Fortify Health receives $1 million GiveWell Incubation Grant

We are delighted to share that Fortify Health has received a GiveWell Incubation Grant of ~$1,000,000. This grant will provide the organisation with two years of funding for operations in Maharashtra and West Bengal, from implementation to expanding the team. In Fortify Health’s third year of existence (from mid-2019), the focus is on scaling up implementation.

June 2019 to May 2020: First year of GiveWell Incubation Grant
Over the first year of GiveWell’s 2-year grant, the funding will be directed primarily towards expanding open market wheat flour fortification and building strong partnerships in our two focus states: Maharashtra and West Bengal. Our goals for May 2020 are:

1. 1) to have reached 12 mills in total across the two states, with the projected outcome of 214.8 metric tonnes of fortified flour being produced per day across the 12 mills. (Our premise for selecting and approaching specific mills in specific locations, and how we do this, will be available in an upcoming blog post on mill outreach strategy);
2. 2) to expand our team capacity, doubling the size of our team by May 2020, to manage the increasing scope of our operations across the two focus states;
3. 3) to work with local and state government departments in Maharashtra and West Bengal to support government fortification efforts.

June 2020 to May 2021: Second year of GiveWell Incubation Grant
The second year of funds will be used to continue the mill partnerships and involvement in government programmes achieved in the first year, and to maintain our team. In order to keep expanding in Year 2, we will need to apply for further funding from GiveWell or other sources. Possibility of further expansion and strategy direction are also dependent on new research that may alter effectiveness or cost-effectiveness estimates of fortification. In early 2020, we will refine our strategy for the trajectory of Fortify Health’s operations.

Thank you
The receipt of these funds is a testament to the work of our team over the past two years, who have been driven, dedicated and collaborative along the journey to this milestone. We would also like to thank each and every individual who has supported and advised us along the way, including but not limited to:

• Our mentor, Joey Savoie, CEO at Charity Science, and the team at Charity Science;
• Our expert advisor, Laura Rowe, Deputy Director at FFI;
• The supportive team at Food Fortification Initiative;
• Various global health nutrition actors working in India;
• GiveWell, for continuing to be a very thoughtful, rigorous, and conscious partner;
• Our donor, Effective Altruism Global Health and Development Fund.