Global Health Grants
Learn about global health grants by browsing our curated list of top global health funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities by using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.
Funding trends for global health grants
Global health funding primarily exists as a function of governmental investment. Philanthropy accounts for only a small fraction of total funding in this area. That said, many philanthropists that give globally prioritize global health. According to the Council on Foundations, almost half of global giving by U.S. foundations supports health.
A substantial share of that giving derives from a single funder: the Gates Foundation, by far the top philanthropic funder in this field. Without the Gates Foundation’s investment in health, only about 20% (instead of the almost half mentioned above) of U.S. foundation grantmaking would be directed to global health initiatives.
Given the complexity of global health funding, the biggest grantmakers in this space tend to be prominent philanthropies that can scale and partner with other large organizations. Foundations often partner with government and state-supported agencies, as well as local communities, to achieve wider goals. Large pharmaceutical companies’ corporate foundations are among the top funders in this space, with much of their giving occurring in the form of product donations.
Where are global health grants going?
Few philanthropic funders give for the entire scope of global health. Instead, funders often focus on a specific issue, such as a particular disease, reproductive health, or nutrition. Grantmaking from the United States for global health mostly occurs via grants to U.S.-based affiliates and intermediaries who then distribute funds overseas.
For a long time, fighting infectious diseases has been the top priority in global health – and it remains a top priority. Yet, thanks to significant progress in this area in the past two decades, global health philanthropy has expanded to include other aspects of health, such as noncommunicable diseases; health infrastructure; and contributing factors to health issues like food insecurity.
Global health philanthropy plays a crucial role in funding cancer and medical research, reflecting philanthropy’s ability to take risks by funding innovative or experimental approaches that governmental agencies might avoid. That said, many global health funders, especially those coming from the “effective altruism”-minded tech world, are interested in funding health efforts through which they can make a measurable impact, such as Open Philanthropy’s efforts to mitigate childhood deaths from easily preventable causes or Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ “big bet” on one of those causes: eliminating lead poisoning.
Funders increasingly understand that health is intertwined with issues such as climate change, public health, mental health, poverty, housing, gender equity, and food insecurity. In some cases, this motivates them to make grants for policy advocacy and other factors that affect health outcomes, as IP’s Paul Karon has reported.
In this vein, the O’Neill-Lancet Commission on Racism, Structural Discrimination, and Global Health has worked from 2022 to 2025 to identify best practices and actionable strategies to address structural racism in health. The findings are intended to inform the future grantmaking of equity-focused global health funders.
Foundations often make grants or donations for research, advocacy, and direct services. By region, the largest shares of global grants from U.S. foundations support efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and the Pacific (Council on Foundations).
Gaps in funding for global health: Shifts toward equity
The gap in reproductive health funding is only likely to grow as more and more governments place political and religious restrictions on international healthcare funding. Philanthropic giving for global HIV and AIDS work has been declining for years, even as HIV is surging in parts of the world where war and anti-LGBTQ+ policies reduce access to needed healthcare, as IP’s Paul Karon reports.
Like many areas of philanthropy, giving for global health has historically taken a top-down approach. Recent years have seen funders attempting to transition to more equitable approaches to global health funding, such as direct support for local organizations; trust-based philanthropy; and addressing the causes of health disparities or unequal access to healthcare. In recent years, strengthening health systems and improving data to advance equity and access to healthcare have emerged as priorities among global health funders.
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