community-led systems research to address systemic racism – Jun 4

Posted by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on May 6, 2025

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation issues call for proposals for community-led systems research to address systemic racism

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime and paving the way together to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. To achieve that vision, RWJF is deepening its focus on dismantling structural racism, one of the biggest barriers to health in America. Racism and injustice have become embedded in many structures of American society, including the delivery and financing systems that support medical care, public health programs, and social services.

Effective solutions to systemic racism require medical care organizations working in partnership with public health and social services systems. Since 2015, RWJF’s Systems for Action (S4A) signature research program has supported research studies that test novel ideas for aligning delivery and financing systems across sectors in ways to address the health and social needs of people experiencing health inequities.

This 2025 call for proposals will provide funding for a cohort of community-led pilot studies to produce new, actionable evidence about how to help medical, social, and public health systems work together to address forms of systemic racism. This call focuses specifically on systems alignment (SA) interventions that have the potential to dismantle or disrupt the health effects of systemic racism and to positively affect the health and well-being of communities that experience systemic racism. S4A prioritizes SA interventions that, if successful, can be rapidly replicated and spread to many communities and contexts across the United States to achieve broad national impact. The RWJF is particularly interested in studies of SA interventions that address one or more of the following topics: addressing resource inequities across systems, strengthening the voice and authority of marginalized communities, and applying equitable use of decision support tools.

Up to five awards of up to $200,000 will be awarded.

To be eligible, applicants must be a CBO that is actively engaged in serving communities that experience systemic racism. For the purposes of this call, CBOs eligible to serve as applicant organizations include section 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, local and state government agencies, and tribal organizations. 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. RWJF may require additional documentation. Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories.

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

Deadline: June 4, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET