcomes were central, the program also emphasized preparing nurses and midwives to address HIV-related co-morbidities and other life-threatening conditions in low-resource settings through broader system-level improvements.

What were the main goals of the program?

The program goals were framed in three connected parts: (1) improve the production, quality, and relevance of nurses and midwives by strengthening government bodies, educational institutions, and nursing systems; (2) identify, evaluate, and share innovative training models and practices that could be generalized and scaled nationally, supported through a NEPI Coordinating Center; and (3) develop partnerships with local and regional nursing or midwifery-affiliated institutions to build sustainable in-country and regional implementation and technical assistance capacity.

What was the NEPI Coordinating Center expected to do?

The NEPI Coordinating Center role included promoting country ownership and participation, assessing the impact of interventions, communicating lessons learned, and supporting country-level studies focused on pre-service nursing education.

What does "country-owned improvements" mean in the context of this program?

The program intent was to create lasting improvements led and sustained by the supported countries. This included aligning workplans with national priorities, working closely with Ministries of Health, and building local and regional institutional capacity so partners could eventually execute program activities and provide technical assistance themselves.

Which countries were intended to benefit?

The overarching intent was to create lasting improvements across at least twelve PEPFAR-supported countries.

How were program activities expected to align with national priorities?

The awardee was expected to work closely with U.S. Government teams in-country and with national Ministries of Health to align workplans with national priorities and to leverage additional resources through PEPFAR Country Operational Plans (COPs).

What are PEPFAR Country Operational Plans (COPs), and why did they matter here?

The COP process is the mechanism PEPFAR uses to document annual U.S. investments and expected results in each country and serves as the basis for approval of most bilateral HIV/AIDS funding. The FOA positioned the award as a central coordinating mechanism and a catalyst for country-level scale-up funded through COPs.

What does it mean that the funds were described as "Central funds"?

The FOA described the funds as "Central funds" managed through OGAC at PEPFAR headquarters in Washington, DC. The design emphasized coordination with in-country U.S. Government teams and national stakeholders, and leveraging additional COP resources for scale-up.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants included U.S.-based public or private nonprofit organizations, including nursing training institutions and professional associations. Eligibility was also extended to tribes and tribal organizations, as well as faith-based and community-based organizations.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The FOA stated there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.

What is the FOA number and CFDA number for this opportunity?

The opportunity was identified as HRSA-12-123, with CFDA 93.266.

When was the funding opportunity posted and when did it close?

It was posted on August 17, 2011 and closed on October 17, 2011.

What was the estimated total funding listed in the FOA?

The FOA listed an estimated total funding figure of $6.5 million, reflecting the base anticipated annual level at the outset.

How did the program approach differ from short-term training-only programs?

NCBP emphasized system-level change, including strengthening pre-service education, institutional mentorship and leadership development, building capacity in government bodies and educational institutions, and transferring skills and responsibility to local and regional partners for long-term sustainability.

What kinds of capacity building activities were included beyond education?

Based on the FOA description, activities included mentoring, leadership strengthening, partnership development with local and regional institutions, evaluation and dissemination of innovative training models, and efforts to institutionalize improvements through coordination with Ministries of Health and in-country U.S. Government teams.

What was the intended long-term outcome of NCBP?

The program was designed to treat nursing and midwifery capacity as a cornerstone of a sustainable HIV response, with improvements that could be maintained and expanded after the project period ended through country ownership, institutional strengthening, and local/regional capacity to implement and provide technical assistance.