Best Grants for Global Health in Minnesota

Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS)

The MNRS originally began to provide a place for nurses to collaborate, and collaborate they did! Over time, the founding members began to realize the benefits of having an organization dedicated specifically to nursing research. With some careful attention and a lot of hard work, we have grown into the organization it is today. We're a society where scientists, innovators, and drivers of clinical practice across the career trajectory, come together to share ideas and grow our field through innovative research.

The mission of the MNRS is to generate knowledge, translate evidence into practice, and enhance careers through collaborative engagement, implementation, and dissemination among diverse scholars. Our Vision to be the premier society that advances science, fosters leadership, and drives dissemination to improve health equity for all people.

It is an honor to recognize the important contributions of our nursing colleagues. MNRS accepts nominations for our five very prestigious awards to selected members of the Society who have made significant and notable contributions to the field of nursing through research. 

Distinguished Contribution Award

The purpose of the Distinguished Contribution Award is to recognize the scientific contribution of a member who has conducted or promoted research, which has enhanced the science and practice of nursing in the MNRS region.

The Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Team Development and Implementation Grant by the Minnesota Department of Health aims to enhance the state's response to overdose fatalities. This initiative seeks to provide communities with resources, support, and guidance to effectively establish or improve their OFR processes. Collaboration among local public health and safety organizations is essential, and applicants must submit letters of support to demonstrate commitment. This funding aims to reduce overdose deaths and improve overall public health outcomes.

STI and HIV Prevention Grant Program

The Minnesota Department of Health aims to identify organizations across the state to implement HIV prevention initiatives centered on HIV testing and PrEP. These programs are designed to reduce HIV transmission by prioritizing populations most affected by the epidemic, ensuring that available state funding achieves the greatest possible impact.

MDH is seeking applications through this RFP to support the development and implementation of innovative program activities that increase people’s knowledge of their HIV status, reduce HIV transmission, prevent new HIV infections, strengthen linkage to care, and improve viral suppression. 

Program Goals

MDH is seeking applications through this request for proposals (RFP) to support the development and implementation of innovative program activities that increase people’s knowledge of their HIV status, reduce HIV transmission, prevent new HIV infections, strengthen linkage to care and improve viral suppression. Collectively, these activities advance the goals of the National HIV/AIDS strategy for the United States (NHAS), Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative – (diagnose, treat, prevent and respond), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s high impact HIV prevention (HIP) approach, which emphasizes a comprehensive whole-person approach, and the legislatively mandated END HIV Minnesota (MN) initiative. The End HIV MN initiative aims to eliminate new HIV infections and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV in Minnesota, with a goal to reduce new HIV infections in Minnesota by at least 75% in 2035 by prioritizing communities most affected by HIV. 

The Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation is dedicated to fostering a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem and a vibrant Southeast Michigan community. Since its inception, it has invested over $180 million in environmental, cultural, and educational initiatives. As it transitions to spend down its assets by 2034, the Foundation aims to make bold, impactful investments that address urgent community needs and promote sustainable development.

The External Collaborative Research (ECR) program by Boehringer Ingelheim invites academic and community scientists to propose collaborative studies aimed at protocol development and result publication. This program offers potential drug and financial support, excluding direct salary for the Principal Investigator. Budgets must represent fair market value and will be negotiated further. Research interests span therapeutic areas including Cardio-Renal-Metabolic, Mental Health, Dermatology, and Oncology, encouraging innovative solutions to unmet medical needs.

The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Pathways Program aims to provide training and career opportunities for individuals with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Grants of up to $400,000 support projects that include partnerships between businesses and accredited Minnesota educational institutions. Funds can cover training-related costs but not wage subsidies or tuition reimbursement. This program is essential for fostering workforce development and enhancing the skills of low-income individuals, ultimately aiding their transition into sustainable employment.

The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership, managed by the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), offers pre-development grants to support planning for large-scale training projects. Aimed at enhancing workforce skills in high-demand sectors, these grants provide up to $50,000 for institutions to expand their training capacity. This initiative encourages collaboration between businesses and educational entities to address skill gaps and improve job opportunities across Minnesota.

The Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership (MJSP) offers a Partnership Grant Program aimed at enhancing workforce training and development in high-demand sectors. Grants of up to $400,000 are available for accredited educational institutions partnering with businesses to create tailored training programs. These funds can cover essential training costs, ensuring that Minnesota's workforce remains competitive and skilled. The initiative aims to foster collaboration between businesses and educational entities, addressing the state's evolving workforce needs effectively.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is inviting applications for its Lake Superior Coastal Program Annual Grants. These grants aim to protect and restore coastal resources while promoting sustainable development in Minnesota's coastal communities. Eligible projects may include community engagement, ecological preservation, and improved access to public coastal areas. This funding provides a vital opportunity for local organizations to address pressing coastal issues and enhance recreational and ecological values along Lake Superior.

Prevent Sleep-Related Infant Deaths in Minnesota’s American Indian and Black/African American Populations RFP

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) seeks proposals to fund one organization with the capacity and expertise to create, manage, and support Community Action Teams (CATs) to implement culturally appropriate, data driven solutions to reduce sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs) in Minnesota’s American Indian and Black/African American populations. The organization selected for this grant must be uniquely positioned to support the CATs in implementing community prioritized solutions to improve infant sleep safety that align with the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep recommendations. The awarded applicant must also be immediately ready, upon being notified about the award, to begin forming the CATs and executing other duties as contractually agreed upon. This RFP aligns with both state and national goals to reduce infant mortality by addressing SUIDs in communities that are disproportionately affected by sleep-related tragedies during infancy.

The source of funding for this grant opportunity is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, through NU58DP007698. Funding is currently available for $134,000 from July 15, 2026, to Sept. 29, 2027. However, the grant may be extended for an additional year contingent on the availability of funds and the awarded applicant’s performance during the initial project period. Funding will be allocated through a competitive process.

Estimated Amount to Grant

• $134,000

Estimated Number of Awards

• 1

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families was established to bring together programs to better serve children, youth, and families. 

RFP to Provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training

The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, through its Economic Assistance and Employment Supports Division, is seeking proposals from qualified responders to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) services. 

The state develops a SNAP E&T State Plan each year stipulating details on the operation of service in Minnesota.

Minnesota’s SNAP E&T program is intended for Minnesotans with low incomes to have clear pathways in developing marketable and in-demand skills, leading to career advancement and self-sufficiency. Through strong partnerships, the mission is to help Minnesotans fully utilize their SNAP benefits, gain the essential skills needed for gainful employment and successfully transition off public assistance. Minnesotans can receive SNAP E&T services if they meet all of the following:

• Receive federal food assistance
• Are age 16 or older (there are additional requirements to serve 16-17 year olds)
• Report that they intend to work at least part-time; clients reporting a disability may participate in SNAP E&T if they state they will be able to work with appropriate supports and/or training
• And are referred to SNAP E&T by an eligibility worker. 

Responders are expected to/will provide services to both Time-limited (TLR) and non-TLR SNAP recipients. Responders must have the ability to fully fund their SNAP E&T program with non-federal funding and request fifty percent (50%) reimbursement.

Performance Review and Assistance Program Grant

The Performance Review and Assistance Program (PRAP) provides grants to local governments who seek to improve efficiency and effectiveness in delivering and executing organizational goals and objectives. Local government units do not need to be the subject of a previous PRAP performance review to apply for these funds, but with limited funding, priority is given to recommended activities or strategies from previous reviews. 

The maximum amount is $10,000 for a single entity application and $20,000 for a project that involves multiple entities or partnerships. 

Typical PRAP assistance activities include professional services (facilitation, mediation, or consulting) related to organizational improvement strategies. Examples of past activities that have been funded are listed below.

• Reorganizations or mergers
• Strategic planning
• Organizational development
• Assessments for shared services
• Non-routine financial audits
• Staff and board capacity and workload assessments

The W R Berkley Corporation Charitable Grant Program supports local 501(c)(3) organizations in Central Iowa, SW Minnesota, and Eastern Nebraska. With a focus on health, community betterment, youth development, education, and food insecurity, grants are awarded twice a year. There are no limitations on request sizes, but only one grant per organization is accepted annually. Funding decisions prioritize organizations with a proven track record of efficiency and success in serving their communities.

The Karen Colina Wilson Foundation Grant supports programs for children, youth, and women, enhancing their health and well-being through education, art, literature, and music. Established in 2006, the foundation aims to make a positive difference in their lives, particularly in Southern and Western Wayne County, Michigan. Grants typically range from $500 to $10,000, often as matching funds, fostering broader fundraising efforts by local nonprofit organizations.

The Semnani Family Foundation, established in 1993, is dedicated to supporting marginalized communities worldwide through health, education, and disaster relief initiatives. Founded by Khosrow and Ghazaleh Semnani, it began by funding an orphanage in Romania. The foundation also operates locally, providing free healthcare through the Maliheh Free Clinic in Utah. Its commitment to human welfare drives impactful partnerships in countries such as Afghanistan, India, and South Africa, focusing on the most vulnerable populations.

The Indian Health Grant Program aims to provide essential clinical health services, including preventive, medical, dental, and mental health care, to American Indian individuals residing off reservations. Funded by the Minnesota Department of Health, up to $174,000 is available annually through a competitive process for a two-year project period from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026, with no match requirement necessary.

The Hearst Foundation's Social Service Grant focuses on tackling chronic poverty by funding direct-service organizations that implement effective solutions for economic independence and family strengthening. With a mission to support diverse nonprofits in the U.S., the Foundation allocates approximately 15% of its total funding to social services, prioritizing scalable programs that serve significant populations. The minimum grant size is $100,000, and special consideration is given to organizations addressing affordable housing, domestic violence, and youth development.

The Russell Family Foundation Grant, established in 2007 in Duluth, Minnesota, supports charitable causes in the areas of arts, education, environment, health, human services, public benefit, and religion. This private foundation awards grants exclusively to organizations that qualify under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, with a focus on those primarily located in Duluth. Their mission emphasizes fostering community welfare through diverse initiatives.

The Big Bets Fellowship: Economic Opportunity in the United States is a transformative 4-month program designed to empower emerging leaders to tackle economic challenges head-on. With a focus on innovative solutions for job creation, affordable housing, and equitable access to resources, the fellowship equips participants with essential skills and a supportive network. The initiative aims to drive systemic change and promote sustainable economic prosperity, addressing inequalities while fostering resilient communities across the nation.

Who We Are

The humanities help us understand ourselves, our communities, and our histories. By increasing collective understanding, we can spark positive change and create a more just society.

We curate stories, co-create engagement opportunities, increase knowledge, and produce resources in the areas of education, civic renewal, immersive experiences, and public programming to catalyze ideas. Our grantmaking allows us to strengthen the bonds between us, celebrate our past and traditions, appeal to the best within ourselves, and educate the next generation of leaders.

Ethnic Media Grants

Through the State of Minnesota’s 2025-2027 biennial legislation and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (Legacy), the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) will administer $472,500 for ethnic media grants to ethnic media organizations that work to create, celebrate, and teach the art, culture, and heritage of the many diverse cultural groups that make up Minnesota, including but not limited to Indigenous organizations, communities whose culture and heritage have been historically underrepresented, recent immigrant communities, and veterans.

The Legislature in providing this funding is seeking to fund ethnic media organizations throughout Minnesota to create video content in a language other than English.

An applicant that receives funding under this grant opportunity must do at least one of the following:

• Preserve and honor the cultural heritage of Minnesota,
• Provide education and student outreach in cultural diversity,
• Support the development of culturally diverse humanities programming, including arts programming, or
• Empower communities in building identity and culture, including preserving and honoring communities whose Indigenous cultures are endangered or disappearing.

The Therapeutic Giving program by Johnson & Johnson focuses on funding initiatives that enhance patient access to treatment and advance health equity, particularly in immunology. Eligible nonprofit organizations can apply for support aimed at improving health outcomes through innovative programs. The initiative prioritizes measurable impacts over fundraising activities, emphasizing the importance of addressing healthcare disparities and promoting disease awareness efforts for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

Minnesota Department of Health

Mission: Protecting, maintaining and improving the health of all Minnesotans.

Vision: The vision of MDH is for health equity in Minnesota, where all communities are thriving and all people have what they need to be healthy.

Rural Health Transformation Program: Healthcare Workforce Retention Program

Program Description

Minnesota’s RHTP covers a broad range of initiatives designed to transform the state of the rural health system by improving health outcomes and access to care for rural Minnesotans, strengthening partnerships between providers to expand service delivery in rural communities, and stabilizing rural provider financial health through strategic investments.

This RFP seeks proposals to understand systemic factors leading to provider/clinician burnout; develop, pilot and scale responsive solutions to decrease burnout; and link the solutions to improved working conditions to improvements in provider retention and patient experience and/or outcomes. 

The NHLBI Career Transition Award (K22) program supports postdoctoral fellows in transitioning their research to extramural institutions. The program includes a mentored intramural phase (up to two years) followed by an extramural phase (three years), totaling five years of support. Applications have multiple deadlines, including October 12, 2024, and February 12, 2025, among others. Successful transition depends on the awardee's progress during the mentored phase, evaluated by NHLBI.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program

1.2 Program Description

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a federally funded grant program of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The grant is administered through the Minnesota Department of Health in the Supplemental Nutrition Program section of the Child and Family Health division.

CSFP provides a monthly food package of USDA commodity foods to augment the diets of those who are 60 years of age and older, of low income and considered to be at nutritional risk.

Subject to the availability of federal funds, MDH awards grants to qualified local agencies to operate the program in designated geographic service areas within the State.

RHTP Project ECHO for Maternal and Behavioral Health

The federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) was created by H.R.1 (Section 71401 of Public Law 119-21) on July 4, 2025. It is a federal initiative to help states support rural communities in improving health care access, quality, and outcomes by transforming the health care delivery ecosystem. The RHTP focuses on promoting innovation, strategic partnerships, infrastructure development, and workforce investment in rural communities. The federal program will grant up to $50 billion to states over five budget periods. 

This RFP seeks proposals from applicants to provide Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) on topics that include but are not limited to

• maternal health (inclusive of maternal mental health) and
• mental/behavioral health for primary care audiences.

Project ECHOs are virtual, case-based learning and mentorship programs provided by organization(s) to build the skills and confidence of rural physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician associates who often serve as the main access point for maternal health and behavioral health care in rural communities.

Applicants are expected to provide 12–24 one-hour long sessions (minimum of one time per month) in at least one of the topic areas. Applicants are welcome to apply to provide both mental health and maternal health series.

Project ECHOs should focus on:

• Providing education and networking for participating rural clinicians and their care teams.
• Providing an open participation model.
• Sharing responsive knowledge that is adaptable to rural community and clinician needs in underserved and hard-to-reach patient populations.
• Maintaining a focus on case-based learning that is specific to rural populations. Participants will learn from expert-led didactic presentations and discuss their own patient cases to gain new skills and implement evidence-based recommendations.

The Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation, established in 1975, provides grants under $3,500 to nonprofit organizations and public entities in the North Shore region. Focused on areas like social welfare, arts and culture, education, community development, and environmental protection, the Foundation has awarded over $18 million in grants. It aims to enhance opportunities for local residents, particularly those in low-income situations, and supports initiatives that foster long-term positive impacts.

The Environmental Initiative Grant Program by the Laura Jane Musser Fund aims to support public and nonprofit entities in enhancing the ecological integrity of open spaces. It promotes community involvement in planning and implementing projects that improve quality of life and public health while protecting ecosystems. Grants range from $8,000 for planning to $35,000 for implementation, targeting projects in specific states, fostering sustainability, and ensuring active local participation.