Global CSR Program FAQs | Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Global CSR Program FAQs
Eligibility
Takeda's Global CSR Program provides funding support to non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, tax-exempt public and private foundations and charities, publicly registered organizations equivalent to a 501(c)(3) in the U.S., non-governmental organizations (NGOs), public-private partnerships whose primary applicant organization aligns with the organization types listed here, and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs). Nonprofits whose classification type or registration status is unfamiliar to Takeda (e.g., is not listed in public registers) may be asked to share documentation of current nonprofit status to verify eligibility.
Ineligible projects may include, but are not limited to, projects that are strictly sectarian, political, or lobbying in nature, projects whose primary purpose is the propagation of a religious faith, capital campaigns, or endowments, or any project that represents a conflict of interest for Takeda’s business units.
Yes.
For-profit and government entities are not eligible for funding as a primary applicant. However, they are allowed to be a sub-partner/sub-contractor on projects. For-profit and government entities are not able to register in our Digital CSR Donation Management System and may not serve as the applicant organization on behalf of a consortium of non-profits.
Organizations of all sizes are invited to apply.
Primary applicant organizations can be newly formed entities but must be able to share clear evidence of rigorous stewardship of funds and organizational capacity and capabilities.
Yes, multiple proposals may be submitted from one organization.
Yes, current partner organizations can apply for any open RFP. Any eligible organization may be awarded up to three projects but must complete at least one project before they may apply for a fourth award.
We allow consortium proposals, but one eligible primary applicant organization must take on fiduciary responsibility for contracting purposes. Other partner organizations within the consortium can be included as sub-contractors/sub-recipients.
No, Takeda's CSR program do not fund post-market studies of new drugs.
We do not provide support to individuals.
Takeda's CSR program do not fund clinical research and development given our conflict of interest policy, but would consider R&D for digital supply chain solutions, informatics, etc.
Yes, applicants may resubmit proposals to subsequent RFPs after a non-award decision is made, as long as the application is aligned with the relevant priorities, guidance, and application formats.
Projects are funded in accordance with the Global CSR Program’s annual RFP, which are not (and cannot be) linked to Takeda's commercial interests. See RFP guidance for more details.
Use of Digital CSR Donation Management System
Yes. Please advise the colleagues you wish to register to create their own accounts. Once each individual registers as part of the same organization, you will all be able to see each other’s draft application(s), as well as submit any applications created from your organization. The Digital CSR Donation Management System can be accessed here.
There is no specific limit to the number of users registered per organization, though we recommend keeping that number small to avoid confusion. The primary contact for each application should be the official owner of your project, point of contact, and have the proper authority within your organization to submit the application. The primary contact will be the only person to receive official communication and alerts from Takeda. Other registered users may view, edit, and submit documents.
Yes. Start each application by clicking “Apply for funding” in the “Information” section of the navigation panel found on the left-hand side once you log into your account. Each application draft should represent a unique project.
No, applications will only be accepted using the online form. Only the required supporting Application Documents will be accepted as uploaded Word or PDF documents.
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No. Please only submit the information and documents specifically requested in the RFP. We will contact applicant organizations if clarification and/or additional materials are needed.
If your submitted application is eligible for shortlisting for our employee vote, We will ask the Primary Signatory that you name when registering in our system to sign a consent letter (see the RFP document) ensuring no known conflict of interest. We may ask for more information or clarification before or after this process on potential conflicts of interest should questions arise.
Application
All applicants are required to submit proposals via our Digital CSR Donation Management System. Interested applicants should register on Takeda’s Digital CSR Donation Management System to receive news and updates about the Request for Proposal (RFP). Details on how to submit an application can be found in the RFP document located in the Apply for Funding page.
Yes, we only accept proposals and all required Application Documents in English.
All progress and final reports are required to be in English.
Takeda's Global CSR projects are 4 to 10-year commitments.
In addition to articulating anticipated outputs and outcomes from proposed projects in accordance with the guidance on delineating anticipated results appendix in the RFP document, applicants must select from our list of relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Targets with which this project’s objectives and activities align. Finally, applicants must submit a detailed project plan that outlines the project’s direct beneficiaries.
We define “outputs” as the direct results of an activity; namely, the goods, services, events, and tangible deliverables directly produced by your activities, as well as number of beneficiaries reached. We define “outcomes” as meaningful changes over time, resulting from an intervention’s outputs; for example, a change over time in access, service coverage, policies, health outcomes, treatment success rate, or behaviors. Please see details in the guidance on delineating anticipated results appendix in the RFP document.
Numbers requested in this section should represent individuals, not percentages. Please input the number of direct (not indirect) beneficiaries you envision within each identified beneficiary category, including “other” if appropriate. Beneficiaries should be exclusive to Takeda funding.
Yes, in the beneficiaries section of the application, please insert your projections for numbers of direct beneficiaries reached through the combined project activities in all health areas and countries. Please note that we are asking for direct beneficiaries only. You may provide country- or activity-specific direct beneficiary breakdowns as part of the anticipated results section in each objective description in the project approach section.
Sub-contracting is not required. If sub-contractors/sub-recipients are not part of the proposal, please explain in that section why they are not necessary.
No. Unless stated otherwise in the annual RFP, we do not restrict our contributions to specific intervention or disease areas, countries, populations groups, or geographies apart from ensuring that they do not present a conflict of interest with Takeda’s business activities or violate any recognized international restrictions such as the United Nations Security Council sanctions, etc. Each RFP features a program theme and specific proposal tracks, so please refer to the open RFP document for more information. We encourage projects that seek to support low-resource settings and marginalized/underserved populations in creative ways based on local needs and with local engagement.
No. There is no requirement on the number of countries or maximum number of countries in which activities would take place, although we urge applicants to focus on ensuring the quality of activities and demonstrating your understanding of the nuances of implementation in each country as the number of countries increases.
We are open to projects in conflict-affected settings, as long as the applicant organization can clearly demonstrate their ability to consistently implement activities and measure impact while navigating local contexts securely and responsibly. Projects must adhere to international human rights and humanitarian principles with heightened due diligence measures in settings experiencing conflict, taking special care to follow recognized local and international laws, standards and restrictions, such as the United Nations Security Council sanctions.
We understand that the technical approach may need to evolve as the project progresses, and we can consider change requests to objectives, associated activities, and anticipated outputs and outcomes on a case-by-case basis. However, we discourage projects that are expected to evolve drastically and require frequent, substantive change requests.
Applicants need to have conducted a situation analysis of the challenges they aim to address, including at least root cause analysis and status (including, where available, baseline and local ownership and demands). That means applicants should have the baseline for objectives and activities identified for the proposal. For some objectives and activities that identification of baseline/baseline study might need to be explored and identified through a baseline study (for new approaches or new activities that have not been done before), applicants may be able to be include a baseline study as part of the beginning portion of the program, but it should be limited to some and not all objectives.
We expect that project proposals to be created based on sound evidence and experience. In cases where specific approaches are new, we appreciate that anticipated outputs and outcomes are not guaranteed. An impact study may certainly be included in your technical approach as part of your proposed project, as long as it is clear how they fit within the objectives, timeline, and anticipated outputs and outcomes you have laid out.
Data collection, storage, and usage should be aligned with national laws and regulations, including confidentiality and IP laws.
There is no mandated target audience to whom partners must cater. Your communications plan should help achieve project objectives and communicate the impact of the project. Therefore, populations of focus (including local leaders, governments, and beneficiaries) as well as the global health and development community, should be prioritized. Specific target audiences (and how, when, and how much to reach them) should be determined by the applicant organization. We will expect collaboration from partners on repurposing communications assets for Takeda employees to help deepen their understanding of global health issues and share the high-level impact and value of the partnership.
We encourage applicants to use their best judgement about which activities should be listed under the project approach vs. communications plan, and where overlap may exist. In cases where overlap may exist, please provide an explanation within the application fields, and ensure that there is no budget duplication.
As stated in DE&I guidance in our RFP document, we want to hear about how your project will help advance DE&I, which should focus on more than just who your direct beneficiaries are. Examples include, but are not limited to, bringing greater equity to partners and local implementation partner selection, or by ensuring that activities are designed in ways that reduce gender-related or other power imbalances in management, system design, service delivery, and access to health care. Applicants can also briefly highlight how their organization operates in a way that fosters DE&I.
Application Budget
Yes, submission of budget figures and narrative portions of the proposal application should be done through our Digital CSR Donation Management System form and budget templates. Guidance can be found in the RFP document.
Proposals and all proposal budget items must be in Japanese Yen, and if awarded, all payments are made in Japanese Yen based on the final agreed budget outlined in the signed donation agreement. We do not accept buffer in the budget to account for any currency fluctuations. Applicants should be mindful when putting together the budget proposal and anticipate currency exchange fluctuations and inflation throughout the entire program duration as a known risk when submitting the budget for consideration. Any currency exchange loss or gain with each payment for the entire program duration will need to be absorbed by the awarded partners.
No. Simply indicate which source, and the exchange rate you are using, in your budget narrative and spreadsheet.
Applicants are encouraged to provide a total estimated cost according to the proposed technical approach. All solicitations are competitive. The average total donation since 2016 has been JPY 815 million for one project, for an average of 4.8 years. Donations have ranged from JPY 400 million to 1.1 billion.
Takeda’s Global CSR permits an Indirect Cost rate of 0% for private foundations; up to 10% rate for U.S. universities/community colleges; and up to 15% for NGOs, multilateral organizations, and universities outside the United States. These rates are the maximum rates allowed under Takeda’s policy for applicant organization. The applicant organization with an actual indirect cost rate lower than the maximum rate provided above should not increase the funding request to the maximum allowed or include the sub-contractors’ indirect costs in the indirect cost budget category; the intent is to sufficiently fund actual costs only. Sub-contractors and sub-recipients’ indirect costs must be included in the “Sub-contractors and sub-recipients” budget category based on applicant organization’s indirect costs allowance policy for its partners.
Takeda does not allow recovery of fees.
Takeda travel policy supports the lowest available non-stop routed coach class fare unless one of the following exceptions apply: business class is only permitted for international flights where one-way “in-flight” time is longer than six hours; if business class is not available on a six+-hour segment the traveler must move to premium economy or economy class (not first class); and economy class for flights with duration of less than six hours of “in-flight” time. Please see the Use of Funds appendix in our RFP document for details.
Takeda may consider these costs based on the relevance of the technical approach. Specific guidance can be found in the RFP document, including the Use of Funds guidance in the Appendix.
Empowering communities and decision-makers with fact-based information and resources is important to us. We welcome these activities for consideration, as long as activities do not show preference for certain political organizations or policies, provide payment or reward to government officials, or raise money for political candidates or causes. Specific outputs, outcomes, and impact should be able to be demonstrated and measured for advocacy activities.
Takeda funding cannot be used to compensate any type of salaries and wages for government officials. However, Takeda funds can be used to support the organization (including government ministries and departments) for trainings, training materials, etc. Please see the Use of Funds appendix in our RFP document for details.
Office rent is not included in the direct cost category and should generally be treated as an indirect cost. However, when clearly justified, office rent and other specific hard costs may be categorized as direct costs. This applies in cases where such expenses relate to allocatable facilities required to execute the project in implementing countries (excluding headquarters), such as field clinics, laboratories, or project office costs.
No.
If your bank has confirmed that it does not require an intermediary on its end, please check “yes” in related acknowledgements. If your application is shortlisted, you can share a statement from your bank confirming it can receive Japanese Yen (JPY) and provide your bank information including the SWIFT code. Takeda can then confirm the process with our Finance team and with our bank.
All awarded partnerships are subject to periodic donation usage reviews by Takeda and a third-party financial firm hired by Takeda (including review of actual receipts, invoices, and breakdown of transactions, etc.) as part of the progress reporting requirement in addition to the annual budget progress reporting to Takeda per the latest reporting guidance. In addition, a potential third-party audit of the program and budget is also a required condition as part of the donation agreement should the applicant be awarded and should a third-party audit be requested by Takeda.
No. Budget for third party donation usage reviews and audits should not be included, as the third-party financial firm will be hired directly by Takeda.
Takeda disburses funding according to the proposed and approved budget plan of each project year.
Proposal Evaluation & Employee Vote
Every year, our 50,000+ employees in 80 countries have the opportunity to cast their vote online for shortlisted applications in order to select Global CSR Program partners. Each vote carries equal weight.
Takeda employees company-wide will cast final votes on all shortlisted proposals. 1-page program summary slides of shortlisted proposals will be translated into all the major business languages used within the company for employees to reference during the voting process.
We are unable to share this information as these numbers vary year to year.
The scoring criteria against which all applications will be rated can be found on our Apply for Funding page.
This number varies, based on the technical review results.
Shortlisted applicants are asked to submit 1-page program summary slides to be used for our employee vote. We share detailed parameters for content with shortlisted organizations.
After the technical review has taken place, we will invite shortlisted applicant organizations to submit a summary slide. At that time, we will share the template for the slide. Please do not attempt to submit a summary slide when submitting your application.
Awards of Funds
Upon completion of the proposal evaluation process, Takeda will inform each applicant of the award decision. Please refer to the application process timeline in the RFP document for more details.
We will make an annual philanthropic contribution to the successful applicant. Takeda and the funding recipient sign the Takeda Global CSR Program donation agreement.
Takeda's Global CSR Program standard installment payment schedule to successful applicants by October of the RFP year for the first year, and by March of each remaining project year.
A mid-year and annual progress report for the previous year must be submitted, and results and performance agreed upon by Takeda for the next tranche of funding to be released. Global CSR partners must be able to attribute reported outputs and outcomes to the Takeda funding (or the Takeda-funded portion of the project) exclusively.
Awarded partners should submit a change request through the Digital CSR Donation Management System in cases where the project plan requires adjustment during implementation. Review and approval from Takeda is required prior to the changes taking place. Takeda’s Global CSR team will work with the partner organization to address evolving circumstances and consider appropriate changes to project plans on a case-by-case basis.
Progress reports will be submitted through our Digital CSR Donation Management System. Partners are expected to be able to report progress against the plan laid out in the application, such as the status of activities and outputs/outcomes for each objective outlined in the application, beneficiaries reached, outcomes and outputs achieved, communications plan, etc. Budget actuals must be submitted in annual and final reports. Annual and final reports also ask partners to share brief beneficiary stories, as appropriate. Applicants can see the latest progress report guidance documents on our Digital CSR Donation Management System, upon successful registration.