Case Study: DREAMS achieves twice the expected submissions and streamlined winner selection with IdeaScale

Working for a 40% Reduction in New HIV/ AIDS Infections Among Adolescent Girls

DREAMS is a $385 million public‑private partnership led by PEPFAR with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Girl Effect, Johnson & Johnson, Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare to cut new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women by 40% in the highest‑burden countries. To complement its evidence‑based core package and tackle structural drivers of risk (poverty, gender inequality, violence, lack of education), DREAMS launched an Innovation Challenge focused on six areas—community capacity, keeping girls in school, linking men to services, supporting PrEP, employment pathways, and data‑driven impact—while specifically seeking new partners and funding for small, local organizations.

DREAMS ran a two‑stage crowdsourced competition using IdeaScale—an initial expression of interest review followed by detailed proposals—and selected 56 winners from 143 finalists. The challenge exceeded expectations: it drew twice the anticipated submissions, nearly half of winners were new to PEPFAR funding, 64% of applicants were small community‑based organizations, and IdeaScale’s user‑friendly, low‑bandwidth functionality enabled smooth applicant and reviewer workflows.

DREAMS

Neeta Bhandari

PublicPrivate Partnerships Specialist at U.S. Department of State