The Washington Global Health Fund awarded grants to BURN Design Lab ($120,000) and PRONTO International ($50,000).
BURN Design Lab  on Vashon Island received $120,000 to manufacture high-quality biomass cookstoves in Kenya and East Africa. The grant will be used to redesign their high-efficiency charcoal cookstove to meet a lower price point for the end user while stimulating the creation of five jobs in Washington.
The fund awarded PRONTO International in Seattle $50,000 to stimulate production of their in-demand PRONTOPack™, an essential kit for conducting high-fidelity, low-cost simulation and team trainings for obstetric and neonatal emergencies around the world. Funds come at a critical time for PRONTO as they prepare the PRONTOPack™ for broader launch at May’s 2013 Women Deliver Conference. Funds will initially support the salary of one staff member in Washington state and the production of the PRONTOPack™.
"We at PRONTO International are thrilled—this funding will bring the latest innovation in simulation to the communities and providers who serve the world's women and babies,” said PRONTO International Executive Director, Dilys Walker, an associate professor of global health at UW.
The Washington Global Health Fund, established in 2010 by the Washington State Legislature, provides grants to encourage the commercialization of global health technologies and create jobs in Washington State. In its first two years, the fund awarded $640,000 for the creation of 22 new jobs and 60,000 devices that will directly benefit more than 34,000 people. Grantees leveraged the funding provided and secured an additional $678,000 for their projects.