Donaghue Foundation: Greater Value Portfolio Grant Program

Donaghue Foundation: Greater Value Portfolio Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation
Amount: Up to US $500,000
Last Updated: March 16, 2026

Summary

The Donaghue Foundation's Greater Value Portfolio Grant Program aims to enhance healthcare value by funding innovative research projects for two years, with awards up to $400,000. It encourages proposals that address issues such as high costs, disparities, and inefficiencies in care. Eligible applicants include Ph.D. researchers at nonprofit institutions partnered with healthcare organizations. The program seeks actionable solutions to improve patient care and reduce the burden of low-value healthcare on communities.

Overview

Donaghue Foundation: Greater Value Portfolio Grant Program In 2026, the Donaghue Foundation’s Greater Value Portfolio grant program will fund research projects for two years with a maximum amount of $500,000 per award (plus a 10% indirect cost rate) to advance promising approaches to achieving a higher-value healthcare system. This program aims to test approaches and tools that organizations can readily use to improve the value of the healthcare they provide to their patients and communities. Symptoms of Low-Value Care In the context of the GVP grant program, we prioritize the development of solutions to combat the symptoms of low-value care. Our focus is on fostering a healthcare system where quality, efficiency, and fairness are not just aspirations but achievements realized through the implementation of actionable solutions. Research projects should target and propose corrective measures for the following critical symptoms of low-value care: High and rising healthcare costs. Unwarranted pricing variations. Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access, costs, and outcomes. Excessive financial burden of care on patients and families. Inconsistency in the quality of care delivered. Lack of price and outcome transparency in healthcare services. For consideration, research topics must demonstrate the potential to test or promote the following: Eligible topics include studies that focus on improving value through promising strategies using one or more of these approaches: Existing care models, coverage, and systems, proposing modifications that address inefficiencies, reduce healthcare costs, and eliminate unwarranted price variations. Unnecessary medical treatments, tests, and screenings, where potential harm or financial burden to patients may outweigh the benefits, promoting sustainable healthcare expenditure. Tools that assist consumers in making healthcare decisions grounded in value, considering costs and the spectrum of patient-centered factors, all aiming to ensure equitable access and high-quality care. New channels for patient-provider conversations that consider the trade-offs in treatment options, emphasizing transparent communication and the financial implications for patients and families. Interventions with a focus on delivering higher-value healthcare, particularly those that enhance equitable access, ensure consistent quality of care across diverse populations, and strive for pricing that mirrors the value of healthcare services. In all programs, the Foundation requires applicants to demonstrate that they have reviewed their research questions, protocols, sampling, and data analyses to ensure that they do not inadvertently mask or exacerbate racial, ethnic, or gender health inequities.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. This program is open to Ph.D. (or equivalent) investigators at tax-exempt research institutions in the United States. In order to receive an award, the applicant must partner with an organization that delivers healthcare services or be a researcher based in a research unit embedded in a healthcare organization. Partner organizations cannot be the applicant organization. Grantees may use this award to augment funding for a project already funded through another grant.The applicant organization must be 501(c)3 research institutions. Donaghue requires that the applicant organization has adequate infrastructure to assure:Ethical conduct of research, protection of research participants, and appropriate data protectionsFinancial monitoring of grant awards and administering any related subcontractsResources to assist the principal investigator with dissemination activitiesGrant funds may be used to support the following:The principal investigator’s salary (consistent with the applicant institution’s policy), project staff salaries, and employee benefitsData processing expenses, and other direct expenses including equipment and research participant expensesAppropriate expenses of the partnering organization to facilitate their support of the research; and costs associated with disseminating research findings

Ineligibility

Topics that are not considered relevant to the purpose of the program are efficacy trials, comparative effectiveness research that does not include cost analysis, basic research, or research using animal models. Funds may not be used for: All or part of the salary and fringe benefits for clerical assistance not related to the research Any administrative costs including professional membership and subscriptions New construction or the renovation of existing facilities Support of ongoing research projects is not an integral part of the investigator’s research program, except with express Foundation approvalIndirect costs of more than 10% of the direct cost of the project for either the applicant organization or any partnering or subcontracted organizations