Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
Org profile — health-equity philanthropic funder
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the largest U.S. philanthropy focused on health, funding population-health and health-equity work. Its most trainee-relevant program, Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS), is a 4-year leadership program for doctoral students from underrepresented/marginalized backgrounds, providing ~$25,000/yr. Note: RWJF welcomed its NINTH AND FINAL HPRS cohort in September 2025 — verify current program status. RWJF is a doctoral-and-up funder, not an undergraduate one.
Who Can Apply
Award Amount
$25,000
Deadline
Per active (2025)
Estimated
Topics
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
RWJF is the major philanthropic funder of health-equity and population-health work — a different lane from NCI's research grants, focused on policy, systems, and leadership. For a population-science trainee thinking about health policy and equity, it is worth knowing, but it engages at the doctoral level and above.
Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS) — the trainee program
HPRS is a 4-year program for doctoral students from historically marginalized backgrounds or underrepresented in their discipline, who want to improve health, well-being, and equity (HPRS / RWJF; HPRS site).
- Support: annual stipend of ~$25,000 per scholar (RWJF active funding).
- Eligible disciplines: broad — urban planning, political science, economics, anthropology, education, social work, geography, sociology, and related fields committed to policy change for population health and equity.
- Career stage:
predoctoral(enrolled doctoral students) — not undergraduates.
⚠️ Status note: RWJF welcomed its ninth and final HPRS cohort in September 2025 (PMC on HPRS; RWJF). Treat HPRS as possibly winding down — verify whether new cohorts are being accepted before relying on it.
Other RWJF tracks
RWJF also runs the Health Policy Fellows program (mid-career professionals/faculty) () and historically the Health & Society Scholars program. These are /professional-stage.