Healthy Eating Research – Apr 5

Posted by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on March 7, 2023

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation invites applications for Healthy Eating Research

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation invites applications for Healthy Eating Research (HER), a national program committed to building a Culture of Health by identifying effective strategies to improve children’s nutrition and weight. HER’s mission is to support and disseminate research on policy, systems, and environmental strategies that promote healthy eating among children and advance nutrition security and health equity. Some goals of the program are to: build a vibrant, inclusive, interdisciplinary research base in healthy food access, nutrition security, diet quality, and healthy weight; and communicate research findings to accelerate policy, systems, and environmental changes. HER issues call for proposals (CFPs) to solicit scientifically rigorous, solution-oriented proposals from investigators representing diverse disciplines and backgrounds.

According to RWJF, access to affordable, nutritious, culturally appropriate food should be a human right. All families in the United States should be able to provide their children with nutritious foods that support optimal growth and development.

This CFP hopes to generate evidence on supportive family policies and programs that have strong potential to impact equitable access to nutritious food in communities, nutrition security, diet quality, and improved nutrition and health outcomes. Programs that will be studied include federal nutrition assistance programs; hunger-relief programs; community-powered food systems efforts; and social and economic programs (nonfood policies). RWJF is especially interested in strategies to improve health outcomes for children ages 0 to 18 at the highest risk for poor nutrition, specifically lower-income families and the racially and ethnically diverse populations experiencing higher health disparities.

Through this CFP, RWJF aims to learn what does and does not work and why; under what circumstances, who most benefits from these policies and programs; and if disparity gaps are reduced. The foundation is interested in solution-oriented research focusing on policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change at the national, state, local, and tribal levels. The PSE research strategies can focus on strengthening existing policies or programs, evaluating current policies or programs, or designing and pilot-testing new policy-relevant innovative programs. Findings will guide and inform decision-making about policy and system changes to advance nutrition equity and improve health.

Up to $2.5 million will be awarded through this CFP, with each award up to a maximum of $275,000 over 24 months. RWJF encourages proposals that request lower budget amounts and shorter periods.

Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or territories to be eligible. Awards will be made to organizations, not to individuals, and 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.

Concept papers are due April 5, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. ET, and upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, due July 12, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website.

Deadline: April 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. ET (Concept papers)