The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has launched a new Grand Challenges initiative seeking to sharpen the world’s understanding of diarrheal diseases.
This call for proposals targets the creation of reliable, policy-relevant estimates for mortality and morbidity in children under five living in low- and middle-income countries.
Reliable data is currently lacking in many regions, making it difficult for global health partners to prioritize health investments.
By supporting independent estimation efforts, the foundation hopes to clarify which specific pathogens, such as Rotavirus or Cholera, are responsible for the highest death tolls and illness rates.
Funding and benefits
Successful applicants can receive up to $1.5 million USD for projects lasting up to two years.
These grants are intended to support organizations with strong epidemiologic and quantitative modeling capabilities to produce credible and transparent estimates of disease burden.
Beyond financial support, the initiative aims to build longer-term analytic capacity within LMIC institutions.
The foundation is particularly interested in proposals that provide scientific rigor and offer credible alternatives to existing global burden of disease models.
Application requirements and eligibility
This opportunity is open to a wide range of organizations, including research institutes, nonprofits, and academic bodies with demonstrated expertise in epidemiology and biostatistics.
However, the foundation will only fund projects that are either led by an LMIC institution or are part of a global consortium with meaningful LMIC partner engagement.
Proposals must include plans to generate country-specific estimates of total and pathogen-attributed mortality centered on the year 2025.
Preference will be given to projects focused on geographies where diarrheal mortality is expected to be highest, such as India, Nigeria, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Interested parties are encouraged to attend a dedicated webinar on May 14, 2026, to learn more about the specific requirements of the request for proposals.
Applicants should also carefully review the foundation’s rules, guidelines, and application instructions before submitting their materials.
Deadline
The application window is currently open, but candidates must act quickly to meet the submission requirements.
All proposals must be submitted by June 16, 2026, at 11:30 am PDT.
To apply, visit The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation call you. Visit our global opportunity page for more.
Summary not available at this time.
