Health Equity Scholars for Action

Introduction and Purpose

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to dismantling barriers to health equity by prioritizing community knowledge and deepening the relationships that build community power, evidence, and systems of change.

RWJF has long funded research and sees it as an integral part of reimagining systems that create obstacles for many qualified individuals pursuing an academic career path. We believe that research and evidence is strongest when driven by a diverse academic workforce—one that reflects different perspectives, lived experiences, and ways of knowing—to challenge biases and conventions; promote innovation; and train future generations of scholars.

Launched in 2021, the Health Equity Scholars for Action (HES4A) program aims to support early-career researchers who are systemically underrepresented in health sciences and related fields. HES4A was designed to support research, mentorship, and connection with a community of support, to help participants thrive personally and professionally. In turn, scholars are better positioned to promote and expand health equity-related research and evidence aimed at dismantling systemic barriers to health and wellbeing, thus enhancing the lives of all Americans.

The goal of HES4A is to support the career development and academic progress of faculty conducting health equity research. Grants will be awarded to address the challenges that historically marginalized faculty typically experience and help them overcome obstacles to earning tenure. HES4A projects focus on transformative, action-oriented evidence addressing structural barriers and are aligned with RWJF’s mission to achieve equity. The program welcomes applications that apply an intersectional approach, with the aim of improving social, political, and economic conditions that support health and health equity.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for HES4A, the individual applicant must:

• Demonstrate challenges and/or barriers to full inclusion they have faced in their research disciplines because of their personal characteristics and/or experiences. To assess this factor, RWJF will evaluate each applicant’s experiences holistically to determine whether the applicant has demonstrated that they have faced challenges and/or barriers to full inclusion in the health equity field because of their personal characteristics and/or experiences, rather than the quality of their work. RWJF recognizes that individuals who have any of the following experiences are statistically more likely to have faced barriers in the academic field:
• First-generation college graduates;
• People for whom English is not a native language;
• People from low-income communities;
• Individuals with disabilities;
• Older or second career professionals; and
• People from geographically isolated locations.

However, these examples are intended to be illustrative only. As part of the application process, candidates will be asked to describe in what way they believe they are systemically marginalized and how they hope participation in the program will help them to overcome those barriers. Every applicant will have an opportunity to describe their own individual circumstances. RWJF will consider all forms of marginalization equally, including those that are self-described. RWJF will not select, exclude, or prioritize applicants based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or other protected characteristics. 

• Have completed a terminal degree within the last five years. The degree can be in any field and is not limited to public health or health sciences.
• Be a junior faculty member in an accredited school in the U.S. or its territories (“home institution”), with a full-time academic position that could lead to tenure, or a postdoctoral fellow poised to be in such a position by the start of the grant.
• Have a home institution that agrees to administer and receive the grant. The home institution must be an accredited academic institution. Applicants from any universities classified among the R2-M3 by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education are encouraged to apply.
• Individuals who have received grants to support predoctoral training or have a predoctoral fellowship grant are eligible to apply.
• Individuals who have been principal or co-principal investigators on a grant greater than $10,000, since receiving their doctoral degree, regardless of the source (e.g., federal grants, foundation grants, corporate grants, institutional grant) or allocation of funds, are not eligible for HES4A. See frequently asked questions for further clarification.
• Individuals who have received support from other post-graduate research fellowships/traineeships (e.g., research career development award or equivalent) are not eligible for HES4A. Investigators are not discouraged or prevented from applying to other fellowships/traineeships while participating in the program.
• Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time of application. As federal policy or laws change, we may need to consider adjustments in eligibility and grant terms.
• Not be related by blood or marriage to any Officer or Trustee of RWJF, or be a descendant of its founder, Robert Wood Johnson.
• Federal, state, tribal, and local government employees are eligible to apply unless they are considered government officials under Section 4946 of the Internal Revenue Code. 

Key Dates and Deadlines

October 10, 2025 (1-2 p.m. ET)
Optional applicant webinar. Registration is required through this link.

October 15, 2025, 1:00-2:00 PM ET
October 21, 2025, 2:00-3:00 PM ET
We are also hosting several virtual “office hours” to speak with RWJF program officers and staff. These
are open to all applicants, on a drop-in basis. These will NOT be recorded. Join the office hours by going to “Programmatic Office Hours,” within the “Resources” section, of the Application and Review system, accessed through  the “Apply Online” button from the CFP overview page."

November 6, 2025 (3 p.m. ET)
Deadline for receipt of letters of intent.

January 6, 2026
Invitation to select applicants to submit full proposals.

March 12, 2026 (3 p.m. ET)
Deadline for receipt of full proposals.

April 2026
Semifinalist interviews via web conference.

May 2026
Notification of finalists.

July 15, 2026
Grant start; program begins.

Total Awards

• Number of Awards: Up to 15 awards will be funded.
• Amount of Award: Each award will be up to $260,000.
• Use of Funds: Award funds can cover up to 70 percent of the scholar's salary for two years (capped at $75,000 per year), with the remainder of the award to be used for research and other related expenses. See frequently asked questions for details.
• Payment of Awards: Grants made to participating institutions will be in accordance with RWJF's funding guidelines. The grant funds provided to the institutions under the program cover the scholars’ annual stipends and health insurance, and expenses associated with their research and travel. In keeping with RWJF policy, grant funds may not be used to support clinical trials of unapproved drugs or devices, to construct or renovate facilities, for lobbying, or as a substitute for funds currently being used to support similar activities. Payment of the award generally will be based upon spending against approved budgets or milestones (not invoices).