Advancing Equity Through Oral Health Funds Grant

Advancing Equity Through Oral Health Funds Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Carequest Institute For Oral Health Inc
Last Updated: October 10, 2025

Summary

The Advancing Equity Through Oral Health Funds, initiated by CareQuest Institute, seeks to transform oral health systems by supporting projects that dismantle disparities faced by marginalized communities. The program encourages organizations to propose innovative solutions that enhance access to dental care, engage community voices, and promote policies that ensure equitable health outcomes for all. This initiative aims to create a more integrated and accessible healthcare system, particularly for historically underserved populations.

Overview

Note: All applicants are invited to initiate the grant submission process by submitting a concept of a proposed project. After review, we will invite organizations whose work strongly aligns with CareQuest Institute’s priority areas to enter the next stage of the application process, to submit a full proposal. Who We Are Our health care system is not built to work for everyone — people of color, those living in rural communities, people with disabilities, older adults, and other historically marginalized groups have been left behind. To achieve better health for all, we need to work together to create a system that is accessible, equitable, and integrated. As CareQuest Institute, we are pulling forward and expanding upon the strengths and history of the DentaQuest Foundation, DentaQuest Institute, and the nonprofit programs of the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement. With that momentum behind us and a clear goal in front of us, we can broaden our impact and move faster, together, toward a health care system that is designed for everyone. Advancing Equity Through Oral Health Fund We are driving oral health transformation through grantmaking and advocacy that support efforts to dismantle unjust structures and systems that drive disparities across oral health. Policy & Advocacy Advancement of Federal and State Oral Health Policy that Expands or Protects Access to Dental Coverage and Oral Health Care CareQuest Institute’s grantmaking supports organizations and activities that advance oral health policy, expanding coverage, aligning payments with health outcomes, and shaping policies and practices based on the lived experiences of community partners and trusted representatives. Through this funding priority, we invite organizations to explore opportunities that: Advance federal health and oral health policy, including, but not limited to, adding a comprehensive dental benefit in Medicare. Advance federal health and oral health policy, including, but not limited to, adding a comprehensive dental benefit in Medicare.Expand or maintain access to dental benefits in state Medicaid programs.Meaningfully engage community-driven partners to inform and shape policies that impact their lives. Community Capacity and Voice Engagement of Community Voices, Specifically Underserved Populations Poor oral health can lead to a higher risk of chronic diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, and behavior depression, leading to poor health outcomes and higher health care costs. Historically marginalized populations, including but not limited to black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) populations, those living in rural communities, people with low incomes, and people with disabilities are impacted disproportionately by the lack of access to oral health care and community support. These same voices are often left out of discourse and decision-making regarding their local community’s health and health care needs. At CareQuest Institute, we believe the inclusion of community voice in driving policy and systems change is a critical to attaining true oral health equity. Through this funding priority, we invite organizations to explore opportunities that: Meaningfully engage members from the communities they serve to inform and shape solutions that impact the community members’ lives. Use a health and racial equity lens when developing solutions to the inequities in the oral health system. Utilize community organizing or mobilization to drive systems change. Clinically Appropriate Care Expand Access to Safe, Timely, and Effective Person-Centered Care (Including Medical-Dental Integration and Minimally Invasive Care) and Health Care Workforce Solutions Through this funding priority, we invite organizations to explore opportunities that: Test or refine person-centered care models (including medical-dental integration and minimally invasive care) and health care workforce solutions to advance innovation in oral health care. Use a health and racial equity lens when developing solutions to the inequities in the oral health system. Meaningfully engage community-driven partners to inform and shape oral health care solutions that impact their lives. Community-Based Research Data and Insights to Advance Oral Health Systems Change Through this funding priority, we invite organizations utilizing community-based, participatory research to: Explore factors that influence oral health equity for historically underserved and vulnerable populations. Conduct population oral health research. Demonstrate the efficacy of the integration of oral health into overall health. Transform patient care to better classify and predict oral health outcomes and evaluate alternative care approaches (e.g., teledentistry or minimally invasive care) to improve patient access. Assess and highlight the impact of oral health interventions on the total cost of care. Evaluate value-based care approaches. Promote public policies that increase access to and affordability of care for vulnerable populations, especially through safety-net clinics.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. CareQuest Institute makes grants to nonprofit or not-for-profit organizations in the United States and US territories.

Ineligibility

The Institute does not make grants to for-profit organizations or individuals.