Apply Now: Climate and Health Innovation Proof of Concept Program

Deadline: 22-Jul-2026

The Nexa Climate and Health Innovation funding opportunity supports early-stage innovations that address climate-driven health risks through real-world pilots. Proof of Concept funding provides up to USD 200,000 per innovation for 18–24 months, supporting eligible organizations incorporated in Africa or Brazil.

Overview

The funding supports solutions that help health systems anticipate, monitor, and respond to health risks caused by climate change.

It focuses on innovations that can be tested in real-world settings to assess their impact, technical feasibility, operational performance, and financial viability.

The opportunity is designed for early-stage solutions that need field-based validation before wider adoption.

Key Details

• Opportunity: Nexa Climate and Health Innovation
• Funding type: Proof of Concept
• Maximum funding: USD 200,000 per innovation
• Implementation period: 18–24 months
• Eligible geography for Proof of Concept applicants: Africa or Brazil
• Eligible applicants: Legally incorporated organizations or equivalent entities
• Main focus: Climate-driven health risks

Focus Areas

The funding focuses on two major innovation areas.

1. Climate-Informed Early Warning and Monitoring Systems

This area supports innovations that help health actors anticipate and respond to climate-related health threats.

Supported solutions may include tools that:

• Monitor heat-related health risks
• Track poor air quality impacts
• Forecast mosquito ecology changes
• Predict malaria and dengue risks
• Combine weather, climate, and health data
• Improve disease surveillance
• Support health service planning and response

2. Climate-Responsive Patient Care Delivery

This area supports innovations that improve care for climate-sensitive health conditions.

Supported solutions may include tools that:

• Strengthen response to mosquito-borne infections
• Improve triage and diagnosis
• Support treatment and continuity of care
• Address heat-related illness
• Respond to air pollution-related health impacts
• Work in lower-resourced settings
• Function during extreme weather conditions

Key Concepts Explained

What are Climate-Driven Health Risks?

Climate-driven health risks are health threats caused or worsened by climate change. These include extreme heat, poor air quality, changing mosquito patterns, malaria, dengue, respiratory illness, and pressure on health systems.

What is Climate-Informed Health Surveillance?

Climate-informed health surveillance uses weather, climate, environmental, and health data to predict and monitor health risks before they worsen.

What is a Proof of Concept Innovation?

A Proof of Concept innovation is an early-stage idea, product, model, or service tested through a real-world pilot to understand whether it works and whether it can be scaled.

What is Climate-Responsive Patient Care?

Climate-responsive patient care means delivering health services that can adapt to climate-related threats such as heatwaves, disease outbreaks, poor air quality, and extreme weather.

Who is Eligible?

Eligible applicants must be legally incorporated organizations or equivalent entities.

Eligible organization types include:

• Companies
• Social enterprises
• Non-governmental organizations
• Non-profit organizations
• For-profit organizations
• Governmental organizations
• Research institutions
• Academic institutions

For Proof of Concept funding, applicant organizations must be incorporated or equivalent in Africa or Brazil.

Who is Not Eligible?

The following are not eligible:

• Individuals
• Sole proprietorships
• Unincorporated trusts
• Partnerships
• United Nations agencies
• United Nations country offices

Applicant Requirements

Eligible applicants must be able to show that they are:

• Legally established
• Active and in good standing
• Able to receive and manage funding
• Capable of entering into funding agreements
• Able to deliver activities in their technical area
• Prepared to test and validate a solution through real-world implementation

Target Health Risks

The opportunity focuses on health risks linked to climate change, including:

• Malaria
• Dengue
• Heat-related illness
• Poor air quality impacts
• Respiratory health risks
• Climate-sensitive health conditions
• Extreme weather-related service disruption

Priority Populations

The funding recognizes that climate-related health risks often affect vulnerable groups more severely.

Priority populations may include:

• Pregnant women
• Children
• Older people
• People with chronic diseases
• Underserved communities
• Populations in lower-resourced settings

How to Apply

Step 1: Confirm Organizational Eligibility

Check that your organization is legally incorporated or equivalent in Africa or Brazil.

Step 2: Confirm Innovation Fit

Ensure your solution addresses climate-driven health risks such as heat, poor air quality, malaria, dengue, or other climate-sensitive health conditions.

Step 3: Choose the Relevant Focus Area

Decide whether your innovation fits early warning and monitoring systems, climate-responsive patient care delivery, or both.

Step 4: Design a Real-World Pilot

Prepare a field-based pilot that tests the solution’s potential impact, feasibility, operational performance, and financial viability.

Step 5: Define Beneficiaries and Health System Use

Explain how local health actors, vulnerable populations, or underserved communities will use or benefit from the solution.

Step 6: Prepare Budget and Timeline

Develop a project plan for 18–24 months with a funding request of up to USD 200,000.

Step 7: Demonstrate Implementation Capacity

Show that your organization can manage funding, enter into agreements, and deliver the project in its technical area.

Step 8: Submit the Application

Submit the application according to Nexa Climate and Health Innovation funding requirements.

Why It Matters

Climate change is increasing health threats and putting more pressure on health systems.

This funding matters because it helps:

• Improve early warning for climate-related health risks
• Strengthen local health services
• Reduce impacts of malaria and dengue
• Support responses to extreme heat
• Improve care during poor air quality events
• Protect vulnerable populations
• Test scalable solutions in real-world conditions
• Build stronger climate-resilient health systems

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

• Applying as an individual or sole proprietor
• Submitting an organization not incorporated in Africa or Brazil
• Proposing a solution without a clear climate-health link
• Ignoring real-world pilot requirements
• Failing to explain technical feasibility
• Providing weak evidence of operational readiness
• Overlooking vulnerable populations
• Submitting a budget above USD 200,000
• Proposing activities outside the 18–24 month implementation period

Tips for a Strong Application

Applicants should:

• Clearly define the climate-driven health risk.
• Explain how the innovation converts risk information into action.
• Show how the pilot will test real-world effectiveness.
• Include local health actors in the design.
• Demonstrate relevance to lower-resourced settings.
• Explain how the solution could scale after validation.
• Provide a practical budget and timeline.
• Highlight benefits for vulnerable populations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Nexa Climate and Health Innovation funding opportunity?

It is a funding opportunity supporting early-stage innovations that address climate-driven health risks through real-world Proof of Concept pilots.

How much funding is available per innovation?

Proof of Concept investments can provide up to USD 200,000 per innovation.

How long is the implementation period?

Projects are expected to run for 18 to 24 months.

Who can apply?

Legally incorporated organizations or equivalent entities, including companies, NGOs, nonprofits, for-profits, government organizations, and research or academic institutions, may apply.

Where must Proof of Concept applicants be incorporated?

For Proof of Concept funding, applicants must be incorporated or equivalent in Africa or Brazil.

Are individuals eligible?

No. Individuals, sole proprietorships, unincorporated trusts, partnerships, UN agencies, and UN country offices are not eligible.

What types of solutions are prioritized?

Priority solutions include climate-informed early warning systems, monitoring tools, health data integration, climate-responsive patient care, and tools addressing heat, poor air quality, malaria, dengue, and other climate-sensitive health risks.

Conclusion

The Nexa Climate and Health Innovation funding opportunity supports early-stage climate-health solutions that can be tested in real-world settings. With Proof of Concept funding of up to USD 200,000 for 18–24 months, the programme helps eligible organizations in Africa and Brazil validate innovations that strengthen health systems, protect vulnerable populations, and respond to climate-driven health risks.

For more information, visit Grand Challenges Canada.