NYSHF Special Projects Fund Grant

The NYSHF Special Projects Fund Grant offers one-time funding to support innovative health projects that address pressing community needs in New York. This initiative seeks to empower organizations that can enhance health outcomes for marginalized populations, while fostering systemic change. Competitive applications should demonstrate potential for replication and sustainability beyond the grant period. This fund represents a unique opportunity for organizations committed to improving public health through impactful projects.

2026 Special Projects Fund
The New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) has a broad mission to improve the health of all New Yorkers, especially people of color and others who have been historically marginalized. With our responsive grantmaking through the Special Projects Fund, we seek to partner with a wide range of organizations implementing projects that can improve health at the local, regional, or statewide levels.
Special Projects Fund awards are one-time, nonrenewable funding opportunities supporting projects that address important and emerging health care and public health issues that fall outside our three priority areas:

• Primary Care; Healthy Food, Healthy Lives; and Veterans’ Health.
• The Foundation also engages in responsive grantmaking through the Special Projects Fund.

Special Projects Fund awards are one-time, nonrenewable funding opportunities supporting projects that address important and emerging health care and public health issues that fall outside our three priority areas.
We seek to partner with a wide range of organizations implementing projects that can improve health at the local, regional, or statewide levels. The most competitive applications are requests for projects and initiatives that have strong potential for replication, scaling, and/or implications for policy I and systems change.
Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

Applicant is a nonprofit organization with a 501(c)(3) IRS designation or a for-profit organization with asignificant ability to have impact in New York State.Project directly aligns with NYHealth’s mission, with a focus on improving the health of New Yorkers who have been historically marginalized.Applicant clearly articulates a pressing community need, an opportunity to address a gap, and a strategyto create long-term, systemic change.Applicant clearly articulates goals, timelines, objectives, and measurable outcomes.Project has an effective evaluation plan, including measures for local, regional, or statewide impact.Applicant has experience, potential, and readiness to complete the project successfully.Applicant builds collaboration among organizations and demonstrates meaningful community input and participation in the design and implementation of the project.Project has a strong potential for replication elsewhere in New York State or nationally.Applicant articulates how the project will be financially and programmatically sustained after the one-time grant support from NYHealth ends.Applicant demonstrates how and why the initiative represents a special opportunity for NYHealth funding.Applicant demonstrates a degree of creativity or innovation.

Ineligibility

Projects Not Eligible for Funding:Projects that fall under any of our priority areas: Primary Care; Healthy Food, Healthy Lives; or Veterans’ Health.Projects that involve funding ongoing services or activities similar to the normal activities undertaken by an organization.Requests for core support/organizational infrastructure. Core support includes baseline operating and administrative costs, board development, staff development unrelated to the project, and fundraising activities.Projects that involve the purchase, installation, or upgrade of health information technology systems, including electronic medical records and other equipment.Projects that are biomedical research-oriented.Projects that focus on lobbying.Capital expenses (e.g., buildings, vehicles, rent).