Richmond, VA – The Richmond Health Equity Fund (HEF) is now accepting applications for its 2024-2025 funding cycle. The application period will remain open until June 23, 2024. The HEF seeks to fill gaps in funding and resources for vital, innovative, and impactful initiatives that serve the Richmond City community. Richmond-based single organizations, collaboratives, and individual leaders providing services in the following health disparity focus areas—along with other emergent health outcomes where Richmond’s populations have disparate burdens—are all eligible to apply:
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Access to care and health education
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Food access and security
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Maternal and child health
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Mental and behavioral health
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Substance use, treatment, and recovery
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Underlying health conditions
Applications may be accessed here or by visiting the Richmond and Henrico Public Health Foundation (RHPHF) website: https://rhphf.org/health-equity-fund/. Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) provides updates about the HEF through its weekly newsletter.
Funding decisions will be made through collaboration among the RHPHF Board, HEF Program Officer and Community Advisory Committee (CAC). A group of local community members with a combination of professional and lived experience with health disparities, the CAC evaluates partner organizations and identifies gaps in the application pool for consideration during future funding cycles. The HEF will host an optional virtual information session for those organizations interested in applying on Thursday, June 13 from 12 to 1 p.m.
In October 2021, Richmond City Council voted to establish the first-ever Health Equity Fund (HEF) in the City of Richmond through an initial investment of $5 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. With the support and leadership of City Administration and the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD), the HEF was established under the Richmond and Henrico Public Health Foundation (RHPHF), the nonprofit arm of RHHD. Since then, the HEF has funded 17 partners that serve Richmond residents experiencing deep health disparities and the longstanding impacts of racism. The HEF has invested $1.6 million to-date in initiatives that address these historic inequities and will continue to award new projects to support strong, thriving communities across the city.
Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) are sister public health agencies serving our connected communities. Our mission is to protect health, champion equity, and partner to address local needs.