Digital health
We fund innovators who are using digital tools to deliver better, faster, and more affordable care to people who need it most. Our investments in digital health focus on practical solutions that improve access, enhance the quality of care, and boost efficiency across health systems—particularly in low-resource settings.
From mobile apps that support maternal and newborn health, to AI-powered platforms that enable early diagnosis and personalized treatment, the digital health innovations we support are reshaping how communities experience care.
What we fund
As a cross-cutting thematic area, the digital health portfolio supports solutions that:
- Expand access to essential health services through digital platforms
- Improve affordability and quality of care with technology-driven tools
- Enhance operational and workforce efficiency through automation and better data use
- Support data-driven decision-making at all levels of the health system
We focus on digital health solutions that align with our priority areas of maternal and newborn health, mental health, sexual and gender-based violence and early childhood development.
We also invest in innovations that tackle key enablers of digital health, such as data governance, digital literacy, privacy, and interoperability. We do not fund infrastructure challenges such as internet connectivity, electricity, or access to devices.
How we work
We support both early-stage (Seed) and later-stage (Transition to Scale) innovations, and prioritize strong partnerships to amplify impact. Our investments focus on scalable solutions with measurable health outcomes and long-term sustainability.
We are also exploring responsible, community-centred applications of artificial intelligence in health, such as diagnostic tools, predictive analytics, personalized care, and remote service delivery.
Digital health innovations supported by Grand Challenges Canada are being implemented in 31 countries—with 70% of them in sub-Saharan Africa. This cross-cutting portfolio includes:
- 29 Seed-stage projects (focused on mental health, maternal health, and early childhood development)
- 27 Transition-to-Scale projects (including 12 in maternal health and 5 in early childhood development)
Spotlight: m-mama
Saving lives with emergency transport
As of July 2024, m-mama’s network of over 5,000 community drivers is serving a catchment area of 65 million people, and the platform has been used to complete over 100,000 emergency transfers.
Since its launch, maternal deaths in the Shinyanga region of Tanzania have dropped by 27%, giving more families a chance at a healthy future and protecting them from high out-of-pocket medical costs. With support from Grand Challenges Canada, m-mama has saved an estimated $54 million for vulnerable households, scaled nationally across Tanzania and Lesotho, and is now being expanded to Kenya.
Spotlight: Jacaranda Health
Prenatal care in your pocket: how Jacaranda is saving lives
When expectant mothers get the right information at the right time, their chances of a healthy pregnancy dramatically improve. That’s the power behind PROMPTS, an AI-powered SMS platform developed by Jacaranda Health. PROMPTS delivers real-time, personalized guidance straight to mothers’ phones—helping them recognize danger signs early and know when to seek care.
As of 2024, the platform has reached over 2.7 million mothers in Kenya. And the demand is growing: in the month of August alone, mothers sent more than 324,500 questions through the platform. Beyond digital support, Jacaranda has also trained and mentored over 6,000 frontline health workers, driving measurable improvements in care and health-seeking behaviour. With support from Grand Challenges Canada, this innovation is not only saving lives—it’s helping families avoid an estimated $80 million in health-related expenses, equal to about a third of their annual income.
