Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), one of the nation’s leading private philanthropies dedicated to improving health equity, has announced its 2025 Call for Proposals under the program “Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research.” This initiative is intended to sustain vital health equity research that has been disrupted due to shifts in federal funding priorities and rescissions. The Foundation, through its Evidence for Action (E4A) program, emphasizes action-oriented research that is community-centered, focused on dismantling structural racism, and designed to advance systems change. RWJF underscores its commitment to racial and Indigenous health equity as a core element of its mission to ensure that health is recognized as a right, not a privilege. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide rapid response research support to projects that have already been awarded federal funding from agencies such as NIH, CDC, or NSF but have since experienced partial or full termination of that funding due to administrative action. This program seeks to prevent the loss of critical research momentum by reinvesting in projects that were previously vetted and found meritorious, allowing investigators to continue their work and sustain progress toward racial and Indigenous health equity. By funding such projects, RWJF aims to ensure the preservation of innovative research agendas that address upstream solutions targeting systemic barriers to health, including inequities in housing, food, education, employment, and healthcare access. The funding structure provides grants ranging between $50,000 and $200,000, with the stipulation that applicants may only request an amount equivalent to the federal funding that remained unspent at the time of termination. Grant funds can cover a wide variety of costs previously approved under federal awards, such as research staff salaries, trainee support, community partner engagement, participant incentives, consultant fees, data-related expenses, travel, dissemination activities, supplies, and costs associated with community governance processes. Indirect costs are also permitted. However, funds cannot be used to support clinical trials of unapproved drugs or devices, construction or renovation of facilities, or lobbying and political activities. Awards may last up to 24 months, and payments will be tied to spending milestones rather than invoicing. Eligibility is limited to organizations, not individuals, that can demonstrate the termination of federal funding through official documentation such as a termination letter or stop-work order. The lead applicant organization must be based in the United States or its territories, and the research must focus on advancing health equity within the United States. Although international collaborators are allowed, the lead entity must be U.S.-based. The program prioritizes early- to midcareer project directors who are within 15 years of their most recent degree, with an emphasis on antiracist and anticolonial researchers from historically underrepresented backgrounds, including Indigenous, Black, and Latino scholars. Biomedical or bench science projects are not eligible, as the program focuses primarily on social science and applied research with structural-level solutions. The selection process will be managed by RWJF’s Research-Evaluation-Learning department, with proposals reviewed by experts, RWJF staff, and the Evidence for Action national program office at the University of California, San Francisco. Proposals will be evaluated on commitment to racial and Indigenous health equity, alignment with E4A’s values of community-centered research, the sustainability of long-term impact, and timeliness in continuing research. Applicants must demonstrate their capacity to quickly allocate funds and make meaningful progress toward the original scope of their work. RWJF places strong emphasis on maintaining open access for funded research outputs, requiring grantees to publish in open access journals or allocate funds for open access fees. The application process consists of a single phase: submission of a brief proposal through RWJF’s online system at www.rwjf.org/cfp/E4A4_RR2. Applicants must register at my.rwjf.org before applying. Proposals must describe how federal actions interrupted the research, detail the funding gap, and explain how the continuation of the work will advance racial and Indigenous health equity. Supplementary documents, such as budget justifications, biosketches, and organizational descriptions, will also be required. The application deadline is October 1, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Applicants will be notified of decisions during the week of November 17, 2025, and grants are expected to start on January 15, 2026. Optional applicant webinars and weekly office hours will be available to provide guidance. Contact information for inquiries includes Evidence for Action at the University of California, San Francisco, reachable at evidenceforaction@ucsf.edu or by phone at (415) 502-3490. Key RWJF contacts include Claire Gibbons, PhD, MPH, Senior Program Officer, and Alonzo Plough, PhD, MPH, Vice President and Chief Science Officer. RWJF requires compliance with its equity, diversity, and inclusion commitments, ensuring diverse perspectives are included and valued in funded projects. Through this initiative, the Foundation seeks to ensure that health equity research, particularly in the face of political and funding challenges, continues to thrive and contribute to systemic solutions that create fairer opportunities for all communities in the United States.

Applicants encouraged to review FAQs, attend optional webinar, and join office hours for guidance