Local Data for Equitable Communities

Introduction & Purpose

This call for proposals (CFP) invites eligible nonprofit organizations in the U.S. to apply for a grant to collect, analyze, and use data to address inequities in the physical, economic, and social conditions of a place under the Local Data for Equitable Communities grant program.

Improving these conditions is key to achieving health equity where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. Local data can be valuable tools to make progress on building places that offer everyone the chance to be as healthy as possible. Community organizations and residents can use data to understand challenges, set priorities, advocate for what is important to them, and hold others accountable for promised changes.

This program will fund local data projects that build on applicants' knowledge, relationships, and experience with existing change efforts with new opportunities or momentum for local action. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) expects to award up to 30 grants of $50,000 each with a period of performance of nine months. The Urban Institute, as the national coordinating center for this program, collaborates with RWJF on program design, grantee support, and communications. 

We encourage applicants to attend and/or view the applicant webinar and carefully review the CFP and Program Specific FAQs before applying.

Eligible Geography: Applicants must focus their projects on local geographies in the U.S. or U.S territories:

• Neighborhood(s) within a city or county (do not need to be contiguous);
• City, county, or other municipality (must be contiguous if multiple are the focus of the project);
• A single metropolitan area; or
• A tribal area

Eligible Topics: Applicants must select only one of the following conditions of their selected geography as the primary focus of their project: 

• Built environment, 
• Climate and environment,
• Community safety, 
• Healthy food access, 
• Housing, or 
• Transportation.

Eligible Activities: This grant program provides flexibility for applicants to determine what data are needed to answer their proposed project questions and how those data are collected, analyzed, disseminated, and ultimately put to use by community members to bring about changes in local policies and practices. There is no preference for qualitative or quantitative data and applicants should choose the methods that are best suited to produce the information that is needed. Please see the “Selection Criteria” section in the Call for Proposals for the factors used to assess the proposed projects. Summaries for past projects of Local Data for Equitable Communities grantees are available at LocalDataforEquitableCommunities.org.

Organization Eligibility

• Awards will be made to organizations, not to individuals.
• Applicants must be nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) or Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The following eligibility exceptions apply:
  • Not eligible to apply: All universities, whether nonprofit, public, or private, whether tax exempt under the Code or not.
  • Not eligible to apply: All state and local government agencies whether tax exempt under the Code or not, including but not limited to, agencies representing states, cities, towns, and villages; public health departments; school districts; and public schools. 
  • Not eligible to apply: Private foundations or nonfunctionally integrated Type III supporting organizations, whether tax exempt under the IRS Code or not.
• Also eligible are organizations that are fiscally sponsored by an eligible tax-exempt 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organization. The fiscal sponsor is required to provide the total amount of the award to the organization that will perform the program activities as described in the application, less the fiscal sponsorship fee. The fiscal sponsorship fee is an allowable expense under the award. The Foundation may require additional documentation in these cases.
• Applicant organizations must be based in the U.S. or its territories.
• Applicants cannot be a current grantee of the Local Data for Equitable Communities program.
• Organizations may only submit one proposal. 
• Applicant organizations may contract with and collaborate with any type of organization for their projects. Only one eligible nonprofit organization may represent the collaboration as the applicant and be the Foundation’s contact in the application process. 
• The applicant organization must play a substantive role in the project.
• See the Call for Proposals for more information on eligible and ineligible activities.

Key Dates & Deadlines

• January 27, 2026
  CFP launches.
• February 5, 2026 (1 p.m. ET)
  Optional applicant webinar. Registration is required through this link.
• March 3, 2026 (3 p.m. ET)
  Deadline for receipt of full proposals.
• May 11, 2026
  Awarded applicants are notified.
• July 1, 2026
  Grant start date.

Total Awards

• Type of Award: Awards funded under this opportunity will be structured as grants.

• Number of Awards: Up to 30 awards will be funded. 

• Amount of Award: Each award will be $50,000.

• Award Duration: Awards will be for nine months.