Policies for Action Effects of State Preemption Policies on Racial Justice and Health Equity

Overview

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to building a Culture of Health rooted in equity that provides every individual with a fair and just opportunity to thrive, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they have. Unfortunately, some of us don’t have the same opportunities to realize our aspirations for ourselves and our families. A number of policies and legal structures place more value on some lives than others, based on race, class, gender, ZIP Code, and other factors. These structures can limit opportunities within public health, housing, education, work, safety, justice, and wealth-building.

RWJF supports research that identifies the systemic root causes of U.S. health inequities, which have strong links to structural racism and other forms of oppression. RWJF’s approach is to challenge and improve conventional methods and assumptions and source new ideas to generate evidence that can advance equity and justice for communities of color. Along with RWJF’s other signature research programs, Policies for Action (P4A) funds research that can move policy toward the goals of dismantling structural racism and injustice and promote health equity and wellbeing. Efforts to do this include funding diverse researchers and research organizations and disseminating policy research that is equity focused and actionable.

For this P4A call for proposals, the goal is to build the evidence base investigating how preemption policies at the state level may affect racial justice and health equity. Research should focus on how state-level preemption impacts local authority; apply a racial equity lens to the policy research processes and outcomes; and include community groups and/or members, especially those from historically marginalized communities, as leaders or partners in all stages of the research. Research findings are intended to inform and guide legislators; public agencies; public policy advocates; racial and other justice organizations; community organizers; and others who are developing and implementing policies to create thriving, healthy, equitable communities.

The goal of this P4A CFP is to build the evidence base investigating how preemption policies at the state level may affect racial justice and health equity.

The research funded under this CFP:

1) should focus on how state-level preemption impacts local authority;  

2) be intentional about applying a racial equity lens to the policy research processes and outcomes; and

3) include community groups and/or members, especially those from historically marginalized communities, as leaders or partners in all stages of the research.  

The policies being considered can be ones that have been implemented or proposed, or whose impacts can be estimated through anti-racist processes and methods that are inclusive of Indigenous research methods, critical ethnography, or other appropriate methodological approaches. We also welcome policy research that is more developmental, theoretical, or conceptual in nature but has the potential to support policy reform, creation, or implementation in ways that can significantly boost improvements in racial justice and health equity. 

We seek to support research grants that generate actionable evidence and information about how, as well as how well policies work. We would like research findings to inform and guide legislators; public agencies; public policy advocates; racial, and other justice organizations; community organizers; and others who are developing and implementing policies to create thriving, healthy, equitable communities.

This CFP will award a combined total of $1.5 million for up to 6 grants. Each award has ranged from $30,000 to $450,000 in the past. We recommend that you request the amount of funding you will need to complete your proposed research project and to translate and disseminate the results. The size of the budget will be weighed in relation to the importance and likely contribution of the proposed research.

July 5, 2023 (1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. ET)
Optional applicant webinar. Registration is required for applicant webinar.

August 10, 2023 (3 p.m. ET)
Deadline for receipt of letters of intent.

December 22, 2023 (3 p.m. ET)
Deadline for receipt of full proposals.

Award Duration: Awards are typically funded for 24 months.