World Meningitis Day 2026 Advocacy Fund

• The World Meningitis Day Advocacy Fund is open for applications between May and June.
• All applications are reviewed by a panel of CoMO/Meningitis Research Foundation employees and Meningitis Research Foundation trustees.
• Successful applicants are announced in July.
• Funded activities must take place between 1st August and 31st October.
• Reports on activities must be submitted by the grant recipients by 30th November.

We welcome applications from anyone who has been a CoMO member for at least nine months. They may hold any level of membership (Full Member, Associate Member or Friend) and have any level of existing income.

Important: from 2026, applicants must have participated in the previous year’s World Meningitis Day, or be able to show evidence of other similar advocacy activity from within the past year, to be eligible.

Applicants are not required to disclose personal income. However, all applicants must report any external funding received for meningitis advocacy activities.

Previous Advocacy Fund recipients must wait three years before reapplying. For example, recipients of a 2025 Advocacy Fund grant will be eligible to apply again in 2028.

We welcome applications from all regions and countries and encourage all CoMO members to apply.

All applications are judged on the expected impact of the project.

Every application is scored on various criteria, including:

• A focus on meningitis advocacy.
• A clear connection to World Meningitis Day.
• Defined and achievable goals, with good plans for executing, communicating and evaluating the project.
• Clear and proportionate budgeting.
• The ability to reach a significant audience in a meaningful way.​

In cases where applications receive the same score, we will prioritise:

• Applicants with lower existing income (where applicable).
• Applications that incorporate the three key World Meningitis Day actions.
• We do not use regional quotas. Grants are awarded on merit, so some regions may receive more grants and others none. If applications score equally, we may consider geographical balance.

Before starting to plan your application, see what you can learn from other Fund recipients by reading the World Meningitis Day Advocacy Fund case studies.

You can also read our blog to find out what made previous successful applications stand out.

Then read our applicant instructions carefully. Here you can find everything you need to know to make a successful application.