Since 2010, Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) has supported global health innovators in developing bold ideas and transitioning their innovations to scale through targeted funding and support. By the end of 2022, we had funded more than 250 innovations on their journey toward sustainable impact.
In 2022, we launched a learning initiative to assess the long-term scale and sustainability of innovations that received Transition to Scale (TTS) funding over the previous decade. Through in-depth interviews with 49 TTS innovations, we found that many GCC-supported innovations continued to sustain and grow their impact well beyond the initial funding period. Our flexible approach to funding and support helped innovators build strong foundations for long-term success.
Innovations with local leadership were more likely to sustain or increase impact over the long term. By providing funding and organizational development opportunities for LMIC-based innovators, GCC fills a critical gap and removes a significant barrier to sustainable scale for innovators closest to the challenges.
The results of the learning initiative provided insights on the enablers and barriers to scale for innovators working in LMICs, which have been used to inform GCC’s Scale and Sustainability Action Plan and Strategy, with a goal of supporting TTS innovators to achieve scale and sustainability through funding, tailored technical support, and networks.
This report provides an overview of the findings from the learning initiative and includes several case studies to illustrate how innovations are progressing towards scale and sustainability, and GCC’s role in helping innovations navigate scaling barriers.
Read the full report: https://www.grandchallenges.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Scale-and-Sustainability-report-2022.pdf