The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, is accepting proposals for grants to conduct health impact assessments.
The grants, ranging from $25,000 to $125,000, will fund up to eight initiatives from government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations wanting to conduct HIAs, which are studies that help policy makers and community members identify and address the potential health implications of policy proposals and provide practical solutions that help maximize the benefits of a program or policy decision.
Brief proposals for the grants, accepted through the organization’s website, are due by June 1. Those receiving the grants will be given training, mentoring and technical assistance from the Health Impact Project and HIA experts.
“Considering health when planning new projects, policies and programs makes good sense," said Aaron Wernham, MD, director of the Health Impact Project, in a statement. "Many of the most urgent medical problems facing the nation – such as diabetes, asthma, obesity and injuries – are shaped by conditions in the places where we live, work and play. By factoring health into new laws and projects, for instance the building of a major roadway, the planning of a city's growth or the development of a school curriculum, these grants will help policy makers capitalize on hidden opportunities to improve well-being, save on healthcare-related costs and use limited resources more wisely.”
The Health Impact Project has already invested more than $1.5 million in training and technical assistance and in 13 demonstration projects. Results from those projects – such as farm-to-school food legislation in Oregon, energy development in Colorado and Kentucky, smart-metering technology for electric utilities in Illinois, regional land-use and transportation planning in Georgia and the state budget in New Hampshire – are due in the coming months.