A review of funders and grant makers that support palliative care in developing countries
Michael Wright, Tom Lynch, David Clark

Palliative care developments are taking place across many resource poor regions of the world, much of them supported by third party donors and grant makers. Although some palliative care funders are well known and have a relatively high profile, many are not. Palliative care service providers and those seeking to promote and sustain palliative care initiatives in developing countries lack a rigorous guide to funding bodies, together with information about their criteria for support and terms of reference. This project will bring together the first ever guide to palliative care funders, worldwide. Initial work for the project was undertaken at a meeting in Washington (April 11-12, 2006) that was co-sponsored by the Office of International Affairs of the National Cancer Institute and the Open Society Institute International Palliative Care Initiative: Advancing Collaboration and Synergy for Palliative Care in Cancer and AIDS in Resource-Poor Countries. The purpose of the meeting was to increase funding, and funding collaborations, for palliative care activities in low to middle income countries.

Aim of the project:

To identify national and international foundations and agencies that provide funding for hospice and palliative care activities in developing countries.

Objectives of the project:

The main priority of the project is the broad dissemination of an ‘evidence base’ of clear and accessible research-based information concerning the funding of palliative care worldwide. It is hoped that the project will have a positive impact on future planning and innovation in a number of areas: to identify the methods and motivations of palliative care funders and grant makers; to highlight strengths and weaknesses inherent in the grant making process; to highlight the ways in which potential funding collaborations and partnerships can be successfully brought together; to serve as a national resource for palliative care development and further hospice and palliative care activities worldwide.

Methods and analysis:

The project will involve four phases:

Phase 1: Identification of funders.

A first priority will be to establish a database of funding organisations active in developing countries. This will be done by: searching the internet; extrapolating information from regional reviews undertaken by the IOELC; interrogating electronic and paper sources (Hospice Information, IAHPC, EE Newsletters); a survey of key people in hospice organisations and national associations. Regions will include: Eastern Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States, Central Asia, South East Asia, Middle East, Turkey, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa, East Africa, China, India and Indonesia.

Phase 2: Data collection.

An electronic survey to provide an overview of funding organisations: key information (name of organisation, name of the director, contact details, web site); countries/regions where the organisation is active; funding range (average size and duration of grant, eligibility criteria and selection process relating to grantees); program area (service development, education, fellowships, travel grants, translation); disease categories (cancer, AIDS, Parkinson’s Disease, lung disease, heart disease); population focus (paediatrics, geriatrics, adolescents, adults); bidding process (on announcement, twice yearly); evaluation procedure (impact of funding, monitoring processes); future funding plans and commitments.

Phase 3: Collation and analysis of results.

Phase 4: Writing an end-of-project report, posting report on IOELC website, preparation of a hard copy for publication (100 copies)

Research partners

This work has been funded through a grant from the Open Society Institute International Palliative Care Initiative (IPCI), who have provided core support for the identification of national and international foundations and agencies that provide funding for hospice and palliative care activities in developing countries. This project is a part of the Open Society Institute overarching aim to incorporate palliative care into national health care plans, policies, legislation, delivery systems, health care professional education and public education.

Progress to date

The review was completed in April 2008 and a PDF version of the report can be found by clicking here. To help build a bigger picture, colleagues are invited to send any information they think will be helpful to the Revd Dr Michael Wright.

A database of funding organisations active in developing countries is currently being established and an electronic survey to provide an overview of those organisations is also being undertaken.