Dimagi receives $25 million to develop transformative technology for Frontline Workers
Program-Related Investment from the Steele Foundation for Hope will fund next generation digital platform to support and enable critical frontline healthcare workforces globally
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Dimagi, a global social impact organization and leader in frontline technology, announced a $25 million Program-Related Investment (PRI) from the Steele Foundation for Hope. This transformative funding is set to accelerate Dimagi’s five-year strategy by funding the research, development, and diversification of a next generation platform building on CommCare, Dimagi’s flagship platform poised to be the most utilized and impactful digital platform for frontline work.
According to the World Bank and WHO, at least 50% of people lack access to essential health services. To fill the gap left by a lack of healthcare providers and chronically under-resourced healthcare systems, many countries look to non-specialist Frontline Workers like Community Health Workers to provide essential services. However, despite the critical nature of their work, these Frontline Workers are under-supported and underpaid. One study found that a staggering 86% of Community Health Workers are volunteers receiving some or no compensation. To achieve Universal Health Coverage, these critical workers need to be better supported.
Dimagi’s open-source offering CommCare has been used in 130 countries, in support of 3,000+ projects and has been proven to improve Frontline Worker performance, client behaviors, and health outcomes. CommCare allows organizations to easily build mobile applications that act as powerful job-aids for Frontline Workers. Since its inception, one million Frontline Workers have used CommCare to collect data and deliver better frontline services in remote and under-resourced settings across a wide array of uses, including healthcare, pandemic response and vaccine delivery, crisis response, education and other social sectors.
With this funding, Dimagi will be able to pursue its five-year strategy in particular investing in the bold goal of improving Frontline Worker jobs to create better health outcomes. One key area that Dimagi will explore is expanding CommCare’s capabilities to further support Frontline Workers with training, supervision, digital payments, and more.
“Dimagi envisions a world where everyone has access to the services they need to thrive. This PRI will allow us to be even bolder and more ambitious in achieving that vision, by investing in our five-year strategy for high-impact growth,” said Jonathan Jackson, Dimagi’s CEO and Co-Founder. “Specifically, this PRI will enable us to go all in on our transformational strategy of improving Frontline Workers’ jobs in order to achieve better health outcomes. Since our founding 20 years ago, Dimagi has prioritized impact, team and profit, in that order and have seen these three components work together as we drive our vision. We are excited to receive this PRI from the Steele Foundation for Hope, which will kick off a journey of learning, development, and progress.”
“We are thrilled to be investing in Dimagi to support the development of technology poised to have a disruptive impact on one of humanity’s hardest challenges: access to quality health services. Over the last 20 years, Dimagi has proven to be a leader in creating high-impact digital solutions for frontline work around the world. And we’ve been impressed with the scale and effectiveness of its CommCare platform,” said Joe Exner, CEO of the Steele Foundation for Hope. “Investments in technology for international development are scant and often focus on project-level goals. This platform-level investment in Dimagi is intended to support an underfunded component of the current international development ecosystem. It is both high-risk and also high-reward and we couldn’t be more excited to see what we are able to achieve together.”
Follow along on this journey through the High-Impact Growth podcast, Dimagi’s newsletter, and blog.
The Steele Foundation for Hope strives to find and fund lasting solutions for some of humanity’s hardest challenges. We believe that advances found through technology and innovation are key to improving quality of life for less fortunate people around the world. We provide funding for leaders, innovators, and organizations committed to delivering solutions that will help people in need. We make grants and program-related investments up to $25,000,000. We conduct due diligence efficiently and expedite funding. We minimize reporting requirements to maximize ongoing operating flexibility. Our goal is to provide funds that enable leaders and organizations to stay focused on achieving their missions.
Dimagi is a global social impact organization, working since 2002 towards our vision of a world where everyone has access to the services they need to thrive. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and with teams in India, South Africa, Senegal, and around the world, Dimagi partners with governments, NGOs, and foundations to amplify their frontline impact through scalable digital solutions and expert services. Our open-source flagship product, CommCare, is the world’s most widely-used data collection and service delivery platform, used by more than one million Frontline Workers in 130 countries. An evidence base of more than 90 peer-reviewed publications has shown that equipping Frontline Workers with CommCare improves performance, quality of care delivered, and client health outcomes. Learn more at dimagi.com.