Making a Difference Program 2024

The Greenwall Foundation's "Making a Difference in Real-World Bioethics Dilemmas" grant program aims to support research that resolves important emerging or unanswered bioethics problems within clinical, biomedical, or public health decision-making, policy, or practice. This program is directly aligned with the Foundation's vision to make bioethics integral to decisions in health care, policy, and research, and its mission to expand bioethics knowledge for improved decision-making and practice. The Foundation makes awards to individuals affiliated with tax-exempt institutions in the United States. The program targets researchers and institutions whose projects can demonstrate a real-world, practical impact, particularly those that address identified bioethics dilemmas. The ultimate impact goal is to improve health care, policy, and research by integrating ethical considerations more effectively. The Foundation prioritizes proposals that promote its vision and mission through innovative bioethics research. Projects that aim to influence public policy are welcome, provided they do not constitute advocacy with predetermined conclusions. The Foundation has several priority topics, including trust in science, medicine, and public health; bias and discrimination in health care across various characteristics; public health crises such as emerging infectious diseases, climate change, and the opioid epidemic, including their mental health impacts; and healthcare access, costs, and resource allocation. While these topics are prioritized, innovative proposals addressing other real-world, practical bioethics problems are also encouraged. Expected outcomes for funded projects include the generation of new bioethics knowledge that can inform and improve decision-making, policy, or practice. The Foundation expects projects to demonstrate a clear plan for dissemination and implementation to stakeholder audiences beyond academia, including key individuals capable of enacting change. Projects are evaluated on their innovative nature, rigorous methods, likelihood of impacting policy or practice, and the expertise of the research team. Mentored projects for early-career faculty and pilot/feasibility studies are also considered with the goal of securing further funding. Priority is given to projects with smaller budgets and shorter timelines.