Health Access Hero Awards

The Sun Life Health Access Hero Awards is a philanthropic initiative by Sun Life, a leading international financial services organization with a strong presence in the insurance and asset management sectors. With a commitment to improving community well-being, Sun Life has focused its social impact efforts on increasing access to essential health services, particularly for underserved and at-risk populations across the United States. Their Health Access Hero Awards exemplify this mission by spotlighting both individual changemakers and nonprofit organizations that are working to close gaps in health access and enhance health outcomes in innovative and meaningful ways. The Awards program comprises two distinct tracks: grant funding for nonprofit organizations and honorary recognition for individuals. The nonprofit grant track provides competitive programmatic funding to 501(c)(3) organizations working on health access-related initiatives. These initiatives include areas such as diabetes prevention and management, obesity and nutritional education, food insecurity solutions, and oral health care equity. Grants are available in three levels—$25,000, $50,000, or $100,000—allowing applicants to select the tier that best aligns with the scope and scale of their proposed programming. The funding supports a range of eligible activities aimed at mitigating chronic health conditions and improving community health access. This includes educational programs for diabetes awareness, treatment support, management of complications arising from diabetes, and preventative services related to oral health—especially for children. Programs focused on nutrition education and the alleviation of food insecurity are also prioritized. All projects must demonstrate direct community impact, especially in under-resourced or disproportionately affected populations. Eligible applicants are U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations. The application process is fully digital, with submissions accepted only through the official online portal. Applications via email are explicitly disallowed. Interested organizations must submit their proposals between February 1 and March 31. Following submission, applications undergo a two-phase review process from April through June: initial shortlisting followed by evaluation by a national judging panel. Successful applicants are notified between July and August, and the award recipients are publicly announced in September across Sun Life’s digital platforms and marketing channels. The individual recognition track—also part of the Health Access Hero Awards—celebrates community members making an exceptional difference in health access. Nominated individuals are honored with a $10,000 donation made in their name to a charity of their choice. This recognition does not require an organizational application but follows a nomination process parallel to the nonprofit grant track. Applicants or nominators with questions may contact the program directly via email at [email protected]. However, all application materials must be submitted through the appropriate digital platform. The program timeline repeats annually, suggesting a recurring funding cycle with the same application window and review schedule each year.

Applications must be submitted through the designated online portals. Email submissions will not be accepted.