Saving Brains
An estimated 250 million children in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not reaching their full developmental potential. Grand Challenges Canada’s Saving Brains portfolio exists to change that.
Saving Brains invests in bold, evidence-based innovations that nurture healthy brain development and strengthen caregiving in the earliest, most critical years of life—from pregnancy to age five. As one of the world’s largest early childhood development (ECD) innovation platforms, Saving Brains supports scalable solutions that give children the best possible start in life. Together with our Play Learn Thrive portfolio, GCC’s investments in child development are helping to build a powerful ecosystem that supports children across diverse geographies and multiple challenges.
Our approach
During a child’s early years, more than a million new neural connections form every second. Saving Brains invests in innovations that seize this window of opportunity—equipping caregivers, improving public delivery systems, and scaling cost-effective models that reach families in low-resource settings.
The portfolio supports:
- Affordable, high-quality childcare and preschool solutions
- Caregiver capacity-building and family-strengthening programs
- System-strengthening models in health, education, and social protection
- Digital and community-based approaches with potential to scale
Powered by Partnership
Saving Brains is backed by a global partnership of funders and a dynamic learning platform that connects innovators, researchers, and government partners. This network helps identify what works, share insights across contexts, and accelerate adoption of proven models.
Spotlight on innovation
Lively Minds (Ghana) Equipping government systems to deliver play-based early learning through village mothers in Ghana
Tiny Totos (Kenya)
Enhancing informal daycare quality through capital, training, and digital networks for children in Kenya
Community Empowerment Lab (India)
Expanding Kangaroo Lounges to improve outcomes for high-risk newborns and their mothers
Our impact
Invested in more than
133 unique innovations
across 39 countries
Reached more than
9.6 million
children and their caregivers with early childhood development innovations
Improved the lives of more than
5.4 million
children and their families in low- and middle-income countries
Saved the lives of
4,000 people
who would otherwise have not survived
Want to learn more? Check out the lessons from the Saving Brains learning platform: www.savingbrainslearning.com