Global Health: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Is Responding to Challenges but Needs Better Information and Documentation for Performance-Based Funding

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria--established as a private foundation in January 2002--is intended to rapidly disburse grants to recipients, including governments and nongovernmental organizations. The Global Fund has signed over 270 grant agreements and disbursed more than $1 billion. Governments provide most of its funding; the United States has provided almost one-third of the $3.7 billion the Global Fund has received. In May 2003, the President signed legislation directing the Comptroller General to monitor and evaluate Global Fund-supported projects. GAO reviewed grants that the Global Fund began disbursing before January 2004. This report (1) describes the Global Fund's process for managing grants and disbursing funds, (2) identifies factors that have affected grant performance, (3) reviews the basis and documentation of performance-based funding, and (4) notes recent refinements of Global Fund processes.