Nexa Lighthouse Opens Climate-Health Funding Call for South Asian Innovators, With Grants From $250,000

19 October 2026 – Innovators working on climate and health in South Asia have 29 days left to apply for a new round of growth-stage funding. Nexa Lighthouse is inviting solutions that help communities and health systems anticipate, adapt and respond to climate-driven health threats. The deadline is 17 November 2026 at 2:00 PM ET.

What is on offer

Nexa Lighthouse is funding growth-stage innovations aimed at three of the region’s most pressing climate-related health risks:

• mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria
• poor air quality
• extreme heat

Transition to Scale funding starts at $250,000, depending on the maturity of the solution. Only innovations that have already achieved proof of concept, and show strong signs of impact and potential to scale across South Asia, will be considered. Applications are made through Grand Challenges Canada’s website at grandchallenges.ca/apply-for-funding.

The deadline falls at 2:00 PM Eastern Time on 17 November, which is 7:00 PM UTC. That is midnight at the start of 18 November in Pakistan, so applicants in the region should submit early rather than rely on the final hours.

Why South Asia

Across the region, rising temperatures, severe air pollution and shifting weather patterns are creating risks for people while adding pressure to health systems. Hospitals and clinics that already face heavy demand must now respond to heatwaves, pollution spikes and changing patterns of disease. Mosquito-borne illnesses are a particular concern as warmer and wetter conditions change where and when dengue and malaria spread.

Nexa Lighthouse is designed to back solutions that can be taken to many communities, whether a product, a service, a process or a delivery model, rather than one-off pilots.

Background: how Nexa Lighthouse came about

Nexa is a global climate and health initiative. It was launched at London Climate Action Week by Grand Challenges Canada, in partnership with the Government of Canada and the Science for Africa Foundation, with a goal of mobilising more than $50 million in partner funding to scale climate-health innovations in low- and middle-income countries. It is informed by what its organisers describe as the largest climate and health survey to date, which engaged 6,400 respondents across 107 low- and middle-income countries.

The Asia-Pacific arm followed. Grand Challenges Canada, AVPN and global partners launched Nexa Lighthouse on 25 August 2026 at the AVPN Global Conference in New Delhi. It brings together Nexa with The Lighthouse Fund, an initiative led by AVPN, and invests at the intersection of climate and health. Its partners include Grand Challenges Canada, AVPN, Bayer Foundation, India Health Fund, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Sanofi Foundation and Temasek Foundation.

The three focus areas, changing vector patterns that drive malaria and dengue, extreme heat and poor air quality, emerged from the survey. Funding for proven solutions ranges from about $250,000 to $2,000,000 in Transition to Scale funding, depending on the maturity of the innovation.

Note that the wider Nexa Lighthouse programme covers Asia and the Pacific, while this call, as announced, is aimed at innovations ready to grow across South Asia.

Who should apply

The call is aimed at growth-stage teams, not early ideas. Applicants should be able to show evidence that their solution works in practice and a realistic route to reach more people. Strong candidates might include:

• early-warning and forecasting tools for heatwaves
• low-cost air quality monitoring and exposure-reduction systems
• vector surveillance and control for dengue and malaria
• digital tools that help clinics keep running during climate shocks

These are examples only. The announcement does not limit the call to any one technology, and teams should check the full guidance on the Grand Challenges Canada website for eligibility and application requirements before they begin.

Why it matters

Climate finance has historically paid more attention to energy, transport and infrastructure than to health. Funders behind Nexa Lighthouse argue that locally led innovators in the region understand community needs but often lack capital that moves at their pace. Grants of this size can help a promising solution move from a successful pilot to regional delivery, which is typically the hardest stage to finance.

For South Asia’s health systems, the stakes are practical. Heat can overwhelm emergency services, polluted air raises demand for respiratory and cardiac care, and expanding mosquito ranges add to the burden on already stretched public health teams. Tools that help systems predict and manage these pressures early can reduce harm and cost.

Conclusion

The Nexa Lighthouse call offers a clear opportunity for proven climate-health solutions in South Asia: funding from $250,000, backing from a coalition of leading funders, and a focus on heat, air quality and mosquito-borne disease. The window closes on 17 November 2026 at 2:00 PM ET. Teams that meet the proof-of-concept requirement and can show a credible path to scale should review the guidance on the Grand Challenges Canada website and apply well before the deadline.

Apply link, https://www.grandchallenges.ca/apply-for-funding/

Sources: Grand Challenges Canada; AVPN; Nexa press materials (GlobeNewswire); ITWeb Africa.