Best Grants for Public Health in New York

New York first- and second-year medical students at schools with active AΩA chapters can receive US $7,000 for mentored research in clinical investigation, epidemiology, health services, leadership, or professionalism. Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society also reimburses up to $1,000 for travel to present fellowship results at a national conference.

The Healthy Lifestyles in Youth program, funded by the Indian Health Service, aims to empower Tribes and Tribal Organizations to deliver essential public health services. This new cohort of NPHR awards supports initiatives that foster healthier lifestyles among youth in Indigenous communities, addressing critical health disparities and promoting well-being through culturally relevant programs and services.

Nurses Educational Funds

Nurses Educational Funds, Inc. depends solely on donations to advance our only mission, to promote nursing leadership through annual scholarship support for professional nurses seeking masters and doctoral degrees in nursing education, practice, research, and administration.

NEF’s only purpose is to provide nursing scholarship assistance to make graduate level nursing education possible. NEF is one of the largest, national, private, professionally endorsed source of funds for advanced nursing study with over one hundred years of service to and for professional nursing. NEF is a non-profit organization with 501(c) status.

Lucy C. Perry Scholarship

Preference for funds from this scholarship is given to applicants studying at Indiana University and interested in public health.

Nurses Educational Funds

Nurses Educational Funds, Inc. depends solely on donations to advance our only mission, to promote nursing leadership through annual scholarship support for professional nurses seeking masters and doctoral degrees in nursing education, practice, research, and administration.

NEF’s only purpose is to provide nursing scholarship assistance to make graduate level nursing education possible. NEF is one of the largest, national, private, professionally endorsed source of funds for advanced nursing study with over one hundred years of service to and for professional nursing. NEF is a non-profit organization with 501(c) status.

Liesel M. Hiemenz Scholarship

This permanent scholarship was established in memory of Ms. Hiemenz, a nurse from Germany. Preference is given to applicants interested in public health.

This funding opportunity aims to bolster the cancer surveillance workforce through educational initiatives. By enhancing collaborations with cancer partners and developing tools for improved data quality, this program will expand the capacity of registrars. Efforts will focus on recruitment and retention, ultimately ensuring compliance with Public Law 102-515. Strengthening the cancer registrar workforce will lead to timely and accurate cancer data submission, supporting public health objectives.

The NIH is announcing a funding opportunity for competitive revisions of ongoing grants to tackle unforeseen public health crises. This Urgent Competitive Revision program aims to facilitate timely responses to emerging health challenges. Once the Notice of Funding Opportunity is published, eligible applications will be directly routed to the appropriate NIH awarding component. Only submissions in response to an Urgent Guide Notice published by an NIH Institute or Center will be accepted.

The CORE Funding: Lilly Research Grant aims to advance research on genetic hearing loss. It invites investigators to explore the genetic factors contributing to hearing loss, promoting innovative projects that enhance understanding in this critical area. Supported by the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation, the grant fosters significant research efforts to improve outcomes and strategies in otolaryngology, ensuring a comprehensive approach to hearing health.

The CORE Funding: AHNS Trainee Pilot Research Award supports innovative research in head and neck oncology, encouraging trainees to engage in clinical or translational studies. Since its inception, CORE has provided over $14 million in grants, facilitating significant advancements in otolaryngology. This initiative aims to enhance research efforts, reduce fragmentation, and promote collaboration among various stakeholders to improve outcomes for patients with head and neck neoplastic diseases.

Research institutions and medical organizations conducting thyroid cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, or pathophysiology studies in New York can access funding through the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation. Grants from this CORE program provide US $10,000 to support basic, translational, or clinical research in otolaryngology, including public health and epidemiology aspects.

Public health and cancer research institutions in New York can apply for funding to support innovative, multidisciplinary head and neck cancer projects using emerging technologies. Focused on translational clinical and epidemiologic research, the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation offers US $15,000 awards through the CORE AHNS Presidential Award program.

American Indian and Alaska Native graduate students in public health or environmental science studying full-time in the U.S., including those from New York, can receive need-based support for tuition and expenses. With a mission to support Indigenous scholars, Native Forward Scholars Fund provides US $100 - US $30,000 annually through the Grace Wall Barreda Memorial Scholarship.

Nonprofits, schools, and government agencies in New York seeking support for public health and community well-being can apply for the Thriving Community Impact Fund’s Support Grants, offering up to US $2,499. With a mission to strengthen community health, Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation provides quick-turnaround funding for programs in wellness, mental health, poverty, and neighborhood environments.

NIH provides New York public health and clinical research organizations with funding to study integrated management of chronic pain and opioid use disorder. This national HEAL IMPOWR BEACON Center opportunity supports implementation-effectiveness trials, collaborative care models, and capacity building that improve scalable, sustainable CP and OUD services, which may benefit New York public health initiatives.

Public health and biomedical research organizations in New York working in areas like aerospace medicine, occupational and environmental health, or epidemiology can apply for research funding that may support relevant projects. Focused on human performance and operational medicine, the US DOD Air Force invites white papers under its CHEERS opportunity for potential future technical and cost proposals.

Master’s-level students in school-based health education programs at accredited U.S. or U.S. territory colleges, including those in New York, can receive funding for their studies through the Barbara A. Cooley Master’s Scholarship. Society of Health and Physical Educators provides a US $1,000 award plus a one-year complimentary student membership in SHAPE America.

New York undergraduate students majoring in school-based health education can receive scholarship support for their public health studies through the Society of Health and Physical Educators. This annual US $1,000 award, usable for any expenses, also includes a one-year complimentary SHAPE America student membership for eligible full-time sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a 3.25 GPA or higher.

Research institutions and investigators working on public health and health care delivery in the U.S., including New York, can seek chronic pain and opioid use disorder systems-level research funding; awards support integrated care models and implementation strategies. The National Institutes of Health backs collaborative studies to improve sustainable, scalable management of co-occurring chronic pain and OUD.

Public health and epidemiology organizations working on antibiotic resistance surveillance in retail food specimens can apply for funding up to US $200,000 in New York and other U.S. jurisdictions. With a mission to protect public health, the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine supports NARMS partners to enhance and expand resistance monitoring in food commodities.

Hospitals, health institutions, and healthcare-focused nonprofits in New York may be eligible for funding to advance medical research, improve hospital care, and promote public health. Grants from E S Prentiss Foundation support capital improvements, equipment, rare drug purchases, and direct care projects, with priority for private-sector organizations and multi-year initiatives up to five years.

Public interest lawyers providing free civil legal aid on opioid use disorder in underserved communities, including New York, can apply for Equal Justice Works’ two-year Opioid Crisis Response Program Fellowship. Fellows receive a salary, leadership training, and help build capacity at legal services organizations addressing public health and addiction-related legal barriers.

Federally recognized tribes, state or local governments, and nonprofits serving rural Colonias can use this program to build safe drinking water, wastewater, and storm-water systems in low-income communities. With a mission to strengthen rural infrastructure, USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants that may benefit New York public health efforts in eligible areas.

Focused on sanitation and public health, USDA Rural Development invites New York Tribal governments, local governments, and nonprofits serving Tribal communities to seek funding for safe drinking water and waste disposal systems. Eligible rural areas must be primarily Tribal, low-income, and facing significant health risks from inadequate water or waste services.

Public health and research organizations studying non-communicable and chronic disease disparities can access funding in New York and across Latin America through the National Institutes of Health. Projects must focus on clinical epidemiology, policy evaluation, or measurement validation and include at least one principal investigator from a Latin American institution.

Graduate and medical students, residents, and post-doctoral fellows conducting human sexuality or sexual wellness research in the U.S. or Canada may be eligible for this program, including projects based in New York public health settings. Focused on sexual medicine, the Sexual Medicine Society of North America supports early-stage research under an SMSNA-member mentor.

Graduate and medical students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows conducting sexuality or sexual wellness research in the U.S. or Canada can receive US $5,000 to support research expenses. Focused on human sexuality, sexual wellness, and gender identity, the Sexual Medicine Society of North America especially welcomes projects addressing public health issues in underserved populations, including those in New York.

About

Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.

We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.

People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.

Awards, Grants, & Fellowships

Ambitious freelancers who want to tackle an in-depth reporting project often find that the fee from a potential publisher doesn’t come close to covering their costs and time. Grants and fellowships can fill that gap, but freelancers have to know about them in order to apply. In this section, the Freelance Center is compiling a list of non-AHCJ grants, fellowships and awards (for when the hard work is done).

Sunshine Award

Presented by AHCJ’s Right-to-Know Committee

AHCJ’s Right-to-Know Committee established the Sunshine Award at Health Journalism 2026 as a way to elevate the work of journalists like STAT’s Bob Herman who fight for government transparency. We plan to continue this tradition annually from now on. Award winners receive free registration and a one-night hotel stay for our annual conference, a free year of AHCJ membership, a trophy and a certificate.

About

Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.

We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.

People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.

AHCJ U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship

This opportunity is for U.S.-based journalists.

Issues with the U.S. health care system are often obvious — from large swaths of uninsured residents and junk insurance plans, to high maternal mortality rates and preventable medical errors. But what is at the root of issues like these? What could an equitable health care system look like? 

Through the U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a significant reporting project related to the U.S. health care system at the local, regional and/or national level.

This fellowship allows mid-career journalists to maintain their regular employment while working on a major project over a 12-month calendar year. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.

We believe that issues of health equity impact every facet of the health care system, which is why we’re specifically interested in projects focused on health equity. This might include racial disparities within a community, gaps in public health inclusion, unstable housing, insurance access, food insecurity, violence as a health issue, how health care institutions or systems are applying a racial equity lens to their policies and practices or otherwise addressing inequities or disparities, or other examinations of systemic problems that have become so apparent over the last few years.

Guidance is provided by AHCJ mentors through customized seminars on health care systems, conference calls and email consultations. The fellowship covers the cost of attending the seminars and the annual AHCJ conference, as well as a $2,500 project allowance to defray the cost of field reporting, health data analysis and other project-related research. In addition, you will receive a $5,000 fellowship award upon the successful completion of the project.