Lead Exposure Action Fund (LEAF)

Lead Exposure Action Fund (LEAF) — Proactive Grants

Funds practical lead exposure projects in low and middle income communities with testing and mitigation.

Eligibility · Global — open worldwide

The Lead Exposure Action Fund (LEAF), managed by Coefficient Giving, has deployed over $60 million across 44 grants since its launch in 2024. The fund was established as a multidonor initiative with 12 philanthropic partners including the Gates Foundation, ELMA Foundation, Good Ventures, and others, with an initial total commitment of over $125 million. LEAF operates exclusively in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of lead poisoning is greatest — approximately one million deaths per year globally are attributable to lead exposure. Recent individual grants have ranged from $41,000 to $14.6 million. Coefficient Giving's 2019 study in Bangladesh demonstrating that turmeric adulteration was a major source of lead exposure, and subsequent intervention, led to a roughly 30% reduction in blood lead levels, establishing the evidence base for LEAF's approach.

The fund operates across three programmatic pillars: measurement (blood lead testing at scale, household assessments, source screening of spices, paint, and cosmetics), mitigation (policy and technical interventions including turmeric substitution programs and battery recycling), and mainstreaming (engaging governments, international aid agencies, and other philanthropies to prioritize lead as a public health challenge). Eligible applicants include for-profit companies, nonprofits, universities, and research organizations operating in LMICs; individuals and high-income country-based organizations working outside LMICs are not eligible. There is no open RFP — grants are primarily proactively sourced by LEAF staff.

Organizations seeking LEAF funding should contact Coefficient Giving at partnerwithus@coefficientgiving.org to explore potential partnership or funding interest. Unsolicited proposals are rarely funded, and the fund does not guarantee a response to every inquiry. Given LEAF's proactive sourcing model, organizations most likely to receive support are those already active in blood lead measurement or mitigation in LMIC contexts, or those with strong relationships with relevant ministries of health or international health organizations.