Best Grants for Public Health in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania medical students interested in public health and related research can access funding through the Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship, supporting 2–12 month projects in areas like clinical investigation, epidemiology, or health services. Alpha Omega Alpha provides US $7,000 plus limited travel reimbursement for first- and second-year students at schools with active AΩA chapters.

Pennsylvania physicians interested in pediatric epidemiology and public health research training can access funding through the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to complete a two-year hospital epidemiology and outcomes research fellowship. Eligible applicants are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with at least two years of postgraduate training, combining UPenn coursework with mentored, hospital-based research and limited clinical duties.

Organizations addressing abandoned mine lands and drainage in Pennsylvania can apply for the Abandoned Mine Lands and Abandoned Mine Drainage Grant Program to support reclamation and water-quality improvement projects. Focused on environmental restoration and community safety, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection invites public health and conservation partners to undertake projects that reduce health and safety risks from abandoned coal mines.

The FY 2027 Service Area Competition (SAC) funding aims to enhance health services in underserved communities across the U.S. by providing grants for comprehensive preventive and primary care. This initiative allows for a competitive selection of service areas, ensuring that health centers can effectively deliver high-quality healthcare. Additional service areas may be announced throughout the year to accommodate changes in service availability, supporting continuous care for those in need.

The FY26 Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Clinical Trial Award promotes the swift initiation of impactful clinical trials for diseases outlined in specific topic areas. It offers two application categories: Clinical Trial Only and Clinical Trial with Planning Phase, supporting various funding levels based on trial phases and participant counts. The total funding of approximately $94.5M aims to support up to 9 applications, with a maximum award period of 4 years, ensuring significant advancements in medical research.

Navigant Credit Union 

Navigant Credit Union is the longest-operating, member-owned credit union in Rhode Island. Since its founding in 1915, Navigant Credit Union has been dedicated to providing its members with unparalleled financial products and services, while working every day to stay committed to the financial well-being of the families, businesses and communities we serve. 

Navigant Credit Union Charitable Foundation Grant

For over a century, Navigant Credit Union has been committed to making a meaningful difference in the community. In 2017, we established the Navigant Credit Union Charitable Foundation to further amplify our impact in five strategic areas:

• Education & Financial Literacy: Organizational and capital support for programs, supplies, building products, sports facilities and teams.
• Social Services: Financial support for programs and organizations for children, veterans, hunger and housing.
• Public Health, Safety & Well-Being: Support for programs addressing public safety, emergency care and eradication of disease.

Ellwood City Community Health Foundation Grant

The Ellwood City Community Health Foundation will issue funds each year to entities that are listed as a public charity by the Internal Revenue Service or classified as Section 501 (c)(3), IRC Section 170 (c)(1) or (2) under the Internal Revenue Code. The request needs to demonstrate that the funds will be used to improve access to healthcare and/or improve community health and well-being for residents of either Ellwood City, Lawrence County, or Beaver County, Pennsylvania. 

The Foundation will consider applications for programs that support public health including pregnancy programs, prevention, drug and alcohol programs, environmental programs that would promote healthy living, senior transportation, and programs for victims of family and child abuse.

AARP Foundation

AARP Foundation strengthens financial resilience for and with older adults by empowering individuals and improving systems.

AARP empowers people to choose how they live as they age. There are 125 million Americans who are 50 or older, and people want their money, health and happiness to last as long as they do. We are a wise friend and fierce defender, focusing on the priorities of older Americans.

Purpose Prize® from AARP

Honoring extraordinary people 50-plus who put their purpose into action.

Purpose is a powerful force for good. The Purpose Prize from AARP honors extraordinary older Americans who put their purpose into action to support AARP’s mission of empowering people to choose how they live as they age. Winners receive $75,000 and a year of organizational support from AARP to grow the impact of their nonprofits. Examples of organizational support include data and evaluation, governance and succession planning, fundraising strategy, and prospectus development.

The Edith M. Pritchard Scholarship, offered by Nurses Educational Funds Inc., supports nurses pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in nursing education and public health. Applicants must hold a current RN license, maintain a GPA of 3.6, and have at least two semesters of study remaining post-award notification. This scholarship promotes nursing leadership and is funded through donations, reflecting over a century of commitment to nursing education.

CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the public health system save and improve lives by unleashing the power of partnerships to protect the health, safety and security of all communities, everywhere. The CDC Foundation is authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners, corporations, organizations and individuals to support the critical health protection mission of CDC and the public health system.

The CDC Foundation manages hundreds of programs each year aimed at protecting communities across the country from a variety of health threats—from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like malaria and HIV to emergency responses, such as Ebola and Zika.

Contractor for Implementation and Evaluation of Healthy Native Babies Project Materials

This RFP request proposals from Tribes, Tribal Serving Organizations (TSOs) and Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) [T/TSOs/UIOs] to implement and evaluate the updated Healthy Native Babies Project (HNBP) materials within their service areas. This initiative aims to strengthen culturally relevant infant safe sleep education, increase community awareness and support Native families in reducing sleep related infant deaths. Selected T/TSOs/UIOs will adapt, disseminate and assess the use of HNBP materials in ways that reflect the cultural, linguistic and community-specific needs of the Native populations they serve. 

This project is a rapid turnaround project to support T/TSOs/UIOs in:

• Implementing HNBP materials in clinical, community, and family setting
• Training staff and community partners
• Evaluating reach, effectiveness, and community feedback
• Identifying barriers, facilitators, lessons learned, and best practices for future replication

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.

U.S.-based head and neck oncology trainees conducting basic, translational, or clinical research can receive up to US $20,000 to support projects, including work relevant to public health in Pennsylvania. American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation funding supports studies on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, or pathophysiology of head and neck neoplastic disease.

Researchers and institutions conducting thyroid cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, or pathophysiology studies in Pennsylvania can access funding through the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation. Grants from this CORE program provide US $10,000 for basic, translational, or clinical projects that advance endocrine-related head and neck oncology and may benefit public health efforts.

Focused on head and neck cancer research, this program invites Pennsylvania public health and clinical research teams to pursue innovative translational and epidemiologic projects using emerging technologies. Eligible U.S. investigators can seek $15,000 from the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Foundation to advance early detection, precision prevention, and more effective, patient-centered treatments.

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

Nonprofits, schools, and government agencies working on public health and community well-being, including in Pennsylvania, can apply for Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation’s Thriving Community Impact Fund Support Grants, offering up to US $2,499. Funding supports programs addressing physical, mental, and social health, poverty and economic stability, and neighborhood or built-environment improvements, with a simple rolling application.

Health systems, research institutions, and implementation science teams working on public health, chronic pain, and opioid use disorder can pursue NIH funding to improve integrated care models, including in Pennsylvania. The U2C BEACON Center award will support network coordination, capacity building, and implementation-effectiveness trials to scale and sustain evidence-based CP and OUD services across diverse care settings.

Public health and medical research institutions in Pennsylvania can apply for funding to conduct aerospace medicine, human performance, and population health studies under the CHEERS Multiple Authority Announcement. Focused on human effectiveness and operational medicine, the Department of the Air Force invites proposals that advance aerospace medicine, occupational and environmental health, and epidemiology and public health research priorities.

Master’s-level students in school-based health education programs at accredited U.S. colleges, including those in Pennsylvania, can receive funding for their studies and related needs. Society of Health and Physical Educators provides Pennsylvania public health and health education students with the Barbara A. Cooley Master’s Scholarship, offering US $1,000 plus a one-year SHAPE America student membership.

Pennsylvania undergraduate students majoring in school-based health education can access funding through the Society of Health and Physical Educators for their public health and physical fitness studies. The Bill Kane Undergraduate Scholarship provides US $1,000 plus a one-year SHAPE America student membership for full-time sophomores, juniors, or seniors at accredited U.S. colleges with a minimum 3.25 GPA.

Health systems and research institutions in Pennsylvania working on chronic pain and opioid use disorder management can seek funding to study integrated, collaborative care models. The National Institutes of Health supports RM1 projects that develop and test strategies to sustainably deliver combined chronic pain and OUD care, including implementation approaches, peer specialist roles, and scalable health system interventions.

With a mission to strengthen antibiotic resistance surveillance, the Food and Drug Administration provides Pennsylvania epidemiology and public health programs with cooperative agreement funding. Eligible institutions may receive up to US $200,000 to enhance NARMS retail food specimen monitoring, improve detection of drug-resistant bacteria, and potentially expand sampling sites across participating U.S. jurisdictions.

Hospitals, health institutions, and healthcare-focused organizations in Pennsylvania can seek funding for medical and surgical research, public health initiatives, and improved healthcare access and delivery. Grants from E S Prentiss Foundation help support capital improvements, equipment, rare drugs, direct care projects, and better hospital management, with commitments of up to five years.