How Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation aligned its grant processes with Optimy
Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation (NNHF)
Founded in 2005 in Switzerland, the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation (NNHF) is a grant-making non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with haemophilia and allied bleeding disorders in developing and emerging countries. NNHF awards grants through a rigorous, multi-stage process culminating in a twice-yearly Council decision.
hq: Switzerland | founded: 2005
A thorough, multi-stage grant process managed across dispersed teams
NNHF's grant selection process involves multiple stages: a focused initial eligibility screening, a detailed full application, a regional synopsis prepared by the responsible team member, and a twice-yearly Council meeting where final decisions are made. Coordinating all of this across different teams and regions — and collecting the right data for Council pre-reading — required a platform built for foundations, not generic software.
- Three-part application — only in-scope applicants advance to full submission
- Regional synopses needed as Council pre-reading — prepared manually per region
- Internal software considered but not suitable for foundation-specific workflows
- Need to collect exactly the right applicant data — without overburdening applicants
A foundation-oriented platform — with everything happening in one place
Optimy was chosen for its flexibility in adapting to NNHF's specific workflow and for the ease with which custom questions can be set up per the foundation's needs. The whole process — from application through Council documentation and decision — now happens within a single tool, with files downloadable directly for Council packs.
- Multi-stage application workflow: Three-part application designed in Optimy — only eligible applicants advance to full submission, ensuring the team reviews only relevant proposals.
- In-tool Council documentation: Files downloaded directly from Optimy for Council pre-reading packs — standardizing project synopses and improving decision-meeting preparation.
- Custom question setup: Questions and form layout configured independently to match NNHF's focus areas and data needs — with the freedom to adjust as the foundation's strategy evolves.
- Past project traceability: All previous projects accessible and searchable in Optimy — making it easy to review past evaluations, track history, and build on institutional knowledge.
Standardized processes, stronger team alignment, and easier applicant experience
Since adopting Optimy, NNHF has improved internal communication and decision-making, standardized the grant process across all regions, and made it significantly easier for applicants to submit high-quality proposals. The team is better aligned, and past projects are easily traceable — a key asset for a foundation working across developing countries.
Founded in 2005
Supporting haemophilia care in emerging countries
2×/year council decisions
All preparation and documentation managed in Optimy
3-part application
Staged eligibility screening built directly into the platform
Aligned team
All processes in one place — improved cross-team coordination
The Optimy tool is created to adapt to foundations' needs. Optimy helped us to be more aligned across our projects, and I like that it's an online tool. With times we are living, the tool has a big positive impact on how we work as a team.
Project Manager — Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation
NNHF standardized its complex, multi-stage grant process across all regions — with everything from eligibility screening to Council pre-reading managed in one foundation-oriented platform.
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