Association Burkinabè de Fundraising

The Swiss Re Foundation is calling for applications from social entrepreneurs working to make healthcare more affordable in low- and middle-income countries.

The Swiss Re Foundation Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award recognises the initiatives of women and men entrepreneurs who adopt innovative approaches to building resilient societies in line with the United Nations' sustainable development goals.

The Swiss Re Foundation aims to make basic healthcare accessible to at least 1 million more people by 2024. This call for entries is an invitation to female and male social entrepreneurs working in PRFIs to make healthcare more financially accessible in low-income communities. The Entrepreneurs for Resilience 2023 award focuses on innovative solutions that improve financial access to healthcare in low-income communities.

Main areas of support

• The Entrepreneurs for Resilience 2023 award focuses on innovative market-driven solutions that improve financial access to healthcare in low-income communities and :
  • Increase household resources available for healthcare, such as:
    • savings solutions that enable people to allocate resources to healthcare more easily and at lower cost and/or
    • payment solutions that make healthcare more affordable and/or better adapted to cash flow constraints or that encourage compliance with treatment for chronic illnesses: and/or
    • credit solutions that allow people to pay for more expensive treatments: and/or
    • solutions that facilitate remittances from friends and family abroad to enable access to healthcare and/or
    • Mechanisms encourage and/or extend the provision and uptake of preventive healthcare
  • reduce the health shocks that can lead to poverty or economic vulnerability after an illness or accident, such as :
    • micro-insurance schemes that improve access to and/or use of health insurance
    • Financial arrangements that pool healthcare resources and optimise and improve access to affordable care for the whole group
    • Other safety nets and risk mitigation mechanisms
• They encourage companies that fall within the above scope and meet the following criteria to apply.

Price details

• A total grant of USD 700,000 for the three finalists. This amount is divided between the winner (who can receive up to USD 350,000) and the two runners-up and paid out in instalments over two to three years.
• Non-financial support such as coaching and technical advice from Swiss Re employees and experts, tailored to the needs of each finalist.
• Members of the general public are invited to vote for their favourite finalist. The recipient of the most votes wins the People's Choice Award and receives a special prize.

Geographical location : Applicants must operate in countries defined as low-income or lower-middle-income by the World Bank.

Target groups

• At least 30 % of the people served by applicants must come from poor or very poor communities. Applicants must have a thorough understanding of the specific situation of the people - women and men - they serve (for example, barriers to using financial instruments to better manage their healthcare).
• They will give priority to companies that are gender inclusive.

Eligibility criteria

• Applicants must demonstrate high levels of social impact and ideally be able to measure this reliably (e.g. improvement in health indicators and/or reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure).
• Applicants must be formally established, serve at least 20,000 people and have the potential to reach at least 100,000 people over the next three years. They should also be on a clear path to financial viability, while needing grants (or other support) to improve their business model, reach low-income households and/or achieve full financial viability.
• Applicants must use digital technology or have highly digitised processes to deliver value to underserved populations on a large scale.
• Candidates should have a strong management team where responsibilities are distributed and well defined. They should also have a diverse and well-structured workforce.
• Applicants must comply with the legal framework of the country or countries in which they operate and are registered, and must be authorised to receive subsidies from a Swiss non-governmental organisation such as the Swiss Re Foundation.

For more information, please visit Swiss Re Foundation.