Health Equity Fund FAQ

Nonprofit or governmental entities that meet our funding guidelines are eligible to apply.

Yes, applicants may apply with a fiscal sponsor. To learn more about fiscal partnerships or to find a partner, please visit the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors Member Directory.

We do accept applications from organizations outside of Missouri but the project must primarily benefit the MFH service area. Successful Health Equity Fund proposals are led by the communities most impacted, so we expect to see strong and intentional collaborations with Missouri-based organizations or communities.

Yes.

Yes, we are interested in efforts that address the root causes of systemic and structural inequities. For organizations with multiple departments or locations, we’re open to learning about distinct proposals. However, we encourage you to prioritize the opportunity with the greatest potential impact – both to make the best use of your time and to help ensure funding is available to as many organizations as possible. Please note that Health Equity Fund rounds are highly competitive.

Yes, on occasion, organizations with multiple departments or physical locations may receive awards for independent proposals, or an organization may have an unrelated grant from a previous round. However, MFH encourages organizations to consider bringing their best proposal to the Foundation.

Please note that the Health Equity Fund will not support concept papers that primarily focus on the following:

• Proposals that intend to replace lapsed or lost federal funding for direct service programs. 
• Proposals that fall within topic areas of our Strategic Initiatives
  • Topic areas not accepted include:
    • Behavioral health, mental health, harm reduction, substance use
    • Contraceptive access
    • Crisis response and justice system diversion
    • Firearm injury and death prevention
    • Food systems and food justice
    • Infant and maternal health
    • Medicaid expansion
• Proposals where the majority of the grant is funding direct services without any plan or preparation for systems change
• Proposals that lack understanding of inequities, do not address root causes or power imbalances, do not integrate community member input, or share decision-making power with those the proposal seeks to benefit
• Proposals that impact only one organization’s clients
• Capital campaigns
• Concepts whose goal is sustainability through a Medicaid 1115 waiver
• Budget requests that are far beyond available funding for the current year

Example 1: An organization seeks a grant to build a park to solve individual loneliness without community input.

Why this isn’t a good fit: The Health Equity Fund does not fund capital campaigns. If the funding was to go toward creating an advocacy group that could propose ideas like a park to a City Council, that would be more in line with the intent of Health Equity Fund. Also, While a park may benefit a few community residents, there is no evidence that the local community desires a park to solve that problem or would be able to utilize it. We would ask what solutions community residents have suggested to address loneliness and how the organization plans to incorporate their input and involvement in the solution.

Example 2: A clinic requests a grant to hire three Spanish-speaking nurses that will be able to meet the medical needs of the Spanish-speaking patients at their clinic.

Why this isn’t a good fit: While this would greatly benefit patients at this clinic, only patients who can reach this clinic will benefit from this expanded service. We would ask what the organization does to ensure patients going to any clinic in the community can benefit from culturally competent care.

Example 3: An organization requests funds for a donated clothing mobile van for unhoused community members.

Why this isn’t a good fit: This van may have positive impacts on the community, but we would ask how this van would affect unhoused individuals that may not encounter this van and how the organization would create lasting change in the system that supports unhoused community members.

Example 4: An organization requests to fund a training or a series of trainings on women’s empowerment.

Why this isn’t a good fit: Knowledge is important, but we would ask what root cause or inequity is being addressed and how this work will positively impact those who cannot be part of the trainings.

Example 5: Concepts whose goal is sustainability through a Medicaid 1115 waiver.

Why this isn’t a good fit: While pursuing sustainable public funding is a great goal and Medicaid waivers are one mechanism, what we have learned is that they are a lengthy process led by the state of Missouri, which may take years beyond the typical Health Equity Fund project timeline.

Please check out our Understanding Medicaid 1115 Waivers webinar (passcode: NWg@w5LV) for more information. If you do have buy-in and conversations with the state already active and want to discuss further, please note that in your concept paper.

The Health Equity Fund is not intended to serve as a replacement for lapsed or canceled federal funding, specifically for direct service programs. However, if your work aligns with the Fund’s goals – such as advancing community-driven change, addressing root causes of health inequities, or shifting systems, policies, or practices – we encourage you to submit a concept paper.

No. The amount requested should be appropriate for the scope of the project; however, we have a maximum of $6 million set aside for all requests this round. The range we typically see is $50,000-$1 million, and it is very unlikely for Health Equity Fund to support a proposal requesting over $1.5 million.

Within the Concept Paper Budget, please be sure to include brief descriptions for each expense as they are helpful context to your concept narrative. If you request support for multiple years, please make that clear in the budget.

MFH highly encourages concepts that have additional funding sources. MFH may request modifications to an organization’s application prior to final award to ensure alignment of budget requests with the core values, mission, and operating standards of the Foundation.

The Health Equity Fund generally supports short-term proposals up to three years in length. During the review process, MFH may request modifications if deemed necessary.

Important dates:

• Open call for concept papers: July 15, 2025 – August 26, 2025 (concept papers are due at noon on August 26)
• Invitations for full proposals sent: Early November 2025
• Full proposals due: Mid January 2026
• Notification of awards: Early April 2026
• Anticipated start date: April 2026

We anticipate notifications of grant awards to go out in early April of 2026 with work starting in April 2026. From the time the Request for Concept Papers opens to grant award, it typically takes between seven to nine months but may vary based on urgency of the need and complexity of the proposal.

Given the volume of proposals that we receive, we are unable to speak with organizations directly while there is an open request for concept papers. Please review the website, FAQ, and request for concept papers. After you submit your concept paper, our review team will offer feedback on fit once reviewed.

In between open calls for concept papers Strategic Relationships team members would be happy to talk with you. Please use our contact us form to schedule a time to meet with one of our staff.

You should receive a confirmation email immediately and will receive additional information about the status of your concept roughly two months after the closing deadline. After we review your concept paper, you may be invited to submit a full proposal. Not all concept papers will advance to the full proposal phase. Organizations whose concept papers did not advance to the full proposal phase will receive feedback from the review team and are welcome to contact the designated MFH staff person for additional clarification.

Those invited to submit a full proposal will have about seven weeks to submit their proposals. Organizations that are invited to submit a full proposal are encouraged to meet with your Health Equity Fund contact prior to submitting.

Please note: Communications from our online grant portal are sent from mail@grantapplication.com. To ensure that you receive all information and notifications, please add this email address to your safe senders list and contacts. If you need help ensuring that our emails are not routed to your spam folder, follow these instructions for Google or Outlook email clients. 

A concept paper is a two-page summary of the work or project proposed that will help us understand what you want to do and how your work will advance health equity in Missouri. More specific questions for the summary are in the request for concept papers (open from July 15- August 26). Along with the concept paper, organizations are asked to submit a brief budget and IRS Form 990, a recent balance sheet, or fiscal sponsorship information.

Yes.

Yes. You will receive the reasons for the declination in an email correspondence. You may contact the MFH staff person identified in the email for additional clarification.