The largest global AIDS program by far, the US "President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief", represents $15 billion over the next five years, but currently has almost no information online. The best PEPFAR site today -- limited mostly to fact sheets and press releases -- is a subsite at the Department of State.

Presumably the leadership of PEPFAR at the Department of State is creating a new Web presence. (Hint: check the Global Fund site which does a reasonable job.) In addition to the normal fare ("about", "media", "resources"), here are six items that would be highly valuable on a new PEPFAR site:

• Grants to date: bits and pieces of this information are available now online, but there is no comprehensive list. PEPFAR officials in Bangkok frequently cited totals, but could we see breakdowns?


• RFPs and prospective grants: Just today, for example, applications were due for a $150 million "twinning" program which will be funded principally through PEPFAR. These are significant efforts meriting publicity.


• Small grants: Many PEPFAR contractors will run small grant programs of their own -- a comprehensive list would be terrific.


• Contact information: Where and Who is PEPFAR?


• Blog: It would be nice to have a running Web log from an articulate, senior PEPFAR official (such as Mark Dybul -- I'd link to him, but there isn't much online -- here is Google). PEPFAR needs a "voice", and a blog would assist.


• Feedback forum: PEPFAR has a major PR challenge (as anyone in Bangkok will testify). One strategy is to ignore the problem, another is to attack it. Allowing user feedback that can be responded to in a public online forum would help greatly in identifying issues, addressing them, and demonstrating transparency.

I've spent enough time in DC to know that this list is politically difficult -- but if other grantmaking organizations can provide information of this sort, why not PEPFAR?