Duration

2019-2025

Key Partners

Central TB Division, MoHFW

Funder

USAID

Service

Grants For Specific Activities

The Tuberculosis Implementation Framework Agreement (TIFA) was a USAID-funded project that aimed to accelerate the country’s progress toward ending tuberculosis (TB). TIFA supported up to 24 USAID priority TB countries. The project was led by JSI Research & Training Institute with a core team that operated out of Washington, USA. The project supported TB elimination activities by awarding TB Commitment Grants (TCGs) – which are fixed amount awards (FAAs) - grants or contracts to government entities, local and international NGOs, and private sector partners working in TB control and elimination.

In India, TIFA was led by a team supported by JSIPL through an agreement with JSI Research and Training Institute. TIFA-India initiated activities in the third quarter of 2021 and continued until July 2024. It worked closely with Central TB Division/NTEP and USAID/India to provide sub-awards that assisted the Government of India (GoI) in achieving a TB-free nation.

A total of 42 sub-awards (grants and contracts) were awarded by TIFA India until January 2025. Some of the sub-awards that were implemented included - Decentralizing pediatric TB care at the sub- district level through the capacity strengthening of block-level healthcare professionals and demonstrating a reliable sample referral, transportation and tracking mechanism between primary, secondary and tertiary level healthcare facilities. Demonstration of differentiated TB care guidance of NTEP through building a system of risk assessment, referral and intensify care of severely ill TB patients to reduce morbidity and mortality due to TB. Additionally, the evaluation of ACF, DBT, and robust estimation of TB mortality was India is also supported by TIFA.

Gaps and Challenges Addressed

New and creative analyses and solutions were needed to better understand obstacles to identifying and treating all TB cases in India. Working closely with the Central TB Division, TIFA provided sub-awards to potential grantees both public and private to test new interventions, demonstrate models for service provision to better meet the needs of at-risk populations, and study current NTEP approaches to understand challenges better and make recommendations for addressing them.

Key Objectives

To provide effective/efficient mechanisms offering direct support to the government, NGOs, and private sector partners to implement catalytic activities responsive to NTEP’s goals.

To accelerate progress towards NTEP& 2017-25 strategic priorities towards achieving end TB goal in India by 2025.

To leverage and advocate for additional domestic resources for TB from the public and private sectors.

JSIPL’s Role in Implementing TIFA

JSIPL partnered the task of coordinating TIFA’s activities in India. TIFA adapted and enabled USAID/India and JSI to be responsive to the GoI’s TB control and prevention strategy. TIFA collaborated closely with Central TB Division/NTEP to define priority topics for sub-awards. These ranged from strengthening mechanisms for private sector engagement in TB control, providing analysis and recommendations for improving direct benefit transfer schemes, generating evidence to understand the under-reporting of TB deaths, building demonstration models for latent TB treatment initiatives, and undertook pediatric TB diagnostics, among many others.

TIFA’s Achievements

Awarded 42 grants and contracts to organizations to address critical gaps in the TB program, including updating the national Standards for TB Care, improving pediatric TB case finding, and enhancing timely care for severely ill TB patients.
TIFA sub-awards were implemented in 95 districts spread across 21 states covering more than 150 million population.
Provided support in implementing Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (PMTBMBA) initiatives. Raised awareness about TB and engaged with communities to be part of the larger TB Mukt Bharat – Jan Andolan movement through a social media agency.