Are you improving the health of your community with person-centric solutions? Apply to amplify the impact of your project!   

Ashoka and The Johnson & Johnson Foundation have joined forces with the common goal of surfacing pioneering practices and growing the field of Community Health innovation in Europe.  

This challenge is the first Europe-wide challenge to find and support Community Health innovators. We want to build a health system that values wellbeing and prevention as much as it values treatment, acknowledging the importance that Community Health deserves. By making people within communities healthier, the innovations we support will inevitably improve those communities in other ways, making them more livable, equitable, and cohesive.   

We’re looking for pioneers across Europe - system entrepreneurs who are improving health outcomes within their communities by delivering person-centered solutions. The goal is to identify these innovators, help them grow their impact and build a community that fosters an enabling environment, creating systemic change across Europe. 

If this sounds like you, apply now for a chance to win EUR 50,000, the opportunity to embark on a journey with the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, and join the leading community of innovators reimagining what Community Health can look like in Europe.

Applications will be open from now until February 28, 2022. If you are a member of the health community and are working with systems-changing entrepreneurs, then spread the word and help us amplify the impact of their projects!    

Focus Area

We are particularly interested in initiatives which do one or all of the following: 

• Make novel health interventions – improving health outcomes for individuals either through innovative health practices or access to new or expanded services that support different facets of community health and are integrated with primary care;  

• Improve health equity – designing solutions that combat health disparities and improve health outcomes for marginalized communities, through improving social and/or environmental determinants;  

• Strengthen community governance and agency – laying the groundwork for new processes and structures between communities, health actors, and systems that will enable community decision-making and financing, as well as promoting co-creation and self-advocacy that leads to improved health outcomes for all. 

Prizes

Up to 8 winners

• Receive a minimum prize award of €50,000 each.

• Winners will also be invited to explore the opportunity of a long term partnership with the J&J Foundation.

• Have the opportunity to be part of building the first-of-its-kind network of Community Health innovators in Europe. They will embark on a tailored learning journey with their peers to enhance their scaling strategy, advocacy work, and collective impact on their way to achieve a system change

• Be offered workshops, peer exchange, support by pro bono experts and mentors, and system mapping provided by Ashoka and Johnson & Johnson’s partners.

• Be announced at the online ceremony in June.

Semifinalists (up to 35 participants) will: 

• Receive further feedback from experts from Johnson & Johnson, Ashoka or their partners  

• Be referred as semifinalists in the announcement communications   

• Have access to online platform to connect with their peers and collect additional feedback 

All eligible participants will: 

• Have the opportunity to receive peer feedback via the Challenge online platform, including the opportunity to view, review and connect with other applicants of the Reimagining Healthcare Challenge. 

• Receive feedback from Ashoka to improve their entry 

Dates

• Tuesday 8th February: Info Session 1 
• Friday 18th February: Info Session 2
• Monday 28th February: Final entry deadline
• 2nd March – 28th March: Screening & Community review  
• 30th March: Semifinalists' announcement
• 31st March – 21st April: Refinement phase - semifinalists can edit applications  
• 22nd April – 7th May: Internal Review and Shortlisting
• 9th May: Finalist Announcement
• 10th May - 2nd June: Judge’s Review and Due Diligence
• 6th June Winners announced

Eligibility Criteria

To apply:  

• You must have incorporated as a non-profit, for-profit, or hybrid organization. 

• You must be an established organization with a proven track-record (we will not accept idea-stage applications). 

• Entries will only be accepted in English (winners will be expected to engage in activities that require English proficiency). 

• We are open to applications from Europe, the following countries are our priority: United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland.

Additional terms:  

• Only one application per organization will be accepted. 

• Employees of Johnson & Johnson, advertising agencies, promotion agencies and other service providers for this Challenge, their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling, regardless of where they reside) are not eligible. 

• Partners or initiatives that haven’t been supported previously by Johnson & Johnson Foundation will be prioritized. 

• If the applicant is a government official or represents a government body, there will be additional Healthcare compliance review required. 

Info sessions

Are you interested in this challenge but have some questions or confusions as you work on your application? During the application stage, we will be hosting two information sessions to provide applicants with the clarity they need as they work on their entries. These two info sessions will be held on:

• Info Session 1: Tuesday, February 8th at 3:30pm CET. Register here.
• Info Session 2: Friday, February 18th at 1pm CET. Register here.

 
During those sessions, we will be giving you more insights as to what the focus of this challenge is, who we are looking for, and what you can get out of it. We will also be leaving space for attendees to ask any questions they may have about the application process. If you are interested, please make sure to Join the community and register your attendance to either information session. Links to the info sessions can be found in the events section of the community page, so don't miss that chance to ask all your questions!

Evaluation Criteria

Community Focus – Is it a truly person-centric solution? We want to see buy-in from the community you serve, and how you are helping them take control of their own and each other’s health outcomes. 

Collaboration –How well is the initiative integrated with the existing health system? We want to see that health professionals and other key community stakeholders are integral to the design of your solution.   

Innovation – Is the initiative truly unique and responsive? We want to see a novel approach which comes from a clear affinity and understanding for the community(s) you serve and how your solution was designed to meet their needs.  

Impact – Are you able to prove that your initiative is making a difference? We want to see sophisticated impact measures, and how they are being used to inform decisions making.  

Sustainability – Do you have long-term plan for increasing impact and creating lasting change?  

In addition to our evaluation criteria described above, the group of winning teams will be selected to represent the diversity of applications received and the diversity of the field. Diversity will refer to: gender, accessibility, class, ethnicity, race and age. Diversity can be showcased in the target audience of a project, its partners or the team representing it.

Terms and Conditions

Review the full Terms and Conditions of the Reimagining Community Health Challenge for more information about children and youth participation, intellectual property, use of prize money and more. 

Data Protection 

Applicants' entries will be published on the Challenge platform and accessible by the public. You can identify the sections of the application form that will be displayed publicly by their label “Public”. Entry information may also be shared with third parties for evaluating and processing the applications.  The Challenge Partners will implement appropriate measures to ensure the Applicant’s Confidential Information is not actively revealed to any third-party that is not necessary to such related activities. For more information about how the Challenge Partners will use your data, please see the Terms and Conditions of the Reimagining Community Health Challenge.