Making a Difference Request for Proposals

The Greenwall Foundation’s “Making a Difference in Real-World Bioethics Dilemmas” program invites proposals for its Spring 2026 cycle. This private foundation is known for its commitment to integrating bioethics into clinical care, public health, and policy decision-making. It seeks to support innovative bioethics research that addresses urgent and unresolved ethical questions in real-world healthcare, biomedical, and public health contexts. The Foundation emphasizes funding research that produces actionable insights and policy-informing outcomes, and this grant program is a central mechanism through which it achieves that mission. Proposals should align with the Foundation’s vision of a broad, inclusive bioethics and should demonstrate potential for practical impact. While proposals addressing any significant bioethics issue are welcome, priority will be given to projects focused on trust in science and medicine, discrimination in healthcare, public health crises such as the opioid epidemic or climate change, healthcare access and cost, and policy changes at the federal level. Projects may be conceptual, normative, or empirical, and may include pilot or feasibility studies designed to secure future funding. The Foundation favors interdisciplinary teams with demonstrated experience. Projects should be led by principal investigators holding doctoral-level degrees (PhD, JD, MD or equivalent) and should include collaboration with those directly engaged in the relevant bioethics dilemma. Applicants are encouraged to include stakeholders such as clinicians, researchers, or public service personnel, and to clearly describe their dissemination strategies beyond academia, such as to institutional leaders or community stakeholders. Letters of intent (LOIs) are due January 5, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. ET. From these, selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals due March 16, 2026. Awards will be announced in late May 2026, and projects must commence between July 1 and October 1, 2026. Projects with shorter timelines and smaller budgets are preferred. Funding includes a 10% indirect cost allowance for salaries and benefits only, and investigator salaries are capped at 1.5 times the NIH cap. Award sizes and total available funding vary per cycle. Applications must be submitted via the Foundation's online portal. Submission must be completed using the PI's own account, and technical questions may be directed to [email protected] or program officer Kyle Ruempler at [email protected]. LOIs require a detailed narrative addressing the bioethics problem, aims, methods, dissemination, innovation, relevance to the Foundation's mission, and team qualifications. CVs of two key personnel and budget details are also required. The Foundation does not fund advocacy projects, education programs, or applications lacking a central ethical focus.

Highlight strategic alignment; focus on dissemination beyond academia; encourage mentor collaboration for early-career applicants