Senegal

Country News

Published: March 3, 2026Funding OpportunitiesColombia Ecuador Ghana India Indonesia Morocco Pakistan Romania Senegal SierraLeone Tanzania Vietnam

Request for proposals for Transition to Scale innovations!

Grand Challenges Canada, through the Being Initiative, is investing in ready-to-scale innovations that address the root causes of young people’s distress before they escalate, strengthening the environments where they live,…

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Country Focus

In Senegal, stigma surrounding mental health remains a significant barrier for young people. Cultural beliefs and misinformation often lead to the perception that mental illness is a source of shame or weakness. As a result, many youth avoid talking about their struggles or seeking help, even when they are in distress.

Stigma is often learned at a young age, shaped by the attitudes of parents, teachers, and peers. Without access to accurate information or safe spaces for dialogue, harmful misconceptions persist. Reducing stigma through culturally relevant mental health education is key to helping youth build resilience and access care.

Discover more insights from Senegal’s landscape analysis—download our report!

What we’re funding in Senegal

Proof-of-concept funding:

Proof-of-concept (POC) funding up to $250,000 CAD will be awarded to early-stage projects that can implement, test and refine solutions to country-specific personal, social, and/or environmental factors impacting young people’s mental health and wellbeing in one of the 12 countries.

In Senegal, we seek bold Proof-of-Concept ideas to reduce stigma related to mental health. These innovative solutions should focus on addressing the lack of appropriate mental health education in schools and communities.

Transition-to-scale funding:

Transition-to-scale (TTS) funding between $300,000 CAD and $1,500,000 CAD will be awarded to support tested mental health promotion and prevention approaches that align with country-specific priorities along their scaling journey to help catalyze their sustainability and impact.

In Senegal, we seek bold Transition-to-Scale ideas to reduce stigma related to mental health. These innovative solutions should focus on addressing the lack of appropriate mental health education in schools and communities.

Ecosystem catalyst funding:

Ecosystem catalyst (EC) funding between $200,000 CAD and $300,000 CAD will be awarded to organizations that can address priority barriers to scale, such as legislation, evidence, coordination, and mobilize demand to help mental health initiatives succeed and grow in one of 12 priority countries.

In Senegal, we’re funding EC proposals to work closely with key stakeholders, including government bodies, to improve coordination and advocacy for data driven youth mental health strategies and appropriate resourcing to enable a strong focus on prevention and promotion. 