Special Projects Fund is sponsored by New York Health Foundation. The Special Projects Fund supports organizations and timely, evidence-based projects that address important and emerging health challenges and respond to the current moment. It invests in new and innovative health approaches to improve health at the organizational, community, or statewide level in New York.

The fund focuses on projects that identify gaps in health systems or care delivery for marginalized populations, respond to time-sensitive challenges, strengthen community-informed solutions, and improve quality of care.

2026 Special Projects Fund - New York Health Foundation 2026 Special Projects Fund The NYHealth 2026 Special Projects Fund Request for Proposals is open. The Special Projects Fund will hold one open call for applications in 2026. Letter of Inquiry (LOI) submissions are due by 1:00 p.

m. on November 20, 2025. 2026 Special Projects Fund The New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) has a broad mission to improve the health of all New Yorkers, especially people of color and others who have been historically marginalized.

With our responsive grantmaking through the Special Projects Fund, we seek to partner with a wide range of organizations implementing projects that can improve health at the local, regional, or statewide level s . Amid the changing federal policy landscape, NYHealth remains steadfast in its commitment to support innovative projects that help improve the health of all New Yorkers.

NYHealth’s Special Projects Fund is designed to fund organizations and timely , evidence-based projects that respond to the current moment and address important and emerging health challenges and threats. The most competitive applications are requests for p rojects and initiatives that ha ve strong potential for replication , scaling , and/or implications for statewide policy and systems change .

Please refer to our FAQ below for more information about navigating changes in the policy landscape and funding eligibility. Step 1: All applicants must first complete a letter of inquiry form (LOI) through our applicant portal. Deadlines for the LOI are below.

For detailed guidelines, please review the LOI submission instructions . Complete and Submit an LOI here . Step 2 : After reviewing all LOIs, NYHealth staff members will invite selected applicants to submit a full proposal.

Selected applicants will be e-mailed specific submission instructions. Deadlines for the full proposal are below. NOTE : All updates and notifications will come from noreply@salesforce.

com. Please make sure to check your junk/spam folders and edit your filters , as these e-mails often get redirected. Important Dates and Deadlines Letter of Inquiry (LOI) Due Date: November 20 , 202 5 , at 1:00 p.

m. Full Proposal Invitation/LOI Declination Notification: January 202 6 Full Proposal Due Date (invited applicants only): February 17 , 202 6 , at 1:00 p. m.

Award/Declination Notification: June 202 6 For more information on this funding opportunity and the application process, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below. Additional programmatic questions about this funding opportunity should be e-mailed to specialprojectsfund@nyhealthfoundation. org .

If you have questions or difficulties using the grantee portal, please check out our portal resource to help troubleshoot common issues. If you have additional questions or technical issues regarding the online application system, contact the Grants Management department at gm@nyhealthfoundation. org .

FAQs: Changes in the Federal Policy Landscape My organization has recently lost or expects to lose federal or State funding for a core program. Can we submit an LOI requesting NYHealth funding to replace the loss? No. We have limited resources and cannot directly provide funding to backfill lost federal or State funding.

Given the changing federal landscape, our project’s scope or budget may change after we submit our LOI to NYHealth. Will this penalize our application? No. The Special Projects Fund offers an opportunity to support timely projects that respond to the current moment and address critical and emerging health challenges.

We recognize that individuals and organizations are navigating a time of change and uncertainty. We welcome applications that align with the Fund’s existing eligibility criteria and are responsive to shifts in the federal and state landscape. Letters of Intent (LOIs) may be submitted based on your current resources and budget.

Please note any risks or contingency plans in the Sustainability section. Will my organization be able to revise our LOI submission after the deadline? No. You may not revise your request after submitting your LOI.

If you anticipate potential changes that could affect your project, we encourage you to include that information in the Sustainability section of the LOI . Organizations that are invited to submit a full proposal will have the opportunity to update project activities and budget requests. My project focuses on the Foundation’s strategic priority areas (Primary Care; Healthy Food, Healthy Lives; and Veterans’ Health).

Am I eligible to apply for a Special Projects Fund grant? My organization previously received a Special Projects Fund grant. Can I apply for additional support for the same project?

My organization submitted an LOI in an earlier grant cycle but was not invited to submit a full proposal. Can I resubmit the same project now? Yes .

H owever, please note that if you submit the same exact project , there is a high likelihood that it will be declined again. My organization was invited to submit a full application but was ultimately denied funding. Can I resubmit the same project request for the next cycle?

No. Please be in touch with Foundation staff via e-mail at specialprojectsfund@nyhealthfoundation. org to discuss your application and get feedback on eligibility to reapply for the next cycle. Can my organization apply for more than one project?

Yes. However, only one project per organization will be invited to submit a full proposal. We encourage applicants to identify the project that is the highest priority for your organization and most aligned with the RFP criteria.

Are health education campaigns eligible for funding? No. We do not consider health education and awareness campaigns for a Special Projects Fund grant. Are research projects eligible for funding?

It depends. Demonstration projects or pilot s with evidence-based interventions in New York are eligible for consideration. Data analysis projects will also be considered in cases where an analytical topic is timely , actionable, focused on a New York-specific issue, and supportive of policy or systems change.

NYHealth does not support medical, biomedical, or clinical research. Applicants are encouraged to e-mail specialprojectsfund@nyhealthfoundation. org with specific questions about project eligibility.

Can you provide examples of projects that have been funded under the Special Projects Fund? View a list of our past Special Projects Fund recipients here . What should I do if the project topics listed in the LOI instructions do not match the topic of our organization’s project?

If you do not see an exact match, select the next best option and elaborate on your project topic in the Project Narrative section. You can select the check box at the bottom of the prompt to indicate that you are providing additional project details in the Project Narrative section . What timeframe should I use for my budget request?

The timeframe of p rojects funded by the Special Projects Fund var ies , but typically projects are 12 to 36 months . Please note that the duration must be commensurate with project activities. How much money should I apply for?

Grant requests will be evaluated based on the scope and timeline of the proposed project. For this cycle, you may apply to the Special Projects Fund for a grant of up to and no more than $200,000. What expenses are ineligible for funding?

Capital expenses (e.g., construction/renovation, furniture, vehicles, health care equipment) Materials and supplies (e.g., tablets for patients) may be eligible under some circumstances if they are directly related to project activities, but costs cannot account for a major portion of the total budget. General operations/core support or projects that involve funding existing ongoing services undertaken by an organization.

Biomedical research-oriented Expenses directly related to back fill of lost federal or State funding Does NYHealth fund core support or general operating grants? No. NYHealth awards program-specific funds. General operating requests are not eligible for a Special Projects Fund grant.

The term “general operating support” or “core support” refers to unrestricted grants for a nonprofit organization’s overall mission, rather than for specific projects or programs. These include costs associated with running an organization like rent, IT services, recouping revenue losses, or baseline operating costs. These costs should be included in NYHealth’s allowable 15% overhead amount.

Does NYHealth support administrative overhead? Yes, NYHealth allows a 15% maximum administrative overhead. FAQs: Supporting Materials Can I submit letters of support with my LOI?

Letters of support cannot be included with the LOI. Letters of support may only be submitted if you have been invited to submit a full proposal and are optional. Can attachments be included with the LOI?

No. All information must be included in the LOI fields . Should I add references or bibliographic information? If so, where?

You are not required to include references in the LOI or your full proposal; however, applicants will be expected to provide references if asked by Foundation staff. If you would like to include references, please include them in the body of the LOI form or proposal. Where can I find the application for the full proposal?

Only applicants invited to submit a full proposal will gain access to the full proposal application via e-mail. How does NYHealth review full grant applications and make funding decisions? All LOIs are reviewed by Foundation staff.

The staff decide which applicants will move on to the next stage and selected applicants receive an invitation to submit a full proposal for review. Proposals are evaluated by staff and a panel of community leaders from across the State with a wide range of experience and expertise . Selected proposals are forwarded to NYHealth’s Board of Directors, which makes the final funding decision.

Early submission does not provide an advantage; however, we do encourage reaching out to Foundation staff at specialprojectsfund@nyhealthfoundation. org early in the process should you have programmatic questions. How important is project sustainability?

Very important. Because the Special Projects Fund is intended to be a one-time grant opportunity, it is critical to explain your organization’s plan to continue the project after the grant period concludes. This is particularly important if you propose to hire staff to conduct this project.

It is not sufficient to state that you would seek additional grants from other funders. Please refer to this NYHealth-supported sustainability toolkit for helpful resources and tools. What makes an effective evaluation plan?

Most successful grant proposals to NYHealth include an evaluation plan to assess whether the project has achieved its stated goals and to measure its impact. There is no exact blueprint for a program evaluation; different applicants will have various ways of measuring the success and outcomes of their proposed project. Please refer to these guidelines for helpful resources and tools to design and implement a program evaluation.

We submitted a full application. When will our organization know if the project is selected for funding? Notifications will be sent to applicants approximately 12 to 15 weeks after the full application deadline .

What is the timeline for fund disbursement if the project is approved and awarded? Fund disbursement is specific to each grant. If awarded funding, grantees will receive a formal disbursement timeline after notification that the grant has been approved by NYHealth’s Board of Directors.

How many projects are typically awarded annually through the Special Projects Fund? Approximately 8 to 1 2 organizations are funded annually through our Special Projects Fund RFP process. The number of grants funded varies each round, as budget request amounts are different for each proposal.

FAQs: Technical Assistance Can I receive advice from NYHealth staff members about my proposal idea before I submit a proposal? Yes. Please e-mail specialprojectsfund@nyhealthfoundation.

org with any programmatic questions. We encourage you to be specific in your questions so we can offer helpful feedback. Please note, because of the large number of applicants, questions asked very close to the due date may not be answered in time.

If I have technical difficulties while submitting the LOI form at the deadline, may I have an extension? No. Because of the large number of applicants, we cannot give extensions to any applicants. We recommend you submit the application at least several hours before the 1:00 p.

m. deadline so you can reach out to the Grants Management department at gm@nyhealthfoundation. org if you are having technical difficulties.

If you have questions or difficulties using the grantee portal, please check out our portal resource to help troubleshoot common issues.