Call for Proposals: Indigenous-Led Solutions to Advance Health Equity and Wellbeing (United States)

Deadline: 01-Mar-2024

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is seeking applications to support Indigenous-led systematic inquiry to enhance the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples and generate approaches to improve health equity.

This will be achieved by funding community-prioritized investigation, elevating and integrating Indigenous cultures and knowledge-building practices. To support a diverse range of projects tailored to different phases of development and scope, awards will be made through two tracks, as described later in this solicitation.

Projects should:

• center the needs, experiences, and strengths of Indigenous communities, such as thriving in the face of historical trauma;
• be reflective of Indigenous worldviews and concepts of knowledge, health and wellbeing;
• be able to inform a specific course of action and/or establish beneficial practices.
• Strategies focused on developing healthy and equitable communities; ensuring economic inclusion for family wellbeing; and fostering alignment of equitable and affordable public health and healthcare systems are of particular interest to RWJF.

Tracks

• Track 1: Initiating and Developing Research Capacity and Infrastructure
  • Examples of projects that may be a good fit for Track 1 include, but are not limited to:
    • Use of TDPR, or Indigenous research methods and approaches to identify solutions and strategies for health that are prioritized by Indigenous Peoples.
    • Carrying out Indigenous-grounded needs assessments to identify research priorities that matter to Indigenous communities.
• Track 2: Supporting Later-Stage, Sustained Research Efforts
  • Examples of projects that may be a good fit for Track 2 include, but are not limited to:
    • Developing restorative justice or reconciliation projects that aim to address historical injustices and promote healing.
    • Measuring the impact of strategies that target structural or systemic inequities for Indigenous populations (e.g., cultural revitalization initiatives).

Funding Information

• Amount of Award: A total of up to $4 million will be awarded through this CFP.
  • Track 1: Initiating and Developing Research Capacity and Infrastructure
    • There is not an explicit budget cap for awards funded under this track, but they expect that grants will be in the approximate range of $100,000–$400,000 total. They anticipate much of the grant duration to involve relationshipbuilding, trust development, and community feedback processes. Proposals must demonstrate a clear plan for ongoing and sustained collaboration and continued work with newly engaged partners.
  • Track 2: Supporting Later-Stage, Sustained Research Efforts
    • There is not an explicit budget cap for awards funded under this track, but they expect grants will be in the range of approximately $500,000–$750,000 total. They expect project teams to demonstrate established, equitable partnerships with Indigenous communities who can begin testing a solution or strategy as part of their project.

Duration of Awards

• Preference is for award durations between two and three years (24–36 months), but durations of up to five years (60 months) will be considered with reasonable justification.

Eligibility Criteria

• Awards will be made to organizations, not to individuals.
• Preference will be given to applicant organizations that are Tribal entities (including those that are state recognized, federally recognized, or have no formal recognition status) or Indigenous-Serving Organizations, including Urban Indian Organizations. Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories.
• They strive to support research teams with diverse lived experiences, including diversity of lived experiences related to race, ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual orientation, and seniority. They particularly encourage the following individuals to apply:
  • Project directors who are American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or otherwise Indigenous to the United States or its territories;
  • Researchers from organizations that are underrepresented among RWJF grantee institutions, including Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Asian American/Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, and other Indigenous-Serving Organizations; and
  • First-time applicants for an RWJF grant.
• Applicants who have been or are currently RWJF grantees are eligible to apply.
• Only one organization may serve as the lead applicant.
  • For Track 1, this must be a Tribal entity or Indigenous-Serving Organization.
  • For Track 2, this is not required to be a Tribal entity or Indigenous-Serving Organization.

For more information, visit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.