HEALTH FOUNDATIONS

THE HEALTH FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD

SCALING ACADEMIC-PUBLIC-PRIVATE-PHILANTHROPIC-PARTNERSHIPS FOR PREDICTIVE, PREVENTIVE, PRECISION, PARTICIPATORY, PROLONGED HEALTHSPAN, PLANETARY MEDICINE

“4P”-Partnerships for sustainable Medicine for sustainable Health (“6P”-Medicine)

DRAFT TO INSPIRE THE STRATEGY DIVISION OF THE HEALTH CAPTAINS INSTIUTE

Health Foundations

Strategic Partners in Europe’s Lifecare Transformation

 

1. The Foundation Landscape

  • Europe hosts over 110,000 public-benefit foundations, with Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, and Spain accounting for much of this sector. About 17% of foundation activity is in health, equating to around 18,000+ health-focused foundations across the EU.

  • In Germany, there are roughly 1,000 health foundations, including large private entities like Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation (EUR 6.2 billion endowment) and mid-size nonprofits like Sepsis-Stiftung and Felix Burda Foundation

  • In Switzerland, over 13,000 foundations exist, with major players such as the Swiss Life Foundations, Fondation Botnar (CHF 3.8 billion, AI in child health), UBS Optimus, and others offering grants in health research and public healthPrograms

2. International Health Philanthropy

  • Global giants like the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome Trust have teamed up in a USD 300 million initiative targeting climate-related infectious disease and malnutrition.

  • Swiss foundations like Fondation Botnar are pioneering digital health in low- and middle-income countries, investing in community health platforms and AI for adolescent care.

  • Hevolution Foundation: A Role Model for Health Philanthropy – investing about 1 Billion $ p.a. globally in HEALTHSPAN MEDICINE & SCIENCE, HEALTHSPAN INNOVATIONS, HEALTHSPAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP at scale. Organizer of the yearly GLOBAL HEALTHSPAN SUMMIT (Hevoltution Foundation Executive Summary below)

3. Alignment Opportunity for Lifecare

THE HEALTH CAPTAINS CLUB is integrating Health Foundations into its strategic framework—linking philanthropic capital, innovation capacity, and academic excellence to build Lifecare ecosystems through:

  • Public–Private–Philanthropic Partnerships (P4) for Lifecare: combining UMC/AMC expertise, government backing, and foundation funding

  • Synchronization of Research & Practice: aligning strategic goals between foundations and academic centers

  • Metropolis, Regional Community & Island Lifecare: scaling precision health for all through foundation-supported demonstration projects

  • Synchronized scaleable “P4-Partnerships” for “6P-Medicine”:
    1. Predictive,
    2. Preventive,
    3. Precision,
    4. Participatory,
    5. Prolonged Healthspan,
    6. Planetary Medicine

4. Summit Strategy: Synchronizing Foundations with UMC/AMC Leadership

The Health Captains Strategy Summit in Berlin, following the World Health Summit, will focus on:

  • Showcasing large and mid-size European health foundations

  • Cultivating dialogue on shared goals: healthspan extension, precision medicine, community care

  • Enabling foundations to co-create and fund UMC-anchored Lifecare Innovation Hubs

  • Designing mechanisms for joint governance, shared metrics, and scalable implementation

5. Research & Network Resources

  • Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS), University of Basel – expertise in funding impact and data-driven philanthropy

  • Geneva Centre for Philanthropy – research on foundation governance, AI ethics, philanthropy & civic trust 

  • EIT Health Germany–Switzerland – example of P4 innovation programs, including climate & health peer groups 

  • Philea & SwissFoundations – peer-learning groups engaging funders on health–climate nexus and shared strategy 

6. Call to Action: Co‑Designing Lifecare at Scale

For the Health Captains University & Academic Medical Center & Health Foundations Strategy Summit Berlin synchronized with the WORLD HEALTH SUMMIT, key objectives include:

Summit GoalsExpected Outcomes
Engage FoundationsShare strategic alignment, catalyse funding for UMC-anchored projects
Map CollaborationIdentify mutual priorities in research, community health, innovation
Design P4 ModelsDraft frameworks for academic-public-philanthropic partnerships
Launch DemonstratorsSelect pilot projects in aging, climate-resilient health, digital Lifecare
Establish Network InfrastructureCreate learning circles for continued CEO–CMO–foundation engagement

Reflecting on Next Steps

  1. Prepare Foundation Engagement Dossiers

  2. Map interest areas & funding capacities

  3. Align with UMC/AMC strategic priorities

  4. Use Summit to seal commitments on pilot programming

  5. Set up a bi-annual European Health Foundation & Academic Medical Alliance Forum via THE CAPTAINS CLUB

By mobilizing the power of 1,000+ German, Swiss, and European health foundations, THE HEALTH CAPTAINS CLUB, INSTITUTE & COLLEGE can unlock capital, community trust, and innovation potential—embedding Lifecare projects in academic health infrastructure, and accelerating the transition from sickcare to equitable, precision-driven Lifecare ecosystems.

Hevolution Foundation: A Role Model for Health Philanthropy

Launched in 2021 and based in Riyadh, with a North American hub, the Hevolution Foundation is a pioneering global non-profit committed to transforming the field of aging science. Its mission is to extend healthy human lifespan—or healthspan—through targeted investment in geroscience, clinical translation, and equitable access to longevity medicine.

Why It Stands Out

  • Focused Mission on Aging Biology
    Hevolution directly supports research into the mechanisms of aging—not just treatments for age-related diseases. Its grant and investment programs span the full scientific value chain, from basic biology to early-phase clinical trials

  • Large-Scale Investment
    In under two years, the Foundation has committed more than $400 million to global research. This includes $230 million for preclinical programs, $40 million to the Healthspan XPRIZE, and sizable grants to institutions such as Northwestern, Albert Einstein, and the Buck Institute

  • Global and Regional Impact
    Hevolution supports hundreds of scientists worldwide and builds regional capacity—such as postdoctoral fellowships in Saudi Arabia, Latin America grants, and research funding aligned with NIA’s priorities

  • Innovation with Equity
    The foundation embeds equitable access into every investment, ensuring that breakthroughs in healthspan science benefit diverse global populations, not just wealthy nations

  • Ecosystem Building & Collaboration
    As convener of the Global Healthspan Summit, Dr. Mehmood Khan (CEO) and the Foundation have brought together thousands of experts—including biotech leaders, policymakers, and geroscientists—to catalyze coordinated action

Integrating Hevolution into THCI’s Health Foundation Strategy

By incorporating Hevolution as a model partner, THE HEALTH CAPTAINS INSTITUTE can significantly enhance its engagement with health foundations:

  1. Strategic Alignment
    Emulate Hevolution’s aging-focus mission by establishing Longevity Programs that target the biology of aging within public academic hospitals.

  2. Scaling Grants & Innovation
    Adopt a blended model of funding—combining large-scale research grants and early-stage investments—to accelerate healthspan translation in Europe.

  3. Global-Local Synthesis
    Follow Hevolution’s playbook of global convening and regional capacity-building, replicating formats like the Healthspan Summit across Europe through #UMCS2025.

  4. Equity-Driven Innovation
    Ensure a healthspan equity mandate, where public academic partners serve ALL populations—urban, rural, island, and underserved regions.

  5. Ecosystem Integration
    Leverage Hevolution’s collaborative alliances (e.g., with Buck Institute, XPRIZE consortia) to build international research networks tied to European UMC/AMC consortia and P4 partnerships.

Conclusion

The Hevolution Foundation exemplifies the new paradigm of health philanthropy—deeply focused, audacious in investment, globally minded, and equity-centered. By bringing Hevolution’s methods into the European Lifecare and Health Foundation ecosystem, THE HEALTH CAPTAINS INSTITUTE can reinforce its mission: connecting foundations, academic medical centers, and care platforms to co-create a high‑impact, next‑generation Lifecare system.

“WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE DON’T KNOW”

EXPLORING THE UNEXPLORED

LEADERSHIP FOR EXPLORING SUSTAINABLE HEALTH

“360º NEXT GENERATION SUSTAINABLE VALUE-BASED LIFECARE POWERED BY NEW INNOVATIONS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THE SUPER-CONVERGENCE IN MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES NAVIGATING US TOGETHER TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE HEALTH INDUSTRY”

WELCOME ABOARD

“Traditionally the cooperation in the healthcare industry is not a well established matter. Currently, there is also the fact that the cooperation between the analogue and digital health worlds must first be developed. Places of exchange are very welcome. Congratulations for your work and good luck in the future!”

PROFESSOR HEINZ LOHMANN

President GESUNDHEITSWIRTSCHAFTSKONGRESS

At the latest in the face of the global corona pandemic, we have to completely restructure medicine, health sciences, health industry and the health systems worldwide towards sustainability.

DR. HENRI MICHAEL
VON BLANQUET

President of THE HEALTH CAPTAINS CLUB

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