LONDON, June 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — During London Climate Action Week, Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) and the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) today announced the launch of Nexa, a global initiative to support locally-led innovations that address the growing health impacts of climate change. Nexa is led by GCC (in partnership with the Government of Canada) and the SFA Foundation, along with a global network of collaborators including the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Sanofi Foundation, the Fund for Innovation in Development and members of the Global Grand Challenges Network in Botswana, Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa. Nexa aims to mobilize more than $50 million in partner investments to scale the impact of urgently needed climate and health innovations in low- and middle-income countries. The first Nexa funding call opens on June 22 for innovations in Africa and the Americas.
The climate crisis has been described in The Lancet as the greatest global health threat of the 21st century. An estimated 3.6 billion people worldwide live in climate-vulnerable regions. Nexa is responding to the challenges faced by communities in low- and middle-income countries, as increasing climate pressures create new and worsening health risks and place additional strain on already overburdened healthcare systems.
“Communities around the world face rapidly growing threats to their health and livelihoods, while global climate commitments weaken,” said Dr. Karlee Silver, CEO of Grand Challenges Canada. “Nexa is about supporting bold, locally led innovation to transform the way people stay healthy in the face of climate change.”
Nexa is based on findings from the largest climate and health survey to date, involving 6,400 respondents from 107 low- and middle-income countries. In 2025, Grand Challenges Canada, the Science for Africa Foundation and the Global Grand Challenges Network partnered with the Geneva Learning Foundation to gather insights from health professionals, scientists, innovators, policymakers and humanitarians affected by climate-related health threats. The findings are being prepared for publication in a scientific journal.
“Climate and health are one of the defining challenges of our time and will require new models of partnership and investment,” says Dr. Tom Kariuki, CEO of the Science for Africa Foundation. “Those closest to these challenges are often closest to the solutions. Nexa shows what is possible when African priorities, local innovation and global collaboration come together around a shared purpose.”
Rising temperatures, changing disease patterns and severe weather events disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, people with chronic diseases, children and underserved communities with limited access to health care. Nexa will support bold innovations that target three key climate-related drivers of health risks to vulnerable communities: changing vector patterns (causing malaria and dengue), extreme heat and poor air quality.
“The Government of Canada is proud to support Nexa. Investments in locally led climate and health innovations can create new pathways for vulnerable communities to overcome the health impacts of climate change and protect global health,” said the Honorable Randeep Sarai, Canada’s Secretary of State for International Development.
Nexa will provide catalytic financing for both early and growth-stage climate and health innovations that strengthen the adaptation and resilience of healthcare systems and have high potential for impact and scale. Proof of Concept innovations will receive up to $200,000 over 18 to 24 months to support early-stage ideas. Proven solutions will each receive approximately $250,000 – $2,000,000 in Transition to Scale funding, depending on the maturity of the innovation.
Innovations can take the form of a product, process, service or delivery model that can deliver better results than existing approaches and lead to transformational impact. Applications for innovations in Africa and the Americas will be accepted from June 22 – July 22, 2026. Future funding calls will focus on climate and health innovation in Asia. Initial investments to support early and growth-stage climate and health innovators will begin in early 2027.
Philanthropic partners, public sector and private sector partners interested in joining Nexa, and potential applicants can visit http://www.nexaclimate.org to learn more. Financing opportunities open on June 22, 2026 at http://www.grandchallenges.ca/apply-for-funding/.
About Nexa: Nexa is a global climate and health initiative co-led by Grand Challenges Canada and the Science for Africa Foundation, along with a global network of partners. Nexa supports locally-led innovations that help communities anticipate, adapt and respond to climate-related health threats, with an initial focus on extreme heat, mosquito-borne infections and poor air quality. Informed by insights from past funding calls and the largest-ever global survey of health professionals on climate and health, Nexa is investing in solutions that strengthen timely health action where it is needed most.
Nexa partners include Grand Challenges Canada, the Science for Africa Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Sanofi Foundation, Fund for Innovation in Development and Grand Challenges members in Botswana (Botswana Innovation Fund), Brazil, Malawi (NSCT Malawi), Rwanda, Senegal (Institut Pasteur Dakar) and South Africa (South African Medical Research Council).
About Canada’s Great Challenges: Canada’s major challenges (GCC) supports bold ideas with big impact®. With anchor funding from the Government of Canada, GCC invests in bold, locally led innovations that solve critical health and development challenges, helping the most promising solutions reach millions of people around the world. GCC has supported more than 1,600 innovations in 110 countries and aims to reach 700 million people by 2035. Read more at http://www.grandchallenges.ca.
About the Science for Africa Foundation: The Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) is a pan-African non-profit and public charity organization that supports, strengthens and promotes science and innovation in Africa. SFA Foundation serves the African research ecosystem by investing in transformative research and innovation, enabling interdisciplinary collaborations and building and strengthening environments conducive to scientists to thrive and produce quality research that generates new, locally relevant knowledge. More information at http://www.scienceforafrica.foundation.
Contact: Gillian Mathurin, +1-647-406-5731
media@grandchallenges.ca
