Making a Difference Grants

We are currently accepting letters of intent due by June 26, 2023. Please review the request for proposals to learn more about the application process and apply.

Current RFP

What are Making a Difference Grants?

The Greenwall Foundation’s bioethics grants program, Making a Difference in Real-World Bioethics Dilemmas, supports research to help resolve an important emerging or unanswered bioethics problem in clinical, biomedical, or public health decision-making, policy, or practice. Our aim is to fund projects that promote the Foundation’s vision and mission through innovative bioethics research that will have a real-world, practical impact. Projects may be empirical, conceptual, or normative. Successful teams commonly involve a bioethics scholar and persons with on-the-ground experience with the bioethics dilemma, for example, in clinical care; biomedical research; biotechnology, pharmaceutical, big data, and artificial intelligence companies; or public service.

Projects with the following characteristics will not be funded under this program:

Projects for which bioethics is not the main focus.
Projects that simply describe or analyze bioethics issues or provide a conceptual framework, without making practical recommendations for resolving the issues.
Projects that implement or make incremental improvements in established approaches to bioethics problems, build institutional infrastructure, or provide bioethics education, training, or coursework.
Projects that have predetermined conclusions or advocate for predetermined positions.
Projects whose main goal is to convene or enhance a meeting, unless there is a well-developed plan to produce a major peer-reviewed publication with consensus recommendations, guidelines, or best practices that have a strong likelihood of real-world implementation. The applicant must have a strong record in convening similar successful impactful meetings.
Projects to support or extend ongoing or core activities of an organization.
Projects with a principal investigator who does not have a PhD, JD, MD, or an equivalent doctoral-level degree.
Applications from unaffiliated individuals, or from institutions that do not have tax-exempt status in the United States.

The Greenwall Foundation only makes awards to affiliated individuals at institutions with tax-exempt status in the United States. In addition, an individual cannot simultaneously receive Making a Difference and Faculty Scholars Program funding from The Greenwall Foundation.

Questions about the Making a Difference grants program should be directed to Kyle Ruempler at kruempler@greenwall.org.

Request for Proposals

The Fall 2023 Making a Difference Request for Proposals is now open. Letters of Intent due June 26.

VIEW RFP

Our Making a Difference Grants

Ethics in the Interim: Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic to develop ethical guidance for data and safety monitoring committees overseeing clinical trials

Seema Shah, JD Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Grant Type: Making a Difference
Grant Cycle: spring 2021

An Ethical Approach to Routine Tragic Choices: Radiotherapy Allocation in Rwanda

Rebecca DeBoer, MD, MA University of California, San Francisco

Grant Type: Making a Difference
Grant Cycle: spring 2018

View All Making a Difference Grants

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Foundation post the request for proposals for Making a Difference grants?

Making a Difference grants are awarded twice a year; RFPs are typically posted in December and June. Please check the About Making a Difference Grants page to review the current or previous RFP and find additional instructions on how to apply.
Is there a limit on the budget or duration of a Making a Difference grant?

There is no formal limit on the budget or duration of a Making a Difference grant, and the Foundation’s budget and duration constraints may vary among application cycles. You can get a sense of the budget and duration of Making a Difference grants on the Making a Difference Grants page.
Does the Foundation award grants to institutions outside the United States?

Yes, but such institutions must have tax-exempt status in the United States. Applicant institutions must provide the Foundation with a letter of determination from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Equivalency determinations will not be accepted.
Does the Foundation award grants to individuals who are unaffiliated with an institution?

No, the Foundation only makes awards to institutions with tax-exempt status in the United States.
Can I get feedback about a potential project from the Foundation before I submit a grant application?

In order to be fair to all applicants, the Foundation cannot give feedback or technical advice on specific proposals or drafts before a letter of intent is submitted and reviewed.
Does the Foundation award no-cost extensions? How do I apply for one?

Yes, the Foundation allows one no-cost extension per award for a maximum of 12 months, absent exceptional circumstances. To apply, please contact the Foundation directly once you anticipate the need for an extension.

The Greenwall Foundation is dedicated to the integrity and impartiality of the grantmaking process and wishes to dispel even perceptions of conflicts of interest. Relationships that are conflicts of interest, which require Directors and Committee members to recuse themselves from voting on grant proposals, include an affiliation with a grantee institution, a current mentoring or collaborative relationship with an applicant, or a personal relationship with an applicant. To review the Foundation's Conflict of Interest Policy with respect to grants, please click here.