What we do
At Grand Challenges Canada, we find and invest in innovations that address global health and development challenges. We were built to demonstrate how meaningful and patient support to local innovators can create a healthier, more equitable world and transform lives.
We’re putting resources in the hands of visionary innovators and shaping systems where innovation thrives to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. From AI-powered maternal health solutions in Kenya to renewable energy financing in conflict zones, the innovators we support are building a more equitable, resilient future for all.
Our work in action
You’ll know us by how we invest—and how we show up for innovators:
Impact-first investing
We are a global impact-first investor, funding innovations across health, education, climate, sanitation, mental health, early childhood development, and more.
Flexible funding
We offer catalytic, flexible capital, tailored to the age and stage of innovation—from $150K seed investments to multi-million dollar scale financing, to equity investments and debt
Grand Challenges approach
We use a Grand Challenges approach to identify critical barriers to global health and development —especially those that remain unsolved because they’re considered too complex, too risky, or too underfunded. We believe that these are the areas where innovation is needed most.
Gender lens investing
We use a gender lens and equity-centred approach to shape what we fund and how we fund it.
Scaling pathways
We support both public sector adoption and private sector growth—because scalable impact can come through multiple pathways. We provide venture advisory support, helping innovators strengthen their models, navigate complex systems, and secure follow-on funding.
Investment funds
We work directly with innovators and through mission-aligned investment funds, amplifying our reach and influence as an anchor investor.
Our model is designed to unlock innovation, shift systems & build lasting impact at scale.
We fund what others don’t.
We take calculated risks on early-stage solutions, offer flexible financing and strategic guidance, and help innovations grow into scalable, sustainable models that deliver real-world impact. Over the past 15 years, we’ve:
Invested in more than
1500 unique innovations
in over 100 countries
Reached more than
85 million people
with life-saving and life-improving innovations
Delivered returns of over
$7 billion
increasing the lifetime earnings of people we reach by over 25%, helping to keep families alive and staving off financial catastrophe
Leveraged
$2.42 for every $1
invested by our anchor funder, the Government of Canada
Our goal? To reach 750 million people by 2035 with life-improving innovation.
Our portfolios
Our portfolio includes bold ideas that span global health, humanitarian and Indigenous innovation. Learn about our different investment areas, impact and the innovations we support.
