Reaching the Last Mile Fund

Name

Reaching the Last Mile Fund

Legal name

Reaching the Last Mile Fund

Website

https://reachingthelastmilefund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Reaching the Last Mile Fund is a UAE-anchored, Gates Foundation co-founded global health financing coalition that channels $500M+ in philanthropic funding and donated medicines to 39 African countries and Yemen to eliminate river blindness and lymphatic filariasis through national health programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Health Funding / Neglected Tropical Disease Elimination Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Financing Mechanisms & Pooled Funds (HLAJAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Financing Mechanisms (HLAJAKAC), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF), Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI)

Keywords

• Global health funding
• Neglected tropical diseases
• NTD elimination programs
• Philanthropic health coalition
• Mass drug administration

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding and Philanthropic Grants: RLMF operates as a global health fund financed by a diverse coalition of countries, foundations, and philanthropists. The fund receives commitments from co-founders (UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Gates Foundation), as well as 20+ other philanthropic organizations including CIFF, UK International Development, and The Helmsley Charitable Trust. Funding is deployed to support country-led NTD elimination programs in Africa and Yemen.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Reaching the Last Mile Fund is a global health coalition that provides funding, tools, and technical expertise to support country-led elimination of river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis in Africa and Yemen. The fund deploys philanthropic capital through trusted implementation partners to enable mass drug administration campaigns, laboratory capacity strengthening, and disease surveillance, coordinating ministries of health, donors, and pharmaceutical partners.

Product overview

Reaching the Last Mile Fund (RLMF) is a global coalition and financing mechanism, not a unified software product. Rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, the organization provides funding, tools, and technical expertise to endemic countries to accelerate the elimination of two neglected tropical diseases (NTDs): river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis. RLMF does not offer discrete software products or modules but rather supports country-led NTD elimination programs through financial resources, partner coordination, and programmatic implementation. Implementation is carried out through trusted partners including The END Fund, The Carter Center, and Sightsavers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RLMF Country-Led NTD Elimination Programs A funding and coordination mechanism that provides financial resources, tools, and technical expertise to support African countries and Yemen in eliminating river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis through national health programs. Implementation is delivered through trusted partners (The END Fund, The Carter Center, Sightsavers) and supported by pharmaceutical donations of Mectizan and albendazole.

Quantifiable outcome

• Niger became the first African country verified to eliminate river blindness
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and supporting.

• The END FundcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrusted implementation partner facilitating program delivery across RLMF target countries. Expert organization in the fight against NTDs with established relationships with endemic country governments.
• The Carter CentercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrusted implementation partner, particularly active in countries like Chad where they assist with mass drug administration campaigns for river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.
• SightsaverscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrusted implementation partner facilitating program delivery across RLMF target countries. Supports community-directed distributors and training of surgeons in hydrocele operations.
• African Union Development Agency-NEPADstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted high-level event at TICAD9 alongside DNDi and Uniting to Combat NTDs to accelerate progress on NTDs through cross-regional partnerships.
• Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted TICAD9 side event with RLMF to highlight power of cross-regional partnerships in advancing universal health coverage and eliminating NTDs.
• Uniting to Combat NTDsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted TICAD9 side event alongside African Union Development Agency-NEPAD and DNDi to reaffirm commitment to ending NTDs.
• WHO Afro's Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRLMF convened strategic workshop with ESPEN to align on 2026-2030 Strategic Framework. Partners played pivotal role in shaping ESPEN's six strategic pillars including country support, access to medicines, data systems, and regional coordination.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)supportingTechnology or IntegrationParticipated in RLMF Country Consultation on Laboratory Capacity Strengthening in Abuja, Nigeria, contributing technical expertise.
• African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM)supportingTechnology or IntegrationParticipated in RLMF Country Consultation on Laboratory Capacity Strengthening alongside representatives from national laboratories and ministries of health.
• Amref Health AfricastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted virtual forum exploring how African countries can accelerate progress against NTDs, with RLMF participation featuring Dr. Ebere Okereke.
• Merck & Co. Inc. (MSD)coreOthersDonates Mectizan (ivermectin) for treatment of river blindness, with 5 billion treatments donated to date. Critical medicine supply partner enabling mass drug administration campaigns.
• GSKcoreOthersDonates albendazole for lymphatic filariasis treatment, used alongside Mectizan in mass drug administration campaigns in countries like Chad.
• African Union CommissionstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigned three-year Memorandum of Understanding with END Fund to accelerate NTD elimination, aligning with goals of Agenda 2063 and Africa Health Strategy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sightsavers: INGO focused on preventing avoidable blindness and supporting NTD elimination, and a core RLMF implementation partner. Operates in overlapping geographies (especially West Africa) and delivers community-directed treatment for river blindness and LF.
• The Carter Center: INGO running river blindness and LF elimination programs (notably in Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Sudan) and a core RLMF implementation partner. Comparable in disease focus, country footprint, and donor-funded mass drug administration model.
• The END Fund: Private philanthropic fund exclusively dedicated to ending NTDs and a designated implementation partner for RLMF. Directly comparable in mission, disease focus, and grantmaking-plus-implementation model across the same target countries.
• Uniting to Combat NTDs: Global collaborative partnership dedicated to the WHO NTD Roadmap 2030 and co-host of RLMF's TICAD9 side events. Comparable as a coalition-based advocacy and coordination body serving the same donor and country ministry ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Major pooled global health financing vehicle using public-private co-foundership and co-financing model analogous to RLMF's UAE + Gates founding structure. Comparable in governance design, funder mix, and country-led program delivery.
• UNICEF: UN agency delivering vaccines and medicines to children in fragile states, including LF and NTD co-delivery in many RLMF target countries. Comparable as a multilateral implementation and financing channel for country-level NTD programs.
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Largest pooled global health financing mechanism, working alongside RLMF in many of the same African ministries of health. Comparable as a multi-donor pooled fund that co-finances disease programs in low-income countries.

Emerging players

• Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): Global health organization negotiating access to medicines and supporting ministries of health in low-income countries on NTD-adjacent disease programs. Comparable as a technical-assistance and financing-mechanism partner working with the same governments.
• Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi): Not-for-profit R&D organization developing new treatments for NTDs and co-host of RLMF's TICAD9 events. Adjacent rather than directly competitive; addresses NTDs upstream through drug development rather than downstream delivery financing.

Others

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: One of two co-founders of RLMF and the dominant global health philanthropist in NTDs. Directly comparable as a funding partner for the same country programs, but operates at vastly larger scale across all global health verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RLMfund
• Facebookfacebook.com/RLMFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rlmfund
• Instagraminstagram.com/rlmfund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Reaching the Last Mile Fund