A Social Innovation Challenge: Reimagining Women's Heart Health is a grant from Novartis Foundation and Novartis US Foundation that supports eligible organizations. We focus on the world’s most pressing health challenges, cardiovascular disease and health inequities, which means widening the lens from a narrow focus on healthcare delivery to a panoramic vision of improving health in populations at large.

This Call seeks to identify the most innovative and impactful approaches to advancing cardiovascular health for women, with a focus on generating meaningful social impact and without any commercial intent.

Our aim is to accelerate early detection of cardiovascular risk in women, reduce inequities in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, strengthen gender responsive health system design, and develop scalable, sustainable models that can be adapted across diverse healthcare systems. Awards are USD 50,000 to USD 500,000.

Reimagining Women’s Heart Health – A Social Innovation Challenge | Novartis Foundation Reimagining Women’s Heart Health – A Social Innovation Challenge Call for “Expression of Interest” The Novartis Foundation and the Novartis US Foundation are non-profit organizations, based respectively in Switzerland and the US.

We focus on the world’s most pressing health challenges, cardiovascular disease and health inequities, which means widening the lens from a narrow focus on healthcare delivery to a panoramic vision of improving health in populations at large.

This Call seeks to identify the most innovative and impactful approaches to advancing cardiovascular health for women, with a focus on generating meaningful social impact and without any commercial intent.

Our aim is to accelerate early detection of cardiovascular risk in women, reduce inequities in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, strengthen gender responsive health system design, and develop scalable, sustainable models that can be adapted across diverse healthcare systems.

As this initiative is undertaken in the interest of public health, no remuneration will be provided for submitted ideas, only the selected proposal (Final Award) will receive funding and implementation support, as per the rules of this Call. No product promotion will be linked to funding, and transparent governance as well as conflict of interest disclosure will be required.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among women worldwide. Yet women continue to face delayed diagnosis, atypical symptom recognition, underrepresentation in research, and structural barriers to health and care. Leading bodies such as the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology have emphasized the urgent need for earlier action and equity-centered system redesign (1).

Despite strong clinical advances, scalable and sustainable social innovation models tailored to women’s cardiovascular health remain limited. The Novartis Foundation has pioneered the CARDIO4Cities initiative to transform cardiovascular health and care through data driven insights, multisector collaboration, and locally embedded implementation.

Building on the learnings and infrastructure generated through CARDIO4Cities, the Novartis Foundations now seek to partner with organizations to apply and adapt these approaches with a dedicated focus on women’s cardiovascular health, addressing persistent gender gaps through innovative, equitable, and scalable solutions.

In this additional focus area, we seek to catalyze high-potential models capable of driving sustainable systems change, using innovative interventions and advanced technologies such as agentic AI.

The Novartis Foundations invite organizations to submit innovative, social impact models that: Address systemic barriers to cardiovascular prevention, diagnosis, or treatment for women Improve early detection and risk stratification Reduce disparities across race, income, geography, and age Integrate community-based, data and AI-driven, behavioral, or care-delivery innovations Demonstrate measurable, sustainable social impact Demonstrate potential for financial and operational sustainability at scale Can be adapted across healthcare systems in the U.S., Germany, China, and Japan We are interested in implementation-focused submissions rather than research-driven initiatives.

We are particularly interested in solutions that bridge science and technology innovation, data-driven approaches, community engagement, and policy reform . Selection will prioritize the ability to implement the initiative effectively in the proposed geographies.

Proposed models may focus on (but are not limited to): Early risk identification e.g. gender-specific risk assessment tools, AI-enabled screening, postpartum-to-primary care transition models Community-embedded prevention models e.g. culturally tailored programs for underserved populations to encourage screening, healthcare access, and adherence Access innovation & care navigation e.g. reducing diagnostic delay, ensuring follow-up Employer or payer-based Interventions e.g., employer-based detection and follow-up, sustainable financing approaches tied to outcomes We strongly encourage solutions that keep health equity and community co-design front and center.

While cross-country comparative or adaptable models are strongly encouraged, applicants must propose implementation a Proof of Concept (PoC) in two different geographies of which one must be of the following: United States, Germany, China, Japan.

We invite submissions from public–private partnerships, health systems, enterprises, community‑based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions, and warmly encourage collaborations to maximize impact.

-please complete the provided template in maximum 3 pages Problem definition (country-specific context required) Description of the innovation model, with a short theory of change and measurable outcomes Target population and health equity strategy Sustainability pathway (revenue, reimbursement, policy integration, partnerships, etc.) Organizational capabilities and strengths, leadership team, and partners Estimated budget and use of funds Submitted ideas must not contain any personal data of any kind.

All concepts, models, or proposed interventions must be formulated without including identifiable or potentially identifiable information about individuals, whether patients, community members, employees, or collaborators. This includes, but is not limited to, names, contact details, demographic identifiers, health information, or any other data that could directly or indirectly identify a person.

Submissions must rely exclusively on anonymized, aggregated, or hypothetical examples to ensure full compliance with data protection and privacy requirements. The selection of submissions will be made at the sole discretion of the Novartis Foundations, in accordance with the evaluation requirements outlined above.

All submissions will be reviewed by a qualified panel with relevant expertise, who will assess each proposal based on the strength of the unmet need addressed, the potential for measurable social impact, the degree of innovation and integration of advanced technologies, the feasibility within the proposed country context, the ability to implement the proposed initiative effectively within the chosen geographies, sustainability beyond philanthropic funding, scalability across regions or systems, and the leadership capability and partnerships of the proposing organization.

Proposals must also include an estimated budget and a clear description of the intended use of funds, which will form part of the overall assessment. Request for Proposals (RFP) Selected submissions will be invited to participate in the subsequent Request for Proposals process.

During this stage, applicants may be asked to provide additional information, clarifications, or supporting documentation to enable a more detailed assessment of their proposed model. Only those submissions invited to the RFP phase will be eligible for further consideration and potential funding.

Submissions considered at the RFP stage may be selected to receive a Final Award that may include: Seed funding (anticipated range: USD 50 000–USD 500 000 equivalent) 12–18 months of implementation support Access to global cardiovascular and health systems experts Impact measurement and evaluation guidance Opportunities for cross-country knowledge exchange Funding is intended to de-risk models and position them for follow-on capital, institutional adoption, or policy integration.

Submission deadline: April 17, 2026 Invitation for Request for Proposals: April 22, 2026 Final Awards announced: June 1, 2026 Please use the following submission template Submit proposals by email to: (1) Circulation Volume 145, Number 23; https://doi. org/10. 1161/CIR.

0000000000001071 A wake-up call: key trends and policy asks for cardiovascular health in women Share Tweet Share Whatsapp Linkedin Email Printable Links Block (Content)