From crisis grants to open calls: Novo Nordisk Foundation’s aid work

As bilateral aid budgets tighten and humanitarian needs grow more complex, philanthropic players are being pushed to rethink not just what they fund, but how. For the Novo Nordisk Foundation, one of the world’s largest philanthropic foundations, that rethink has led to a new development and humanitarian strategy — one that aims to blend long-term systems building with rapid response, and research excellence with on-the-ground implementation. Speaking at Devex’s first Pro Funding Briefing of 2026, Rikke Johannessen, director of global development at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, described an organization that is both deeply rooted in scientific research and still relatively new to the international development arena. The 100-year-old foundation, she said, is “still a new kid on the block” when it comes to global development and humanitarian action. A research powerhouse with a development mandate The Novo Nordisk Foundation has an annual budget of around 10 billion Danish kroner, or $1.4 billion, and is best known for its role in advancing life science research, particularly in the Nordic region. Its philanthropic work is financed through returns from Novo Holdings, which manages the foundation’s controlling stake in the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, as well as a diversified portfolio of other investments. Johannessen said that profits generated by the company are reinvested into scientific research, education, and humanitarian and social purpose work. That structure, she added, reflects a long-standing commitment to translating commercial success into societal benefit — a principle embedded in the foundation’s origins. Today, the foundation’s strategy is organized around three pillars: health, sustainability, and the life science ecosystem. Humanitarian and social purpose funding is embedded across all three. In health, this extends beyond biomedical research to include health systems strengthening and continuity of care, with a particular focus on inequities and access for vulnerable populations. A sharp focus on noncommunicable diseases At the center of the foundation’s global development portfolio is a strong emphasis on noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs — a focus shaped by both the foundation’s history and the scale of the challenge. “NCDs such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, they are really rapidly escalating across the globe, but also in low- and middle-income country contexts,” Johannessen said. In South and Southeast Asia, she noted, NCDs account for more than 60% of all deaths, with India alone home to an estimated 77 million people living with diabetes. What concerns the foundation is not just the rising prevalence of NCDs, but the strain they place on already stretched health systems. Many low- and middle-income countries are facing what Johannessen described as a “double burden of disease,” where infectious diseases remain prevalent even as chronic conditions become leading causes of morbidity and mortality. “Primary health care systems in many contexts remain focused on very acute issues,” she said, leaving chronic diseases underaddressed and underprioritized. The result is higher out-of-pocket costs for patients and widening economic inequality. Food systems, nutrition, and climate resilience The foundation’s second major priority area — strengthening food systems — is closely intertwined with its health agenda. Poor diets, food insecurity, and environmental degradation all contribute to rising rates of obesity and diet-related NCDs, particularly among low-income populations. “There’s a very strong, but also complex, relationship between NCDs and food security and healthy diets,” Johannessen said. In many contexts, food insecurity coexists with rising obesity, driven by limited access to nutritious foods and the growing availability of inexpensive, energy-dense processed products. Climate change further compounds these challenges. Weak agricultural systems, with low productivity among smallholder farmers, are vulnerable to climate shocks that threaten both food availability and quality. “Climate change and environmental degradation threaten both food production and health outcomes,” Johannessen said. These interconnections shape where and how the foundation works geographically. Its primary focus regions are East Africa — including Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda — and South Asia, with India as a core country of engagement. In East Africa, the foundation concentrates on strengthening primary health care systems and integrated models of care that can address both infectious and chronic diseases. On food security, a significant share of the portfolio supports transitions toward locally sourced school feeding programs. “We’re trying to ensure that kids or schoolchildren are getting a daily nutritious meal, but we’re also trying to support the local economy via farming,” Johannessen explained. In India, where large-scale government programs already exist, the foundation’s work is more targeted — supporting dietary diversity, whole-grain consumption, and systems resilience to extreme heat, which exacerbates both health risks and nutritional vulnerabilities. Flexible funding in an uncertain landscape The Novo Nordisk Foundation’s annual budget for global development and humanitarian work currently fluctuates between $60 million and $70 million, Johannessen said, depending on needs and strategic priorities. Allocations are intentionally dynamic, shifting across regions and themes in response to emerging risks, from climate shocks to humanitarian crises. Grant durations vary widely — from 12 months to five years or more — depending on purpose and partner. “It’s really purpose-driven,” Johannessen emphasized. While open calls remain the foundation’s primary funding mechanism, particularly for humanitarian grants, it also uses several other tools. These include rapid-response crisis grants, which can be released within 24 hours to pre-vetted partners during emergencies. The foundation typically funds around seven projects per year through its humanitarian call, with grants generally under $1 million. These grants are designed to support learning, research, and innovation that may be difficult to finance through traditional institutional channels. Building ecosystems, not just projects Across its portfolio, the foundation emphasizes an ecosystem approach to partnerships. Rather than backing isolated projects, it seeks to understand which partners are best positioned to deliver policy change, research, service delivery, or technical assistance — and to fill gaps strategically. “We really try to carefully investigate what partner plays which role in the ecosystem, and what are the gaps we can meaningfully address,” Johannessen said. That approach extends to how the foundation works with local organizations. In some cases, it funds local institutions directly; in others, it works through fiscal sponsors to reduce administrative burden or build capacity over time. While the foundation collaborates extensively with United Nations agencies and international NGOs, Johannessen stressed that there is no preference for Danish organizations within the global development department. “We don’t have a preference for Danish NGOs at all,” she said. Notably, the foundation does not fund for-profit companies directly, even when they are mission-aligned. Instead, it may support nonprofit organizations experimenting with innovative financing mechanisms within its priority areas. Innovation grounded in evidence Innovation is a recurring theme across the foundation’s calls, but Johannessen is clear that novelty alone is not enough. The foundation looks for approaches that are scalable, sustainable, and contextually grounded. “We try to identify promising innovations through ongoing engagement with the research and practitioner communities,” she said, adding that cross-sector partnerships are often key to accelerating adoption. The foundation also invests in innovation scouting and learning for the broader sector. In 2025, it financed an innovation scoping exercise with a humanitarian innovation think tank to identify promising approaches to NCD prevention and care in crisis settings — work intended to inform not just its own portfolio, but that of other funders as well. Looking toward 2030 As the foundation advances its 2030 strategy, Johannessen described an organization still refining its development identity — balancing immediate humanitarian needs with long-term, systemic change. “We support emergency health interventions during conflict or disaster,” she said, “but we also fund local research to strengthen future preparedness.” In an era of shrinking aid budgets and growing complexity, that dual focus may prove increasingly relevant. By anchoring its development work in evidence, systems thinking, and long-term partnerships, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is positioning itself not just as a funder, but as a strategic player in the evolving global development landscape. Want more briefings like this? Let us know — and stay tuned for upcoming live conversations here.