From Insight to Action: Health Equity Research that Meets This Moment

Background

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to transforming health in our lifetime and to paving the way to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. To achieve that vision, RWJF supports health equity research that “increases opportunities for everyone to live the healthiest life possible, no matter who we are, where we live, or how much money we make.” Achieving health equity requires identifying solutions to the historical and contemporary root causes of inequities.

Our society is currently facing ongoing policy shifts and administrative actions that undermine its advances in achieving health equity, which includes centering the voice of communities that experience persistent health-harming injustices and structural discrimination. Those efforts have spread confusing mis- and disinformation; made critical data and information inaccessible; criminalized a wide range of communities and populations; and weakened access to fundamental protections and public goods—like the right to vote, freedom of speech, and healthcare and public health services, to name a few.

Purpose

The current challenging political environment underscores the value of timely, credible research that is grounded in real‑world conditions—the type of research that has propelled the progress toward health equity our society has made. That is why RWJF is launching this CFP as part of a new research funding program, Health Equity Research for Action (HERA). HERA will support community-rooted, action-oriented health equity research that reflects lived realities and responds to immediate and long-term needs. The research will help maintain access to evidence, support accountability, and inform efforts to build more equitable systems. HERA is being developed and will be administered by three national coordinating centers (NCCs) based at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and the Morehouse School of Medicine.

RWJF and the NCCs are interested in research that identifies the root causes of structural discrimination, challenges harmful narratives that undermine individual and community health and wellbeing, and disrupts growing mis- and disinformation. While HERA is still in its early stages, we are hoping this first CFP will sustain and advance health equity research during this critical time, while generating insights that can help shape HERA’s future funding priorities and strategies. Proposals submitted under this first CFP must include research that is conducted in equitable community partnership; focuses on at least one of RWJF’s seven Prioritized Systems; informs systems change; and leads to actionable solutions.

Even as HERA evolves, it will consistently prioritize investing in research that is conducted in deep partnerships with communities that center and are rooted in community experience. Through this work, HERA aims to contribute to more inclusive and responsive legal, political, and economic systems that shape people’s lives and their health and wellbeing. The goal is to achieve a Health Science Knowledge System that is accessible, trusted, and better aligned with the pursuit of equitable health and wellbeing outcomes for all people in the United States.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

• Applicants must demonstrate an existing, authentic, and accountable community partnership of at least two years (with more time preferred). One of the co-principal investigators must be a representative or leadership from community-based organizations.
• Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories.
• Preference will be given to applicants that are either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundations or Type III supporting organizations. The Foundation may require additional documentation. 
• Consistent with our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commitment, we particularly encourage applications that include project directors or team members from backgrounds historically underrepresented in research disciplines or with diverse lived experiences, including diversity of lived experiences related to race, ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual orientation, immigration, religion, and seniority. 
• RWJF will not select, exclude, or prioritize applicants based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or other protected characteristics.
• Applicants who have been or are currently RWJF grantees are eligible to apply. 
• Only one organization may serve as the lead applicant. 
   

Key Dates & Deadlines

• April 27, 2026
  A pre-recorded applicant webinar will be made available. 
  
  
• May 14, 2026 (3 p.m. ET) 
  Deadline for receipt of letters of intent.
  
  
• June 29, 2026
  Applicants are notified whether they are invited to submit full proposals.
  
  
• July 27, 2026 (3 p.m. ET) 
  Deadline for receipt of full proposals.
  
  
• August 21, 2026
  Applicants are notified of review committee decisions.
  
  
• Fall 2026
  Grant start date.
   

Total Awards

• Type of Award: Awards will be structured as project grants and will be given to organizations, not to individuals.
  
  
• Number of Awards: We expect to award about 20 grants. The number of grants to be awarded will be determined based on the number, size, and scope of the studies proposed. We expect to award grants in a range of sizes.
  
  
• Amount of Award: This CFP will award a combined total of up to $8 million, with awards of up to $500,000 per project. Applicants are encouraged to request budgets that reflect the scope and needs of their work.
  
  
• Award Duration: Awards may be up to 36 months. However, we encourage projects to share interim findings with decisionmakers and community organizations early to be as timely as possible.
  
  
• Use of Grant Funds: Grant funds may be used to support all research-related aspects of a project, including project staff salaries; compensation for community or academic partners; consultant fees; travel stipends; support for participant involvement; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; dissemination; translation; meetings; supplies; and other direct project expenses. A limited amount of equipment essential to the project and dissemination is allowable.