The mission of the Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high-performing, equitable health care system that promotes better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency in health care, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including people of color, people with low income, and those who are uninsured.
The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy. In its more than 100 years, the Fund has pursued its mission by:
- demonstrating pioneering approaches and evaluating their results to identify levers for change
- convening experts across backgrounds and disciplines to spark innovation and facilitate learning
- publishing the results of our research and disseminating evidence to spur change
- investing in tomorrow’s leaders and their capacity to promote equitable outcomes both in the U.S. and abroad.
Fund staff are collaborative partners in the grantmaking process and in our efforts to promote a high-performing, equitable health care system. In addition to giving grants to health care–focused organizations, Fund staff conduct their own research as well. Our communications team, meanwhile, helps to ensure the foundation is a leader in disseminating timely, actionable information to health care leaders, policymakers, community stakeholders, and the media.
Recently, the Commonwealth Fund made a commitment to become an antiracist organization. In striving for more equitable grantmaking, we fund a diverse group of organizations and investigators. To learn about our grantmaking initiative to advance equity in U.S. health care, visit our Advancing Health Equity program page. To learn more about the Fund’s commitment to promote racial equity, diversity, and inclusion, read our Vision and Pledge.
To apply for a grant from the Commonwealth Fund, please submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) using the online grants portal. You can also read about the Fund’s current funding priorities.
Applicants are typically advised of the results of their inquiries within six weeks, and often sooner. LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis, unless they are submitted in response to a request for proposals (RFP), in which case the submission deadline is shown on the funding announcement and the portal. If your LOI is identified as a potential fit, program staff will be in touch about next steps in our collaborative proposal development process.