Making a Difference Program

The Greenwall Foundation’s “Making a Difference in Real-World Bioethics Dilemmas” program supports innovative bioethics research that directly influences decision-making in clinical care, biomedical research, and public health policy. The foundation has opened its Spring 2026 Request for Proposals under this program. Rooted in a mission to embed bioethics in health-related decision-making, the foundation prioritizes work that generates real-world impact through normative, conceptual, or empirical research. These projects must ultimately improve clinical, biomedical, or public health practices by addressing significant ethical dilemmas and offering actionable recommendations. The Making a Difference program invites proposals that are strongly aligned with the foundation's vision of building a broad and inclusive bioethics discipline. Applicants are encouraged to elevate diverse perspectives and collaborate across sectors, particularly including voices with lived experience relevant to the ethical issues being addressed. This year’s RFP highlights priority areas such as trust in science and medicine, bias and discrimination in healthcare, ethical concerns arising from public health crises (e.g., infectious diseases, climate change), healthcare costs and resource allocation, and the shifting landscape of federal biomedical policy. Eligible projects may take many forms, including pilot studies, feasibility studies, and mentored research involving postdoctoral or early-career scholars. Teams are expected to include both bioethics scholars and practitioners from relevant fields such as clinical medicine, public health, or industry sectors like biotechnology or AI. Dissemination beyond academia is essential; applicants must explain how results will reach policymakers, health service leaders, and community audiences, with a focus on implementation and impact. The foundation does not fund projects lacking a primary focus on bioethics, those that merely describe ethical issues without offering solutions, infrastructure or educational initiatives, advocacy projects with predetermined outcomes, or projects led by individuals without a doctoral-level degree (e.g., PhD, MD, JD). Applications must be submitted by individuals affiliated with tax-exempt institutions. Each applicant may only lead one proposal at a time across the foundation’s programs. The Spring 2026 cycle uses a two-phase application process. Letters of Intent (LOIs) are due by January 5, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET. Those selected will be invited to submit a full proposal by March 16, 2026. Funding decisions will be announced in late May, with projects to begin on or after July 1 and no later than October 1, 2026. The foundation also plans to issue another RFP in Fall 2026. To submit an LOI, applicants must create an account at https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=greenwall. Applications must come directly from the principal investigator. Required LOI components include a project title, summary, applicable priority topic, requested funding and duration, research team details, and a structured narrative. The narrative must address the ethical issue, research aims, methods, dissemination strategy, innovation and impact, relevance to the foundation’s mission, and team qualifications. The narrative is limited to three single-spaced pages plus references. Questions about the application process should be directed to Kyle Ruempler at [email protected].

Prioritize dissemination outside academia; smaller budgets and timelines preferred; avoid predetermined conclusions or advocacy framing.