Gates Foundation is currently accepting applications for its Cost-Disrupting Innovations to Reduce the Cost of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
About Gates Foundation Cost-Disrupting Innovations to Reduce the Cost of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food
The Cost-Disrupting Innovations Grand Challenge aims to transform RUTF production by significantly reducing costs while ensuring safe, nutritionally adequate therapeutic foods. By improving affordability, the initiative seeks to expand access to treatment for children suffering from SAM in resource-constrained settings. The program emphasizes measurable, scalable innovations with clear pathways to regulatory acceptance and real-world impact.
Benefits of Gates Foundation Cost-Disrupting Innovations to Reduce the Cost of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food
For any of the Focus Areas we will consider proposals under two funding options. Please consider which is most relevant to your proposal:
- Option A: We will consider proposals for awards of up to $500,000 USD across any of the categories within this call, with a grant term of up to 18 months. Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work proposed.
- Option B: We will consider several proposals for awards of up to $1,500,000 USD for each project, with a grant term of up to 36 months. Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work proposed.
Gates Foundation Cost-Disrupting Innovations to Reduce the Cost of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food Requirements
- They welcome applications from universities and research institutes, RUTF manufacturers and food processors, ingredient and packaging suppliers, engineering and technology firms, NGOs with strong technical capacity, and for-profit entities (subject to global access requirements).
- Consortia led by or including LMIC-based organizations are strongly encouraged. Individuals and organizations classified as individuals for U.S. tax purposes are not eligible to receive an award from the foundation as part of this initiative.
What they are looking for
Successful proposals will:
- Demonstrate ≥30% ex-factory cost reduction.
- Include a credible, transparent cost model.
- Provide proof-of-concept feasibility evidence.
- Present a regulatory and normative adoption pathway.
- Show durable scalability.
- Address LMIC manufacturability and equity considerations.
They will not fund proposals that:
- Focus solely on policy advocacy or tariff reform.
- Are standalone training or general capacity-building efforts.
- Subsidize routine operations or infrastructure.
- Are purely market studies.
- Rely on price negotiation or procurement tactics without technological innovation.
- Focus solely on clinical trials.
- Focus solely on delivery models without product innovation.
Application Date and Process
- Click on the link to the application website to apply.
Application Deadline
28 April, 2026
Opportunity Application
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Gates Foundation Cost-Disrupting Innovations to Reduce the Cost of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food
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