Funder: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Due Dates: February 3, 2025 (rolling start) | October 15, 2025 (final review deadline)
Funding Amounts: Flexible funding; no set award amount; grant duration typically 24 to 36 months
Summary: Supports new and unconventional ideas that could radically advance health equity across future-focused themes including evidence, social interaction, food, and work.
Key Information: Preference for U.S.-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations; applications accepted on a rolling basis until October 15, 2025.
Description
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) invites proposals through its "Exploring Equitable Futures" call for projects that seed innovative, unconventional ideas aimed at radically advancing health equity for future generations. This opportunity focuses on four key thematic areas:
- Future of Evidence
- Future of Social Interaction
- Future of Food
- Future of Work
RWJF seeks visionary thinkers from diverse disciplines—including science, anthropology, engineering, technology, and the arts—to explore how emerging social, cultural, scientific, technological, environmental, and economic trends might shape health equity in the next 10 to 100 years. The foundation emphasizes dismantling structural racism and transforming systems that currently perpetuate inequities.
Projects should challenge conventional wisdom, anticipate future opportunities or barriers, and propose new pathways to improve health equity. A particular interest lies in reimagining the Health Science Knowledge System to produce and apply evidence rooted in equity and justice, including community-generated knowledge.
This grant supports flexible project durations, generally ranging from 24 to 36 months, with funding amounts determined by the applicant’s proposed budget.
Due Dates
- Proposals accepted on a rolling basis starting February 3, 2025
- Final review deadline: October 15, 2025, 3 p.m. ET
- Applicants can expect responses within 1 to 6 months after submission
- The call closes annually around October 15 and reopens around February 1 the following year
Funding Amount
- No fixed award amount; applicants request funding needed for their project including direct and indirect costs
- Grant periods typically range from 24 to 36 months
- Number of awards is not predetermined
Eligibility
- Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories
- Preference given to tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that are not private foundations or Type III supporting organizations
- Teams with both U.S. and international members are eligible
- Focus on projects that meaningfully advance health equity and present new, unconventional ideas
Application Process
- Applications must be submitted via the RWJF online system
- Rolling submissions accepted starting February 3, 2025
- Final applications for this cycle must be submitted by October 15, 2025, 3 p.m. ET
- Applicants will be notified within 1 to 6 months regarding the status of their proposals
- Detailed application instructions and resources are available on the RWJF website
Additional Information
- The grant is part of RWJF’s broader effort to achieve generational goals including economic inclusion, equitable public health and healthcare systems, and healthy community conditions
- Projects should align with RWJF’s prioritized systems and focus on dismantling structural racism
- RWJF encourages projects that rethink how health evidence is produced, shared, and used, emphasizing community involvement and equity
- Past funded projects and further guidance can be found on RWJF’s Ideas for an Equitable Future webpage
External Links
Contact Information