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Funding Opportunity: “Climate and Health Innovation: Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean”

22 June 2026

Applications open: June 22, 2026 

Deadline to apply: July 22, 2026

Grand Challenges Rwanda (GC-Rwanda), through NCST Rwanda, joined Nexa initiative, a global climate and health initiative co-led by Grand Challenges Canada (in partnership with the Government of Canada) and the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA), alongside Sanofi Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Fund for Innovation in Development, and members of the Global Grand Challenges Network in Botswana (Botswana Innovation Fund), Brazil, Malawi (NCST Malawi), Rwanda (NCST Rwanda), Senegal (Institut Pasteur Dakar), and South Africa (South Africa Medical Research Council). Nexa aims to invest in bold, innovative approaches that enable local health actors to turn climate-driven health risk signals into timely health service delivery action. 

The initiative addresses real, on-the-ground climate-driven health priorities and leverages the strength of its global consortium to drive impact through coordinated investments, shared learning, and global network of partners.

The Challenge

Nexa is investing in solutions that help local health actors turn climate-risk signals into timely action, reducing health harms from mosquito-borne infections, extreme heat, and poor air quality

Areas of focus

Applications must directly address at least one of the following areas of focus:

1. Climate-informed early warning and monitoring systems: Innovations that allow health actors to anticipate and respond to the impacts of heat, poor air quality, and/or changing mosquito ecology (resulting in the accelerated spread of malaria and dengue infections). 

  • Innovations should aim to integrate weather and climate data with health data to forecast climate-related health risks and drive surveillance and health services delivery actions

  • Innovations may leverage artificial intelligence, digital health tools, and other technologies. 

2. Climate-responsive patient care delivery: Innovations that strengthen local response to mosquito-borne infection harms, and/or the health impacts of heat and poor air quality

Includes innovations that support triage, diagnosis, treatment, and continuity of care, particularly for those living with climate-sensitive chronic non-communicable disease, children, the elderly, and pregnant women

Includes climate-smart solutions that are functional in lower-resourced settings and under extreme weather conditions, particularly extreme heat and humidity. 

What are we investing in? 

  • Proof of Concept innovations, meaning the testing of early-stage ideas, methods, or products. This is the stage where an innovation is field-tested in a real-world pilot to assess its potential for impact, as well as technical, operational, and financial viability

  • Transition to Scale innovations, meaning approaches that have already been tested, proven to be effective, and are now ready to be implemented more widely. Those without sufficient and relevant proof of concept evidence are strongly advised not to apply for Transition to Scale funding and instead consider applying for Proof of Concept funding. 

What is the funding amount? 

  • Proof of Concept investment amounts are up to $200,000 USD per innovation

  • Transition to Scale investment amounts will range between approximately $250,000 - $2,000,000 USD per innovation at the Nexa partners’ discretion, depending on the maturity of the innovation. 

What is the funding duration?

  • The Proof of Concept investment period available is 18 to 24 months.

  • The Transition to Scale investment period available is up to a maximum of 24 months (for initial investments)

Who can apply?

Organizations that are incorporated or equivalent (e.g. companies, social enterprises, non-governmental organizations, non-profit, for-profit, research/academic institutions). However, individuals, sole proprietorships, unincorporated trusts, and partnerships are not eligible to apply. Additional criteria, please see detailed Nexa call on http://www.grandchallenges.ca/apply-for-funding/

What is the application deadline? 

All proposals must be submitted via the Fluxx portal by July 22, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. UTC). 

How to apply?

Applications must be submitted via Grand Challenges Canada’s online portal (Fluxx).We will not accept applications submitted via any other channel.

Apply now: https://gcc.fluxx.io 

Learn more: www.nexaclimate.org

For more details about this RFP: read the attached PDF file with related links  

For details on Q&A, more details here 

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