Deadline: 16-Jul-25
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is requesting proposals for its Research to Advance Racial and Indigenous Health Equity to promote health equity and combat structural racism as the most fundamental barrier to health in America.
Purpose
- The purpose of this call for proposals is to meet the current moment through two approaches:
- support timely, actionable health equity research that has been interrupted by shifts in federal funding; and
- support community-driven research that uplifts the knowledge, expertise, and power of historically marginalized racial and Indigenous communities to develop or test solutions that advance racial and Indigenous health equity.
Categories
- Rapid Response Research Funding: Rapid Response Research grants are specifically designed to support and advance applicants who are experiencing unexpected funding gaps. While they will not re-scrutinize the scientific merits of projects that have lost federal funding, our intent is to support research consistent with Evidence for Action’s mission to advance action-oriented racial and Indigenous health equity research that focuses on solutions that are innovative, push beyond the status quo, and target root causes.
- New Research Support Funding: New Research grants aim to support research that centers community needs, experiences, assets, and expertise and deeply and critically interrogates upstream solutions to root causes of racial and Indigenous health inequities.
Funding Information
- Rapid Response Research Funding:
- Awards may range from $50,000 to $200,000. Please request only what is necessary to allow them to fund as many recipients as possible. They expect larger awards to correspond with more distributed funding (e.g., multiple people’s salaries or multiple activities).
- Award Duration: Awards may be for up to two years (24 months) in duration.
- New Research Support Funding:
- They expect to award approximately four grants at $250,000 each and approximately four grants at $500,000 each.
- Award Duration: Awards may be up to three years (36 months) in duration.
Eligibility Criteria
- Rapid Response Research Funding:
- Applicants whose health equity research projects have lost federal funding are eligible to apply. Documentation demonstrating impact is required (e.g., a termination letter).
- They welcome applications from organizations with Project Directors of all personal and professional backgrounds. They especially encourage applications that include:
- Project Directors having backgrounds and life experiences that are underrepresented on research teams, including Indigenous, Black, Latino, and other persons of color;
- They will prioritize applications that include Project Director(s) who are:
- early to midcareer antiracist or anticolonial researchers (who are within 10 years of completion of the highest earned degree or up to two years post-tenure);
- neither a Project Director on a current RWJF grant nor receiving greater than 25% of their salary from a current RWJF grant.
- All organizations based in the United States or its occupied territories are eligible to apply. Submissions from teams that include both U.S. and international members are eligible, but the lead applicant organization must be based in the United States or its occupied territories and the research must focus on improving health equity in the U.S.
- New Research Support Funding:
- Only one organization may serve as the lead applicant. The lead applicant organization must be a community-based organization (CBO) with a strong track record of racial and/or Indigenous health equity work. CBOs eligible to serve as applicant organizations include Section 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, certain for-profit organizations, local and state government agencies, and tribal organizations.
- If necessary, the applicant organization may utilize the services of a fiscal sponsor to support the project’s financial management and grants management and reporting activities.
- Research institutions such as universities and contract research organizations are not eligible to serve as lead organizations for this CFP, but may partner with eligible applicant organizations as contractors, consultants, or fiscal sponsors.
- Applicant organizations must be based in the United States and/or its occupied territories. Submissions from teams that include both U.S. and international members are eligible, but the lead applicant organization must be based, and the research must focus on improving health equity in the United States or its occupied territories.
Selection Criteria
- Rapid Response Research Funding:
- Commitment to racial and Indigenous equity: applicants must exhibit a track record of conducting health equity research, evidenced by prior funding, advocacy, publication, and other efforts that are indicative of research work focused on racial and Indigenous equity;
- Alignment with E4A program values: applicants should be involved in community centered, action-oriented research focused on structural solutions to advance racial and Indigenous health equity;
- Sustainability of impact and vision: applicants should be able to describe a vision for their body of work and how the funds will contribute to preserving and building toward this vision;
- Timeliness: applicants should be able to receive and allocate funding for the stated purpose(s) in a timely manner (i.e., ability to spend grant funds should not be contingent on other institutional factors aside from normal administrative processes); and must be able to carry out the project as originally intended.
- New Research Support Funding:
- Relevance and significance to advancing racial and/or Indigenous health equity: The problem is situated within a root causes framework that clearly demonstrates how the solution being studied contributes to racial and/or Indigenous health equity; considers potential solutions from a systemic or structural perspective; and can inform clear policy and/or implementation priorities at the institutional, systemic, and/or structural level.
- Actionability: Be action-oriented and either be led by or in meaningful partnership with impacted communities. Results will inform a specific course of action for change and/or establish beneficial practices; and demonstrate potential for practical and timely application of the research findings in the real world.
- Methodological appropriateness: Include a clear research question(s) and employ methods appropriate for answering the question(s). The research and outcomes must be guided by appropriate concepts, frameworks, and worldviews.
Deadlines
- Rapid Response Research Funding: 28 May, 2025.
- New Research Support Funding: 16 July, 2025.
For more information, visit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.