Commonwealth Fund
OVERVIEW: The Commonwealth Fund supports research, policy development and other initiatives toward the improvement of healthcare delivery for vulnerable and uninsured people.
IP TAKE: The Commonwealth Fund’s grantmaking works broadly to support research, policy and interventions that improve healthcare quality and access for vulnerable and uninsured people in the U.S. Recent grantmaking has prioritized issues including system reform, cost reductions, medicare enrollment and preventative healthcare, to name a few. The fund’s grantees tend to be well-established organizations, institutes and service providers, and recent RFPs have prioritized researchers from underrepresented groups. This is an accessible funder that accepts letters of inquiry through its online portal at any time. Grantseekers are advised to read instructions and guidelines carefully before submission. The fund makes about $20 million a year in grants, usually awarded in amounts of up to $100,000.
PROFILE: The Commonwealth Fund is an old and storied contributor working to improve healthcare systems to achieve increasingly positive health outcomes for vulnerable, uninsured and marginalized populations. Its grants support “independent research on healthcare issues” and initiatives to “improve health care practice and policy.” The fund also runs a series of annual fellowship programs.
The Commonwealth Fund’s grantmaking program currently prioritizes research and initiatives in the areas of healthcare delivery system reform, coverage and access, equity, cost reduction, federal and state health policy, international health policy, healthcare system performance, medicare and medicaid. Additionally, the fund periodically posts RFPs for specific areas of interest. Recent requests include proposed studies of medicare enrollment and outcomes by and studies that aim to contribute to the control of healthcare costs for vulnerable people. Both RFPs prioritized researchers from underrepresented groups.
The fund also runs three fellowship programs: the Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice, the Commonwealth Fund Fellowships in Minority Health and the Margaret E. Mahoney Fellowships, which support students engaged research on the improvement of healthcare delivery and early childhood preventative health. In collaboration with the Association of Health Care Journalists, the fund administers the International Health Study Fellowship and Reporting Fellowships on Health Care Performance.
The Commonwealth Fund makes approximately $20 million a year in grants. Most grants ranging between $25,000 and $100,000, although grants have been awarded in amounts of as much as $1 million occasionally. The foundation tends to fund well-established organizations and institutes working in the areas of healthcare research and policy development and health services in the U.S. Recent grantees include Harvard University, Boston University, the Alliance for Health Policy and the Center for Health Care Strategies. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the fund’s searchable grants database.
Commonwealth accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry at any time through an online portal. Grantseekers are advised to carefully read the organization’s LOI application instructions before submitting letters. General inquiries may be addressed to the fund’s staff via email.
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