Updated May 2026:

• From Insight to Action: Health Equity Research that Meets This Moment, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, LOI Due May 14

  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.

• Partnership Development Award, South Jersey Institute for Population Health, Due August 31, 2026

  The South Jersey Institute for Population Health (SJIPH), established by the Rowan University / Rutgers – Camden Board of Governors to improve health outcomes in our region, is pleased to announce its Partnership Development Award call for 2026. SJIPH’s Call for Proposals will fund community-based organizations working in Southern New Jersey (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic, and Cape May counties) with $5,000 to found and develop a partnership with faculty from Rowan and/or Rutgers-Camden.

  This funding cycle has two main goals:

  1. To support and fund community organizations to help them create partnerships with at least one faculty member from Rutgers-Camden and/or Rowan University.

  2. To support partnerships in applying for SJIPH’s main round of funding for community-engaged research projects. For more information on the main round of funding, click here.

  For this initiative, projects should meet the following criteria:

  Community-based organizations should focus on a population health or population medicine approach to directly improve health, build capacity, and/or reduce health disparities in Southern New Jersey.

  The geographic focus on the work must be in Southern New Jersey (counties: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic, and Cape May counties).

  For this round of funding, we prioritize applications that a) enhance access to clinical care, b) leverage data-driven health projects, c) advance public health interventions and/or d) utilize population health or public health approaches. Projects that impact rural communities in southern NJ are encouraged. Successful proposals will utilize evidence-based or evidence-informed methodologies to drive measurable health improvements. To support these initiatives, we anticipate awarding up to 10 Partnership Development Awards.