A COMMUNITY GUIDE TO INTEGRATION IN THE GLOBAL FUND GRANT CYCLE 8 (GC8)

What to protect, push for, and how to engage?

This guide is a strategic toolkit published in May 2026 by the Asia-Pacific Regional Learning Hub (APRLH) hosted by Seven Alliance. It is designed to help community-led organizations,  networks, community leaders and civil society organizations  to navigate and influence the health service integration mandates of the Global Fund’s Grant Cycle 8.

Recognizing that shrinking budgets are driving a shift away from vertical, disease-specific programs toward integrated primary healthcare, this guide outlines what integration means for service delivery and health systems. It serves as an advocacy blueprint to ensure that these structural changes improve care efficiency without diluting the specialized, trust-based health services required by key populations.

The core of the document equips communities with the tools to safely engage in the grant cycle while establishing strict “red lines” to prevent harmful outcomes, such as the loss of community workforces, budget cuts for advocacy, or breaches of data confidentiality. It details specific mitigation strategies for risks like government centralization and increased stigma in mainstream facilities, while offering explicit instructions on what civil society must push for—including social contracting, official accreditation for peer workers, and the institutionalization of community-led monitoring. Finally, the guide maps out actionable, step-by-step responsibilities for community representatives and Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) across all stages of the GC8 process, from initial integration planning and country dialogues to funding request submissions and grant-making.