+1: Health

The Roddenberry Foundation announces launch of the +1 Global Fund for Health (March 21, 2023)

LOS ANGELES, March 21, 2023 — Today, The Roddenberry Foundation—in partnership with the Skoll Foundation, Valerian Fund, and Vitol Foundation—has launched +1 Global Fund for Health. As the most recent iteration of the +1 Global Fund model, +1 Health is building a more inclusive, scalable, and collaborative approach towards improving access to quality and affordable healthcare across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Launched in 2020 by the Roddenberry Foundation (TRF), the +1 Global Fund is a collaborative platform for discovering, strengthening, connecting, and amplifying locally-led change in the Global South. Originally conceived as a COVID-relief program, the +1 Global Fund leverages the networks of global and regional organizations to source high-impact changemakers working with vulnerable and last-mile communities. Over the past three years, and across 45 countries, the +1 Global Fund has used peer nominations to identify, invest in, and develop the capacities of historically overlooked and under-funded social innovators.

In 2021, the +1 Global Fund evolved into a collaborative funding model comprised of different “Cycles” organized by sector—such as water, sanitation, and hygiene; food security; and health—each supported by multiple funders who pool their resources and form a community of practice.

“The +1 Health fund builds on the extensive work with our existing partners and reflects the shared belief that finding equitable health outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa requires an investment in a trust-based network of funders, intermediaries, social innovators, and grassroots organizations,” said Lior Ipp, CEO of The Roddenberry Foundation.

In addition to funding, Awardees will receive capacity building opportunities, promotion to other funders, entry into a cohort of peer organizations, and more. +1 Health plans to invest in and support 75 locally-led, earlier-stage organizations targeting non-communicable diseases, pandemic prevention/preparedness, women’s and girls’ health, youth and adolescent health, and the social and environmental determinants of health.

“+1 Health will not only enable us to identify new locally crafted and owned initiatives, but explicitly receive partner recommendations from a peer network of implementers, rather than fellow funders, to better reflect local needs and opportunities from an implementers perspective,” according to Sarah Jeffery, Head of Health at the Vitol Foundation. 

+1 Health will run over five consecutive, 12-week rounds over two years. African-based subject and regional experts will evaluate nominated organizations and support final funding decisions. After each round, extensive data will be collected and used by funding partners to assess and shift the program’s direction as needed.

“We’re excited by the potential to support both individual organizations we’d be hard pressed to find and a broader network of organizations that have the collective potential to catalyze change across the health sector in Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Liz Sheehan, of the Valerian Fund.

The first round of +1 Health awardees will be announced in May 2023.

About The Roddenberry Foundation
Inspired by the life and legacy of Gene Roddenberry, The Roddenberry Foundation (TRF) supports innovative thinking, original ideas, and extraordinary people who can change the world. Through four core programs we cast a wide net to uncover and support these great, often untested ideas and the individuals and organizations whose vision and leadership have the potential to bring them to fruition.

About Skoll Foundation
The Skoll Foundation seeks to catalyze transformational social change by investing in, connecting, and championing social entrepreneurs and other social innovators who together advance bold and equitable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

About Vitol Foundation
The Vitol Foundation was established to make a difference to people’s lives. We support organizations and projects that aid severely deprived children and families in low and middle income countries to escape the poverty cycle. Since it began over 20 years ago, Vitol Foundation has invested over US$220 million in projects across the world, helping to combat the challenging effects of chronic underdevelopment, conflict and natural disasters. We invest in real-world problem solving, and seek to bring about innovative solutions that strengthen existing social systems and create lasting social change.

About the Valerian Fund
The Valerian Fund (VF) supports initiatives at the intersection of Climate Change, Gender and Health. By supporting large scale systems change initiatives addressing gender disparities, health, education and livelihoods in the Global South and funder collaboratives seeking to reach frontline changemakers protecting the health of women, VF hopes to bridge the gap between resources and activists building a more resilient, equitable world for women and their families. 

Contact: Gurpreet Singh (gurpreet@roddenberryfoundation.org)